What did others know and when did they know it?
Erik Logan has “not been with the company” for well over a year, now, though his legacy lingered until just yesterday. The much-maligned “Final Five” season ender, starting each year at Pipeline, ending at Lower Trestles etc. each horribly misbegotten ideas crammed down the throats of bewildered surf fans, worldwide, in the attempt, I suppose, to snare the illusive non-surfing surf fan, viciously erased.
Logan rolled out the changes, celebrating them on his Instagram channel in to-camera pieces that were applause-emoji’d by professional surfers and World Surf League employees alike.
Which brings us directly to our question. Was the former Oprah Winfrey executive solely responsible for conjuring then implementing the changes? Did he rule as a dictator, over-ruling the exasperated sighs of his Commissioner, say, and his Chief Marketing Officer?
Or, did those in the building help design and approve of the new direction, applause-emoji’ing the entire wayward traverse?
The World Surf League’s c-suite had become hostile and menacing before, and during, Logan’s tenure, treating surf fans with utter disdain and the media as enemy so it is difficult to say whether there was internal opposition, in those years, or offices full of open collaborators.
Vichy West.
Well, all in the rearview now. Bygones bygones and ’26 awaits. A fine thing for all, including 2x* World Champion Filipe Toledo who can build on an earth-shattering Olympic performance to shock and awe all haters and bring home a 3rd title at macking Backdoor.
David Lee Scales and I did not discuss any of this during our weekly chat but did ruminate upon the origins of May Day. I think you’ll find enlightening.
*tee-hee
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Logan was a complete KOOK.
No HamSammish.
WSL realizing there thumb broke through the toilet paper 5 yrs ago and they’ve spread shit all over the sport AKA “Poo poo Touch”💩…
popular prime ministers is my gay stripper boy band name
I have an ELO forever badge
4 eva
suck it!
“Hi, I’m Tim/Tom and am an masterbator~
My answer to the headline question : NO
If my moonshine memory is correct, the Sophie Goldsmith (aka Stokefree Coldshit) era was the start of the fiasco that put the kibosh on the prestigious end of year Hawaiian Triple Crown, which compounded with Pipe being moved to the start of the following year due to permit application problems through her poor/arrogant communication with Hawaiian council officials and the local surf community etc.
And she always looked out of place and weird on stage handing out the prizes.
Natasha’s fingerprints seemed all over it.
E.Low took over a ship that was already heavily listing, and had been instructed by the owners to get into the ‘media entertainment studio’ angle as a way to pump the bilge before she capsized.
On his watch it went a bit far, but he wouldn’t have been alone in making the final decisions.
For instance, surely Harvey Weinstein and Dirk et al hanging with the surfers at wosl parties wasn’t just E.Lows fault.
And he always looked out of place and weird on stage handing out the prizes.
Natasha’s fingerprints seemed all over it…
Agree with this. Can even go back to Speaker talking about making surfing as big as NFL, major red flags!
Reckon the whole premise of making surfing competition for the masses was fucked from the go, blame the Ziffs. Keep surfing comps small, community based. Its why the ABB does so well, no corporate crap, just raw, real, core and no Bailey ladders, bonsoy breaks and manufactured drama
What’s the prize money like for ABB? You can’t really compare it to WSL.
But we can see the difference in the WSL broadcast for the Aussie treble, it’s more relaxed and more fun when you have the likes of the Blakey brothers onboard. WSL should lean into this and not try to turn it into the seriousness of the NFL
Probably.
Ps – Felipe , lol!
Logan’s run at changing surf ennui continues apace.
Ziff’s wife is probably a fan of Oprah, so hiring Elo practically made her besties with Oprah….who cares if he knows nothing about surf competitions!
Elo and Stab
see you back here in 2026…the line-up may change but VTA will remain the same…foggy, dirty, sharky…”I kissed a girl…” circa 1981. never left. never will. wanna see my instagram surf pics? epic meals?
Yes
Griffin’s dad – Mitch – a talented waterman himself… skilled lifeguard, excellent surfer and swimmer. Gosh.
Of course, sharing his name with Mitch Buchannon, also a skilled lifeguard, fantastic swimmer and all round good human, and also with our very own Mitch Salazar… Buenos Dias, Mitch! Whatcha up to?
best gimmick account here. Truly a good human
He’s up to the endless ribs portion of the salad bar
Nearly two years later and no one has leaked what ELo did in Brazil. Who knew that the WSL would have better operational security than the U.S. Government? But then again, that’s a pretty low bar to get over when you have Drunk Boy Hegseth as the Secretary of Defense.