Biggest surf brand in the world acquires company that made “the original hoodie” for staggering $1.2 billion

"It's a brave new surf industry."

Sport season is in full flare, in North America, with professional baseball, college football, professional women’s basketball and professional football fans losing minds daily. Baseball is in its playoffs, as is the WNBA. College and pro football are still early in the season but late enough for major upsets and big-time coach firings to have roiled. Sports fans going absolutely bonkers.

Surf fans left bereft.

While its easy enough, and sometimes enjoyable, to follow along with the World Surf League’s Championship Tour, it is genuinely difficult to be passionate about it. John Florence, Ethan Ewing, Gabe Medina and Caitlin Simmers are all fine to watch but nobody, other than their family members, care if they win or lose a heat. Cheering professional surfing is like cheering bird watchers though maybe slightly lower stakes.

Until now.

For, hours ago the world’s largest surf brand acquired a historical sporting giant for an eye-watering $1.2 billion and might the move inject some much-needed rah, rah, sis, boom, bah into our passive sport of kings?

Yes, Authentic Brands Group, owner of Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, Von Zipper and maybe more has come to agreement with with Hanes underwear to acquire Champion. The company, which began its life in 1919 as the “Knickerbocker Knitting Company” made uniforms for teams such as the mighty Michigan Wolverines. It changed its name to “Champion Knitting Mills” in 1930 and proceeded to invent the hooded sweatshirt. It was sold to cake company Sara Lee in 1989 then later the aforementioned underwear giant before turning surf.

Jamie Salter, Authentic Brands CEO declared, “We are excited to acquire Champion, a brand that shares our pioneering spirit. Over the last few years, the addition of new brands together with the expansion of live events has grown Authentic into a world leading sports and entertainment licensing company. Bringing Champion into the fold further expands our position in this space.”

Extremely cool and maybe finally surf fans will be able to purchase jerseys they can be proud of instead of this.

As synergy would have it, David Lee Scales (no relation to Sara Lee) discussed fandom on the just-dropped episode of Noble Rot. I enjoy my baseballs and footballs etc. David Lee does not but I encouraged him to embrace a new sort of fandom. Being wildly overenthusiastic about products.

I, for instance, am a massive, major, no. 1 supporter of Hostess fruit pies. Cherry and lemon are my favorite and I would dress in Hostess fruit pie t-shirts and caps everyday, if they made them. I am also a huge backer of french onion dip and, not so secretly anymore, Outerknown. Which goods, beverages or foodstuffs do you loudly and proudly back?

You can listen to the episode here while you are thinking.