I might as well give in. I have always maintained even as a competing surfer and contest judge that surf contests are lame... and the surfer who is having the most fun wins... and there is no way to impress a qualitative measurement on one wave or surfer over another. That said, I have to admit I love pro surfing. I love the webcasts and contests results and the magazine articles and rooting for my favorites. I love watching surfers with seemingly super-natural abilities shredding exotic waves with the weight of impending points and cash on their backs. Are these people better than us? Well, no, in the case that they are riddled with all the same issues, obsessions, frailties and anxieties that make us all human (although we never see these red flags in ads or magazine articles) but heck NO in the fact that these guys and gals can throw a tail waft or 360 stale-fish air or pull into a throttling barrel at will, on cue and in front of the whole surf world (what essentially is a losing gamble for most but often ends in victory for these guys). And if you have ever surfed Pipe of Sunset or Chopes, you know that pro surfers are earning their money, especially on those less than perfect wind-blown mornings when the sea has yet to calm, the swell is on the rise, and photogs and spectators are still sleeping. That's going for it for the love of the game.
What about the fact that most of these guys aren't making enough the pay the rent? The top-10 surfers are doing well, but the rest of them are just scratching to hold on for a few more years before securing a day job. This ain't golf where even the dude in last place is banking more cash than a college professor. Don't get me wrong. A pro surfer has no reason to whine. I mean really, the pro tour is essentially a travelling Elks Lodge that jets in and out of some the coolest locales on the planet. But I think it's important that pro surfers be viewed among all our great athletes. What are baseball players doing that makes them more worth watching? They never hold a baseball game on the beach in Tahiti. How about a tennis match? No reef. No possibility of sharks or drowning.
The biggest problem is exposure and media access. I said it before. It's time for a super-insane-high-digit wave pool. Quicksilver and Billabong and the rest should all put up some billions to create a true arena that can create replicas of the greatest waves on the planet. Surround it with cameras and perfect lighting. Aim giant fans right into the barrel and invite ESPN and NBC in on the whole thing and run 24 hour back-to back contests with stadium seating, box seats, a giant scoreboard and video screen, and even a night club where a party and contest can run concurrently. But again, I have moved away from the subject. I must state again without reservation that pro surfing is awesome
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