“This isn’t random. When one surfer gets glorified and the other minded the bias is already set.”
There was cause for light celebration two weeks ago when John John Florence accompanied a “flood of cherished champions rejoining surf tour for 2026.”
These cherished champions making a comeback in 2026 included, of course, new mammy Carissa Moore, the almost forty-year-old queen of tequila Stephanie Gilmore and the greatest Brazilian surfer ever, three-timer Gabriel Medina.
Now, a Gabriel Medina fan has put the World Surf League to the sword for what he claims are wildly differing online posts announcing the return of each surfer.
“The difference in the WSL’s wildcard announcements says everything,” wrote Medina fan, Chico Zaganelli Jr. “JJF gets an epic tribute: long text, heavy praise, superlatives, a full hero narrative.
“Medina, a 3 x World Champion with equal achievements, gets a shorter, colder, flatter post.
“This isn’t random. Official communication shapes narratives and influences judging. When one surfer is glorified and the other minimised, the bias is already set before the season even starts.
“If the favouritism is this obvious in the captions, imagine what’s coming in the scoring. 2026 hasn’t even begun and the script is already written.”
Side by side comparison, Gabriel Medina v JJF:
3x World Champ John John Florence is locked in for 2026 Championship Tour
3X World Champ, Pipe Master, Eddie Winner, and one of the most progressive surfers of all time. The dynamic approach John brings to wave riding is truly one of a kind. He blows minds and raises the bar for what’s possible on a surfboard every time he paddles out, and now, he’s back in the jersey.
Gabriel Medina confirmed for 2026 Championship Tour
3x World Champ Gabriel Medina is officially in for the 2026 Championship Tour season. World Champ at 20, Pipe Master, 2x Tahiti champ, breaking the 45-year goofy drought at J-Bay, the 15-year goofy drought at Snapper, landed the first backflip ever in a jersey, owns some of the best barrels ever seen, and there’s much more history he’s set to write next year.
Do you see the diff? Is it a white on brown bias, do you think, the white man’s genetically inbuilt need to place his jackboot on the neck of the brown man? The oppressor v the oppressed, coloniser v colonised, yay Marxism etc?
Or roughly the same, possibly even with a slant towards Gabriel Medina?
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Just noticed that the WSL have a new postal address in LA (maybe it’s been there for a while?). Chucked it into google maps (4840 Alla Road) and was amused to see it was a 2.6 rating. Had a look at the reviews and as expected, full of Brazzos crying. What a bunch of softcocks.
In Bresil its cry tide, then in about six hours its blow tide
it’s a goofy vs. non-goofy vendetta
Is it remotely possible that the brassos crying on Instagram are just 14 year old kids?
Non olympic season = less drug testing.
Fans of sport like Gabby, fans of surfing like JJF. The difference is style matters to a surf fan and sports fans like cry.
Just both junk copy, right?
Can’t get too hung up about captions.
If you watch the WSL there is undoubtedly a heavy judging bias against the Brazilians. Particularly Italo and Gabby. There just is. Own it. The judges seem to manipulate the story line and Italo and Gabby winning don’t fit the story line so we get over-score / under-score tweaks by the judges to get the preferred surfers to advance. It is what it is. Now get me a HamSammish.
wut- they have 4 world titles between them and Italo has a further 2 runners up placings.
There is a difference between the Gyro Brazilian style and the other “Styley” styles. No hamsammish
I don’t see it that way at all. Gabby got pushed by the judges early in his career. One of the finals at snapper he was way overscored for the win.
But it’s not uncommon for surfers to get a push. Wilko went on a tear with backhand re-entries and then got dropped just as quick when they got sick of it.
And just for the record, I think Medina and Italo are amazing.
I will often mind-judge the comps and i’m usually within 0.5 of the actual awarded score. I do agree that there are problems with the judging when the head judge gets to “suggest” (in real time) to the other judges what they should give each wave. That’s just defeats the purpose of having a panel of judges. But I don’t see this is being pro- or anti- any particular nationality and with the exception of a few outliers (like that famous kelly “incomplete ride” barrel at pipe), it’s pretty rare for there to be any legitimate stinker of decisions.
I’m still struggling to see the judging bias when 8/11 world titles since 2014 have been brazzos.
just because you scream from the hilltops doesn’t mean it’s true.
Very gud point!
The bias they are talking about is that Brazilian surf fans think they should have won 11/11 of the titles since 2014 and every time they don’t win they bitch and moan about it.
Constantly
I believe the judging criteria has also changed. The judges used to reward the brazzo flick-n-flak style of surfing and they have won world titles because of it (possibly to boost surfing in the Brazil market for $$, which has worked). Now the judging is favoring proper rail surfing which the brazzos are struggling to adapt, (just ask jordy about italo and Medinas rail game.) And therfore think they are being underscored.
The good surfers like JJF, Robbo, Jordy, ethan etc lay it on rail and get rewarded over finners and tail slides, which the brazzos still think is better surfing.
Big part of the problem that led to this was way too many ct events ran in dogshit waves. I still think the tour is too bloated. Need to be able to complete an event in one day of waves so you can get the absolute best opportunity in the waiting period to run the entire event. That would require a field of 16 at most I believe. If the waves are legit I’m all for boosting huge airs on big sections. Watching Filipe or italo skip an entire chest high wave to race to the end section to throw another slightly modified version of an air reverse should never happen in a ct heat. Worlds best surfers in worlds best waves.
Cry me a Bolsonaro
Will the Little Lion Filipe Toledo end up looking like a dust covered christmas decoration that was once the highlight of the tree.
They didn’t say anything about Gabriel blowing minds…..or blowing anything else.
shame.
Gabriel is an animal
He will eat this tour
I love him but I think he has only won one event since his last title 6 years ago? Just hasn’t seemed as hungry since then to me but like I said I love him and hope he’s fired up for the year. Best ever at Chopes and Cloudies for me
Gab and John change the tour. Yago deserved his win
Tour was boring. Great to schedule a Hail Mary at the end of the season, but they were snakebit by conditions the entire year. Too big a production, need to run lean and agile, but the WSL is fat as a cow. Slow. Maybe not paying attention. Self promotion more important than the product.
Then he’ll poop it out on Instagram!
A Gabnimal?
Those days are over Hip- he ain’t the same dude anymore since the divorce.
Just hoping to find interest in it again Tom Tom, kudos to you for getting through last year. Your write ups were better than show.
I hope Gabe has it wrapped up by the fourth event.
Notoriously slow starter.
My bold uneducated prediction for the title reads…Medina 1 … JJ 2nd
chow 3rd
and the wsl to self emolate by chrissy 26
The metaphor of “everyone is against me/us” is a common one in sports and can be very effective – Diego Maradona is a famous example, using the negative motivation of this principle to raise his own level and bring a World Cup to Argentina in 1986.
Medina is simply trying to establish a similar pattern of imaginary disrespect to achieve a similar goal – another World Title in 2026.
Everyone is against you at all these surf websites but that didn’t establish your “book” being any better, though.
Book is doing just fine, thanks – have you ordered your copies yet?
all this drama did lead me to read the sam George interview. Putting aside the Nias discussion, did have a question:
If you had to take a long boat ride into suspect waters with one pro, who would it be? (the one pro has to be someone you’ve taken on prior trips).
The list of “pro surfers” I would not want to work with again is longer than the list of those with whom I would, but one reason we formed The surfEXPLORE Group is so we would have more control over who does the project –
Rather than using surfers with the sole qualification of having funding available from their sponsors, but of suspect intelligence, education and travel experience, we could use people with brains and knowledge who know how to solve problems rather than causing them –
I have to say, using people like Erwan Simon, Emiliano Cataldi and Sam Bleakley for surfEXPLORE projects made a big difference in the quality of the materials – what we were able to do, when we had committed people who are not only good surfers but have ideas and show initiative to do what needs to be done to be in the right place at the right time.
Many of these “sponsored pro surfer” types are perfectly suitable for a strike mission for a good swell for Tavarua or Teahupo’o – it’s all been done many times before, all they have to do is get on a planc, get off the plane and surf.
But when you are going somewhere no one on the project has ever been to before, trying to do things that have never been done and find, surf and document waves that have never been surfed – that is something completely different and you do need a higher calibre of surfer.
Emi is a good bloke.
Saw it at an op shop yesterday…holding the door open.
Hahahaahha
Maybe Brazilians might call upon ‘The Hand of God’ to push them into the best sets?
The “Hand of God” only speaks Español – não falha Portuguese Brasileiro!
I think his native tongue is Latin. Italian his second, Spanish and French tied for third.
Aramaic?
I was talking post Trinity. You seem to be correct
I think the lesson here is, anyone with junior as a last name is a wanker https://media1.giphy.com/me…
Al Cleland (jr.)
Brasseees reminding everyone that they will be crying babies, forever.
Oceans of tears coming every time princess Gabe doesn’t get a ten…
Hope they both stay healthy. Yago can now hang with them, though. They’ll make Ethan look obsolete, quickly. Fil better strike quickly at the smaller venues, too. Robbo probably missed his window, if their knees hold up and they stick around a few more years.
Woah, woah, whoa back the fuck up about Ethan mate. Along with Jon he is the best rail surfer in the world in my opinion and could easily win at Bells, Snapper and J Bay if they’re pumping. He aint anywhere near them in solid pits but is fucking other worldly at right points and I would rather watch him over ANYONE in good waves at those venues. Pump, pump, jump surfing and twirly birds can suck me prong and give me Ethan’s surfing all day over that wank
Solid pits are more important a win.