The WSL’s happy talk about wave pools, ever expanding audience, and Olympics are curated to create the illusion of success in order to dump the league at a much higher price than it is worth.
Irrespective of WSL owner Dirk Ziff’s “Waterman of the Year Award” when it comes to surfing, he is a complete and utter kook.
When it comes to money, however, Dirk stands on much firmer ground.
Irrespective of the WSL’s greenwashing and virtue signaling about gender, at the end of the day they are a company owned by a New York City billionaire who had no roots or relationship to surfing until he acquired it in 2015. It looks likely that Ziff is preparing to sell his failed professional surfing experiment with the same ruthlessness he fired WSL president Eric Logan.
Dirk Ziff’s decision to hire Ultimate Fight Championship executive Joe Carr is a double-down on the WSL’s failed attempt to globalize and digitize surfing.
(Update: this is a fast-moving story. Read Bombshell Twist in appointment of ex-UFC exec as CEO of World Surf League.)
This winter in Hawaii, the WSL’s credibility hit an all time low.
Not only did their (Trestles) world champ fail to take off on a wave of significance during the Pipeline contest, they refused to hold the Pipe contest because the waves were “too big” for the beach break specialists they anoint as “champions” in order to “globalize” surfing. Most telling was the WSL treatment of surfing’s true female champion, Carrissa Moore. The WSL’s actions spoke volumes about their disrespect and disinterest in professional surfing.
The appointment of Joe Carr and the WSL’s failed “globalization of surfing” strategy has made it increasingly clear that Dirk Ziff has a WSL exit strategy.
While Dirk Ziff may be a kook when it comes to surfing, he is not when it comes to money.
The WSL’s dubious happy talk about wave pools, an ever expanding audience, and Olympics are carefully curated to create the illusion of success in order to dump the league at a much higher price than it is worth.
Given the WSL’s failure to meet any of their benchmarks in terms or viewers or sponsors, who would be so stupid as to fall for this?
Is the massive $750,000,000 wave park opening in October in Saudi Arabia, the new global home of surfing?
In 2023, Reuters reported,
“Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Splashes Cash in 2023.”
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund spent $31.5 billion in 2023 and moved aggressively into the sports of soccer and golf so why not surfing?
Although slavery was legal in Saudi Arabia until 1962 although, unofficially it still exists, and women were only allowed to drive in 2017, this will pose no ethical problems to the former member of the Weinstein Company.
This is capitalism, after all.
I’ll be the uniformed bulbous horn squeezer
amazon package has been delivered…https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.ne…
we’re stationed in SC and when the Moonlighter rail passes by…we moon ’em…thru chain-link fences…
Oh, but they will. Watch.
“at the end of the day they are a company owned by a New York City billionaire who had no roots or relationship to surfing until he acquired it in 2015.”
Interesting point!!
Which begs the question??
Why Did Dirk get involved with surfing in the first place??
From all that I have read—it was because of Dirk’s wife (Natasha’s) interest in surfing that got Dirk involved with surfing.
There seems to be no other explanation!
And why has he already stuck it out this long if he is so money-savy?
Natasha:
“But Dirk baby, you have 5000 millions (5 billion), baby, come on please, just let me keep my Wsl play-thing honey, it makes me happy, come on honey, I’ll treat you nice”.
Someone may have billions, but if your home life is hell or rocky, is it worth it?
Happy wife—happy life!
re: my first dune buggie ride…steve mcqueen and britt ekland
the tits on britt!
I would absolutely fucking love the whole pro surfing circus becoming a wave pool tour. That would mean every little wannabe kid and wannabe kid’s parents would hover round wave pools and never venture near an ocean wave ever again.
Bring it the fuck on. The twirlers are happy in their computer machine waves and the rest of us get to surf without the insufferable little cunts and their entourages ever again. Win win.
what’s you’re limit on Zelle?
As Matt Biolas pointed out recently here on BG—they missed the younger generation.
WORLD’S BEST SURFBOARD SHAPER MATT BIOLOS LAMENTS GREYING OF FORMERLY REBELLIOUS YOUTH SPORT
“We failed to inspire the next generation.”
The beach parking lots in San Diego and elsewhere are almost basically devoid of youth.
I’m a 21st century digital boy,
Don’t know how to surf but I got a lot of toys
Hmmm UAE or the saudis…could be a smart move to get the UAE to fire up the pool and then the saudis will want some skin in the game……..price goes…..UP!
Umm, Still a long learning curve to get good at surfing, even in a tank, how many Saudis do you think are gonna stick with it?
And is there really any money in competitive surfing?
The old Asp didn’t think so.
And a somewhat clueless billionaire is the only thing keeping it alive now.
And do you really think anybody is going to pay (pay-per-view) to watch Pro surfing??
Especially a target audience of non-surfers?
Me thinks—no.
Just sayin…
Board versus Sword!
Score…
Saw ‘Gladiator,’ R. Crowe…Romans 0, Crowd 2…win the crowd!
Tonight’s feast is Fuel TV and Dubai…The Emirates, princes, and a degrading, non-hard, lemonade fanatic-driven (fan) religion…
Skateboarding is in ‘in’ the Middle East, capitalism city/state, no residencies…
No routine coverage on local tv, cable tv, VS., or mtv…not ABC…
But back in the days of 6-feet of snow, we used to tear the steel wheels off of roller skates and nail them into a self-customized plywood board…
I went thru dozens of Buster Brown, leather-bottomed shoes…
Skateboarding down to Cos’s and Ian’s house and later ended up at the beach…MB (near LA)
Surfing, biking, skating…
Back to the skateboarding thing…
devid geffen called
Pip taking the year off hoping for pipeline, chopes and cloudy to be replaced by wave pools in 2025.
Clever little chicken
How much does an Arab billionaire pays Kelly to hold his umbrella?
I think it’s some sort of ceremonial stick.A magic wand for Kelly perhaps
trippin o’ve nickles to get thru law school…ur’re specialty?
When Paul Speaker stated the WSL wanted to be more to like the NFL, we scoffed at the idea because, well shit fuck howdy, viewership of course. That shit made no sense. Even less sense than Paul Speaker being there in the WSL HQ in the first place.
But I remember commenting at the time how they’d aim for decommissioned football stadiums because surfing, if to be profitable, HAD to be in a stadium. But that begs the question “How the fuck does surfing end up in a stadium?” Wave pools.
Ziff won’t sell until someone builds a wave pool in a stadium. Only after proof of concept will Ziff sell. Ziff wants to make a profit. Don’t kid yourself, he does.
You heard it here first. The UAE has tested the technology. Now they’ll build a stadium. Then, and only then, will Ziff sell.
And who are all these mystery people that are gonna be watching surfing in a stadium ?
The target audience, the American main-stream (where the $$ is), has shown no real interest in pro- surfing.
So if there’s no real outside interest?
What then.
If the WSL keeps ticket prices at a price point well below NFL ticket prices, it may gain some steam bc of it’s novelty.
I do believe it’ll have to be the Emirities who go there first as far as a stadium.
Ziff’ wants to make a profit?
What can he buy with it that he doesn’t already have?
Ziff—wants to keep Natasha happy.
devid geffen called
I messed up twice! But funny. FYI. Gonna change so Wolfie don’t get sad.
Who dis wolfa wallstreet mufuka?
Thats my fanny willis jive talk
Can’t decide who’s testimony was more ridiculous, Fani Willis or her Black Panther father
Judge be like
Whatchoo talkin bout fanny willis.?
Thasum corrupt ass bitch yo.
wow didn’t know her father was a Black Panther…more power to her!
on the good news front nice to see Da Don contributing some much needed $’s back to the IRS!
He’ll win on appeal. NY is going to lose so much big business because of this doomed to fail shakedown. So so much. They already can’t afford the illegals they have. Wait till the next bus loads arrive and there’s even less tax revenue to work with
They said he might start building or doing business in Florida now.
He lives there.
Makes sense.
No matter what happens on appeal, and I’d be surprised if Trump lost the appeal, this case will reverberate throughout the NY big business world. Why subject your business to such uncertainty when your political leanings may place your business in the crosshairs of partisan hacks in the judicial branch of that State. Businesses will be leaving in droves.
we/she/them have no bearings…need a planer…generator…WSL surf schedule…late night phone calls from us dryunlks? “i’m in the first heat, MC!”
Receipt?
Receipts??
Deposit slips for the paybacks?
for big buck vacations?
Shirley you jest?
Think the judge said it just takes, ‘the appearance of impropriety’, to have her removed.
eddie.eruption,cashed me in…santana/
Remember when they flew a couple planes into a tower and we blamed the wrong country leading to the decades of turmoil in the region we’ve faced. I don’t remember anything except something about steel beams. Oh well, I embrace our morally grounded towel head overlords, I’m sure womens sports will play a large and equal roll in their organization.
If you could sculpt a comment to compliment your username, this is it sir, art.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
I dunno. “The writing has been on the wall” for a good five years now but still the shit shoe rolls on.
That press release is from 2017 though, isn’t it?
Minor detail.
True, sorry, forgot where I was for a moment.
Cola Bros pipe roundup is pretty compelling, this series could get pretty good especially coming up to the cut.
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
The cola bros are boring as shit.
Normally I’d agree but I thought this was a good watch, especially the BTS on Kade’s wipeout. Anyway each to their own.