"And so all the athletes were basically like, unless they wanted to give up their career and pay 10k, they were silenced."
Bethany Hamilton is, arguably, the most famous surfer on the planet. The now-35-year-old mother of four became internationally known after a tiger shark stole her then-13-year-old arm when she was out for a surf in Kauai. Hamilton’s grit and courage, the not giving up and continuing on a surf journey, inspired legions, her autobiography becoming a smash best-seller and later a film.
Bethany Hamilton used her platform to share good old-timey values along with wildly impressive surf skill, even competing from time to time in World Surf League events along the way.
Well, you certainly recall the “Home of Global Surfing’s” swing to woke, a few years ago, taking a very progressive stance when it came to the hot-button issue of which side of the draw trans surfers could compete.
Per the 2023 press release:
As an Olympic sport, and with aspirations for all of WSL’s disciplines to be included in the Olympics, the WSL has adopted the International Surfing Association (ISA) policy on transgender participation (the “ISA Transgender Policy”). The eligibility of a Surfer to compete either in a men’s or women’s Event under this Rule shall be subject to compliance with the ISA Transgender Policy.
Oddly, the “ISA Transgender Policy” no longer exists on the ISA website, but if memory serves, biological males transitioning to female could surf in the women’s division.
Bethany Hamilton was not happy and vocal, taking to Instagram in the aftermath and posting a to-camera video wherein she wondered, “Is a hormone level an honest and accurate depiction that someone indeed is a male or female? Is it as simple as this?”
“I personally won’t be competing in or supporting the World Surf League if this rule remains,” she declared at the end.
The World Surf League, for its part, released a statement reading that it “is working to balance equity and fairness, and we will continue to evaluate the policy in the months and years ahead as more research, information, and feedback are available.”
All wonderful, no? Magnanimous and earnest?
Apparently not, for in a mega bombshell just dropped on the Culture Apothecary podcast, Bethany Hamilton shared with host Alex Clark that the World Surf League threatened to financially neuter any surfer who dared speak out.
“They had all their surfers conveniently sign a contract that said, ‘oh, you can’t say anything negative towards the World Surf League, or we will find you 10k, and you’ll be removed from the World Surf League,'” she said. “And so all the athletes were basically like, unless they wanted to give up their career and pay 10k, they were silenced.”
Yikes.
But also, and quickly, do all professional sporting leagues have their athletes sign some sort of non-disparagement thing or is the World Surf League extra, here?
How much would it take you to shut your trap?