Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.
Oscar Wilde
See what the power of a simple boycott can do? That’s right folks; Erik Logan and the WSL are a couple no more. I’m not going to claim full responsibility here, but I would like to point out the timing of this situation – a short 15 days after I announced my plan to stop watching the Wizzle, and encouraged you to do the same. While the rest of the surf media world jumped on the breaking news to announce this departure, I have obviously taken some time to digest this. Without further ado, here are my thoughts.
First and foremost, is anything going to change? ELO left in the middle of the Brazil event, one which he was in attendance for, and the contest just kept on rolling exactly how it would have with the Oklahoman at the helm. Nobody even mentioned him leaving. I don’t know how feasible it is to make immediate changes to a global organization like this, but one would think with the sudden nature of this move that something was not in order and adjustments need to be made. Maybe he did something terribly wrong which prompted firing? Did he leave on his own terms? Were the death threats from the Brazilian fan base too much to handle? Regardless of what happened, can we expect to see anything new now that the face of the brand is gone? I’m talking about a new Finals Day location or no Finals Day at all, more input from the surfers, more transparency from the judges that the surfers are looking for, the MYC rescinded or adjusted, anything? Would be cool if they could start to interview the heat losers as well as the winners. Entertaining stuff guaranteed. Was ELO simply a kooky puppet for the powers that be behind the Wozzle? Can we expect more of the same, regardless of who is to become the new CEO? Only time will tell.
The second question I had upon hearing the news – is Dirk Ziff going to sell the Wozzle? Remember that just last year Netflix made an undisclosed offer to purchase this sinking ship, but a deal could not be struck because the two sides couldn’t agree on a price. Perhaps this time around Ziff is fielding more offers. And perhaps a wealthy entity would only be interested in making the purchase without a rule changing, reel filming, clout chasing barney as the CEO. I’m just guessing. Keep in mind that new Stab piece written by Michael Ciaramella which suggested that Ziff might be in talks about a sale, and how the UAE could be a fitting location following the new KSWC wave pool being built in Abu Dhabi. Both of these ideas check out in my mind. I’m questioning what other offers are out there. Looking at what just happened with LIV Golf and the PGA, I wonder if any companies in America would be looking to purchase the Woz first to avoid a similar PR mess as what took place over in that sport. Always fun to speculate.
Lastly, who’s up next? We know the names of the interim leaders – Emily Hofer and Bob Kane – but we have no idea who they are. Certainly the search is on for the new CEO, and there is no shortage of guessing game speculation on this one. Why not have a vote? Let the surfers choose who they feel the fittest. Let Jadson run the thing. 25 contests per year, field of 75 at each event, double elimination format. We could see some gladiators coming up in the future generation. Joel Tudor, less than a year after being suspended and reinstated, could take over and make longboarding a thing, the main thing, if you’re into that. Probably some cool rules to come from that guy. They could let Barton Lynch run the Woz. Everyone earns a participation trophy and there’s a new reinvigorated grom circuit. And of course, how could we forget, the Seniors Tour, which he would undoubtedly establish. I, personally, don’t care who gets thrown onto the throne. As long as it’s a surfer. Leave your vote below.
Cheers,
hwilsin
One reply on “THE THRONE”
Turtle for prez. He’d treat it mo bettah.