Monday, 03 August 2009 00:00
The nine-time world champ breaks his silence on ESPN’s plans, the ASP and his critics

Kelly competing on the current World Tour in France.
By Tim Baker
There’s little doubt that Kelly Slater has been stung by widespread criticisms of his perceived involvement in a proposed new pro surfing tour. Allegations that he was “cashing in” at the end of his career, dividing the sport, and even undermining the world title campaign of Joel Parkinson have been hurled at him since news of the proposed “ESPN Tour” broke during the Jeffreys Bay event.
While Kelly has sought to distance himself from the new tour, claiming he knows little more about it than any other surfer, his manager Terry Hardy is deeply involved. And after meetings with ESPN in California during the US Open, Kelly is in a position to comment in more detail on the tour, the motivation behind it, and his response to his critics.
“I will say that surfing has been my life since I was a little kid,” said Kelly in an email to ASL over the weekend. “Change always freaks people out and has caused a lot of negative stuff (along with positive) to be thrown my way,” he says. “I don't understand that ’cause I'm not changing anything alone and without full surfer support. My only hope is to create a better environment competitively for surfing. The current structure is outdated and although it served a purpose at one time, in this day and age it's either time to change things while it's possible or continue to allow an outdated business model to limit the industry and hold back our tour's potential. If at the end of this the fans and the surfers have a better platform, why is anyone complaining? When you have the influence to make change, it's irresponsible not to do the right thing with that and the surfers have that ability as a group.”
While Kelly has been upset by the new tour being described as “Kelly’s Tour,” there’s no doubt he has been encouraging other surfers to listen the organisers’ case, and that his endorsement would be key to its success. Why does he see the need for a new tour?
“My main motivation is firstly to see pro surfing set up properly from the ground level,” says Kelly. “Most people out there probably don't understand the need or why this is happening. The ASP does not own their own media rights, the events (sponsors) do. This limits and effectively stops any chance to actually do business outside of what is controlled by the current sponsors, and the event sponsors are never going to vote away those rights at the board level (which they also control 50 per cent of). Ultimately, this change is clearly the best thing for the surfers themselves. Also, it's to provide the best platform to show surfing and create the most dynamic format that gives everyone surfing the best chance to give the top performance they can. All this talk of trying to undermine what Joel is doing right now on tour is completely false. I don't seek to take away from surfing or what surfers are doing. In fact, just the opposite. If this is the right thing, Joel himself will be key to it's success as will the other surfers.”
One of the inducements of the new tour is that organisers are offering comprehensive insurance coverage for all competitors, something that has been a sticking point between the surfer’s union, the WPS, and current event sponsors. They are also being offered travel and accommodation expenses and a share in an annual bonus pool for all competitors.

Joel Parkinson after his first of three wins so far this year.
How would the surfers be chosen for the new tour? “That is to be determined by the surfers themselves,” says Kelly. “Personally, I would suggest a combination of ways, obviously contest results determining most guys, the bulk from current ’CT then a number from top ’QS results. I think there should be a trials format at each venue to pick two to four guys who are the best at those locations and then a couple spots each for tour-chosen wildcards (at each event or full year exemption) and sponsor wildcards. I would think something like this would make most sense to the guys involved and the fans. This would never be just some cherry picked group of media friendly guys. That undermines competitive credibility altogether. I'd also like to see ex world champs and past event winners have certain exemption periods to show at those events (if) they want to and get a spot. Maybe if you come in as a qualifier/wildcard and win an event you guarantee yourself a seed the following year and wouldn't have to surf a ‘QS style system at all. It should have more incentives like that and interesting chances tied to it. You should have to qualify as anyone else but if you can beat the best guys consistently at any spot maybe that should be your proof of qualification.”
Would the winner of this new tour be called a world champion? “Most likely that is the objective but only if it's unified as the only world champion,” says Kelly. “Nobody wants to split surfing down the middle. Surfers will ultimately decide this if and when it happens also.”

If the "ESPN Tour" gets off the ground we may see more surfers like Rob Machado in comp jerseys.
The choice of event venues and the logistics of gaining permits from local governments and organising events is a complex one. Most current WCT events have been running for years, and all those issues ironed out of time. Rip Curl’s floating Search events take a good 12 to18 months to organise. Is it realistic that this new tour could be up and running by mid 2010? “It sounds like they're getting some serious and genuine interest from current events and some sponsors who can't even afford to run events in the current format. That would probably work itself out, though we will see people doing their best to try and stop it from happening from inside the current system,” says Kelly.
Recent discussions between ASP and organisers of the new tour have hinged on whether they can work together under the ASP umbrella to produce one unified world title, or whether the ESPN tour goes it alone. To use a cricketing analogy, what remains to be seen is whether this tour – if it gets off the ground – would become a World Series Cricket style breakaway tour, or a lucrative IPL-style sideshow to traditional competition.
Kelly is clear that his preference is for ASP and ESPN to work together. “It seems like good progress is being made on some fronts going forward, and also many hurdles to be jumped and people who would like to see no further progress be made on it weighing in behind the scenes and mostly in private to try and derail positive change. As I understand it and would like to see it, ASP would fully continue in terms of surfing’s governing body,” Kelly says.
While Kelly insists he has “as many questions as anyone” about the precise format of the proposed new tour, more details are emerging.
The so-called “Champions Surf Tour” would be made up of 16 surfers - 12 to14 regulars and the rest wildcards. They would compete in eight events spread over a five month season from July to November, culminating in a final world championship event. Each event would have a seven to eight day waiting period and take one and a half days of actual surfing time. A one hour TV show would be produced on each event and televised through ESPN within a week of the event, reaching a potential 98 million homes. A dedicated web production team, including commentators, would work on the entire series of event.
Organisers of the ESPN Tour have forecast some sort of formal announcement this month, and the back room maneuvering between now and then will be fascinating. Stay tuned.
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He`s thinking: if I could make the lower two halfs of the draw dissapear... make everyone focus on "the show"... help my "little broder" dane by giving him a sistem in which the "strategic value" is being a Jimmi Slade...
Prefer the proffessionalism, selfimprovement, hard work, courage, that proved merit to be of importance in our sport (take adriano). As you say... gives some validity to the tour.
Change is what the sport does need, but it must come from a collective agreement between the current tour representatives, the ASP and those that are proposing the new tour.
Let surfing remain in good hands by collective agreement.
Greg
Unlike football, cricket or baseball we have limited areas to practice. Bigger crowds create more risks and tensions.
Bigger coverage will bring even more people to already overcrowded spots...
I don't see any interest in making it bigger.
Frankly already it is too mainstream, surf labels are found in chainstores, the surf shops as we know it are almost gone, we could become just another sport, like football or golf or tennis....
but it does seem that there doing this for finalcial gain, hopefuly for the sport and not just top surfers and businesses.
we should be gettin sik barrels
ALOHA!
I landed right on top of a banana. I swear it was a 1 in a million shot. It went all the way in and boy was i feeling lucky, after that i tried bigger and bigger bananas chasing that high but they were not as good as that first time.
1. Someone comes in like ESPN, throws shit loads of money at the top surfers for say 3 to 5 years realise they are not seeing the return they wanted and walk away leaving pro surfing in a shambles and a few lucky rich surfers (only a few).
2nd reason
The benefits Kelly and others talk about can take place without a rebel tour. The problem for the surfers is the current structure of the ASP board and the dominant input that surf brands have over the tour.
Don't get me wrong, i deeply thank Quiksilver, Billabong etc for all the money they have put into surfing at all levels over a long period of time but.....
The problem with the ASP today is they are actually rejecting sponsors from outside the surf industry who are coming and offering their support to professional surfing just to protect the interests of our large surf companies. Sooner or later the ASP need to take charge of their tour and sport and welcome all forms of sponsorship, why reject Nike's proposal for a surf contest a few years back......hmmmm, sounds like a few too many billabong employees on the ASP board. Nike had to buy Hurley just to start getting a look in. We don't need a rebel tour for this just unbiased, un-influenced members on the ASP board and a smart leader.
Cheers.
remember, it may bring those guys a few extra dollars and some much needed health insurance coverage, but none of us regulars get to go surf our local spots--much less "dream tour" waves--with only one other guy out.
we surfers should root against this for the sake of keeping more people from our breaks. i don't say that as a "local" demanding Wolk Pak-like dominance at my spot either (if you can surf and understand the code of conduct in the water, then come on out); i say it as someone who loves surfing but already has to deal with scores of people who don't know what they're doing.
Whay dont camera men zoom in on forhand surfers bottoms doing a big bottom turn?
Its what everyone wants to see.
A muscley pro sexy surfer bending over at the hips putting it all on the line.
Surfing is fun and should be seen by everyone.
Nobody owns the waves so why cant everyone jump in and join eachother to make it one big happy party!!!
Jolly good fun old chap.
Anyhow,I guess I don't know enough about the actual thoughts of the people that count being the top surfers in the world. Whatever happens "IT HAS TO BE UNIFIED" and the surfers have to be happy....otherwise the sport will go backwards. And don't forget the live webcasts or else.
"I KELL YOU"
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,25886438-5013406,00.html
Holy FUCK! Why the fuck does Kelly think it's good for the sport to be in bed with this corrupt motherfucker?!
Okay, so please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this concept really just a glorified old man's tour?
I mean, this "rebel" tour is supposed to sit above the CT, which sits above the QS, which sits above the Pro Junior...so...for a hot up-and-comer to make a push for the world title, he must now go through a whole other level?
This sounds ridiculous.
I understand Kelly is upset at the state of professional surfing, but maybe the tour isn't the problem...maybe it's our champion.
Dude's been at the top for 20 years it seems like and he becomes less likable each season. Face it, I'm not buying products because Kelly uses them...none of you are either.
Surfing was never as exciting as when AI beat the shit out of Slater for three years. It wasn't just Andy's surfing (which was bullshit), it was the fact that it signified a new era in surfing, change, progression, a new dynasty.
We don't need a history lesson to see what has happened since, but frankly, professional surfing will not move on until Kelly leaves...and it would be even better if the boys smashed him on his way out the door (not unlike this season).
The phenomenally talented surfers on tour (Parko, Mick, Dane, Jordy, etc.) have all had to weather their careers under Kelly's shadow...I cannot think of anything worse for them than having to join the "Kelly Tour".
what i love about the live webcasts is watching an event all day from my home office (small section of my monitor dedicated to the event whilst i crack on with my work). yeah there are some dud heats sure, but when one of those closely fought heats arises where both surfers see-saw for the lead, pushing their surfing to the limits - it's thrilling to watch! i put it up there with watching any of the great sporting clashes.
a televised wrap-up of an event doesn't capture the moment. it has to be real-time, you have to feel that last five minutes of a heat when the ocean goes flat and a surfer is chasing a high score; only for a wave to appear 10 seconds before the hooter. one shot! i'd rather endure dud commentary for that 5 minutes whilst the anticipation builds.
i guess i don't care which way it goes, as long as there's a live webcast.
The ultra-elite format of just sixteen surfers takes out the fun of an underdog upset.
Reminder: the ASP Tour has come a long way from the parking lot tour with Huntingon/Japan mushy beach break days of the 80s/90s.
Jeffrey's Bay this year was one of the best contests in years, great webcast too.
other sports do it but at the end of the day it will be about the money and not surfing really....
And as for the allegedly unsavoury history of Matthew Tinley. What do you expect from a media mogul who can help see through big changes? Rupert The Bear. Get real.
The only really-good interviewer on the ground is JT,who is great,but Christ a lot of the rest of them would give anyone a pain.
Dont know if a new tour would be any better,but there sure as hell is room for improvement in the web-coverage.
It's all about the money... the ASP/brands included. I wouldn't be surprised if this happened. We should just be cheering for the best possible format and considering where the ASP is, there's a lot of potential for improvement.
http://postsurf.com/2009/08/03/long-time-coming/#comments
How about keeping the top 44 WCT and dream tour but organisng the CT into teams similar to the pro cycling tour? The teams then qualify,nominate or get their highest placed surfers into the extra 8 X 1,1/2 day events (maybe spread over 12mths). The "teams" sponsors could be non-surf industry bringing in new money while allowing pros to retain their surf industry sponsors and move across teams.
You could end up with a format that sees an overall winning team, overall individual world champion,(analogy- yellow jersey)Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean Champion for CT tallies in each ocean(green jersey) Big Wave Champion (polka dot jersey) Rookie or pro junior (white) and Womens World Champion (Pink jersey). Including the womens CT and pro junior would help develop all aspects of our sport and make any "Tag team" events even more appealing.
Anyway I think I'd better stop now I might be getting carried away. thanks for reading
ps no mind altering chemicals were used in this post
S
Let me put it straight:
Fact1: They want the tour to select a portion of it's competitors from competition results. ASP is compulsory there at the moment.
Fact2: we cannot see a tour evolving several years without some surfers droping off the tour and some new faces appearing from time to time.
Conclusion: If the ASP decides this tour is bullshit, they put a new regulation stating any surfer participating is banned from ASP lifetime. No chance to compete again once your drop off tour. This so called champions tour's only option to avoid this is to build a whole system from local comps to world class level independant from the ASP. It's very unlikely they can do that in less than 3 years. So they HAVE to work with the ASP.
If Kelly can convince ESPN to cover the WCT in the current format or maybe with 32 surfers (16 is far from enough), and convince the ASP to let ESPN organize a live webcast + daily web shows + a one hour comp wrap-up, so be it. Put in the overlapping heat format which is good to see as there is always some action in the water, at least from people in the non priority heat, and you have something not bad at all. There is absolutely no need to make a rebel tour. No-one would benefit of it as it will die soon after doing huge damage to the credibility of the ASP.
What have you done for me lately?
Let's see...helped draw more crowds to already crowded lineups. All in the name of making "the sport" bigger. Draw attention and crowds to unknown or low key spots. Barra anybody?
By and large, pro surfing has made the average surfer's day-to-day surf a worse experience as well as any trips said average joe may take. Because of the tour's self-promotion, the daily surfer has to work that much harder to find an uncrowded peak on the dawn patrol or go the extra distance on a trip. If you work in the industry, it's a different story. Then you have every reason to want surfing to "blow up".
Now, The Chips is always the alpha male in the lineup so this is largely irrelevant to me. But, all you knobs saying that you're worried about how the low ranked guys don't make enough money or get attention, why should you care about them? These are the guys most likely to drop in on you if you do happen to share a lineup with them (try surfing the North Shore prime spots when the cameras come out).
All you non-industry surfers out there, join The Chips in supporting Kelly's dream tour. The Chips is looking to invest big bucks and looking forward to the good old days when surfers were outcasts, pro surfers were on the bottom of the totem pole in the local lineup, and kooks were sent in for being kooks.
23 Chips
IMO the 'new' tour will not take root. But it will cause a new generation of the WCT and draw in a few more supporter's, backers and financier's.
Think of it as the de-fib that surfing currently needs......
yeah, yeah i'm illiterate. please don't crucify me (i'm halfway afraid one of you is going to track me down and murder me in my sleep)
I'm durn happy these surfers are meant to be getting paid properly too... I'm not sure what exactly the figures 17 on are getting, I know it's not very much, but I have a feeling they'll be less than the new first places will get more than 2k or whatever the 17 gets now.
Black shorts and black wetsuits will go back to regulating lineups and the funboard crowd will get tired of black eyes. The Chips is ready and willing to start this counter-insurgency, and truly hopes Kelly sets in motion the demise of pro surfing.
23 Chips
Kelly is a very intelligent and complex person. He is not going to associate himself with a tour or anything else that is not a winner. Being that he is well versed on many levels which would include Cancer research, obviously cutting edge surfboard design, physical fitness….basically everything. I’m as anxious as you to see what develops….
Time and again ESPN has taken sports under its wing and the tours that used to exist dissapear. Consider snowboarding, there used to be national tours offering opportunity to everyone interested in competing and they were televised on ESPN. These tours need the ESPN television to sell sponsorship. Once the network realized that it wasn't getting that sponsorship revenue, they pulled back the coverage and killed the tour. Surfing could suffer a similar fate. Caution advised, not all sharks are in the ocean.
Despite Kelly claiming that it was not his intention to undermine what Joel is accomplishing this season, the sad fact is that he is, and it's pathetic.
Kelly is basically calling the tour a joke, and by default, calling Joel's accomplishments this season a joke. Big words from a man who was too cowardly to put together a real campaign for a 10th title.
I see kelly's potiential for another tour and it is beyond time for some MAJOR Changes. The structure (asp/events) won't change in it's current form. It has people that just don't deliver or believe in surfing's future.
I would hate to see the tour (top 45) diluted but looking at the case being set forward and having an understading of the asp and events it seems like the right move.
I would like to see a wct format, but with maybe four GRAND slam events, being tahiti, trestles, Hawaii and a rotation of slams between OZ, FRance and prime wave location!
the issue of diluting parko's world titles linger's but this has been 20 years in the making and kelly to his credit if fighting tooth and nail for title 10!
I think it raises alot of the right issues our sport if facing!
I hear Baywatch is making a comback, time to dust of the meat hangers Jimmy Slade!
June to november= sepo summer bullshit
no bells, snapper, teahupoo, fiji. Bells being the major one at easter boo.
lame arse seppo shit
There is no question that kelly is a great surfer - probably the greatest ever but this doest give him the right to speak for all other surfers and it doesnt mean he is the best guy to make or drive such decisions....and finally I seriously doubt his manager or Mat Tinley have surfing as their primary interest - for them its all about the money.
I support change but only if managed correctly and by the right people.
sure those 16 surfers will earn some serious coin.
but whose going to sponsor other guys not getting
the tv exposure.
surfing should not be about earning the big bucks
its a lifestyle.
Who, exactly, is funding and negotiating this deal? What is their backgorund? What is their intentions? What do they stand to gain? What do they stand to lose if it goes sour?
What is Kelly's involvement? By the sounds of it he's just the PR muscle. The celebrity face putting his reputation behind the idea. If he's backing it publicly he knows more about it than he's letting on - otherwise he's a fool and that (more than likely) isn't the case. Letting the story out a little at a time is a stalling tactic & gives everyone time to get used to the idea in digestible chunks. Everyone is being groomed for the bombshell(s).
The WCT is funded by the brands and so are most competitors. Can the brands gain from the marketing potential of ESPN? Reaching 98 million homes is a very tempting offer...
Don't we have enough poseurs( idiots) in our lineups?
- Released The Surfers album...someone kill me.
- Started K-Grip surf accessories. Failed.
- Kelly Slater Celebrity Fiji Invitational. Failed.
- Started Kommunity Project accessories. Failed.
Ummmm....maybe not the best guy to be making business decision.
WCT victories: 42
We should listen to any god damn thing Kelly wants to say. I highly doubt he is trying to sabotage the one thing that defines his existence.
People are either excited, afraid or ignorant of change...which are you?
Answer: No. Quiksilver is financing this operation and Kelly will squeak him in as a wildcard or whatever, destroying any bastion of objectivity that ever could have existed.
The "champions tour" will turn into a laughable parody of marketing initiatives featuring celebutants and leeches on society. Ripping will fall by the wayside, and we'll see Jimmy Slade cruise his way to another 5 "world titles" over perennial runner-up paris hilton.
The new concept is fucked.
If anyone oposes that, what are they saying?? "Let's keep surfers without insurance, poorly paid (for some pros) and under the thumb of what is and has been happening for nearly 3 decades??
why not be open to change, especially if it is planned well and is built around improvement.
I say, bring on the discussion about the new tour for as long as it takes to get right, once the plan looks good run it... no point rushing something that has the potential to last 30 years like the current format has. 2011 or 2012 would be worth waiting for.
Be open minded people, no point attacking Kelly for it.
Eventually (and why not now) this sport is gonna have to make a change to the mainstream where we can all talk about results and expectations with our non surfing friends and relatives.
Of course this shit is gonna get peoples backs up but these inconsistancies have pissed me off for a while, trying to watch each event with varying website capabilities, then having the damn websit crash during a final, there are many things that need ironing to bring this sport to the mainstream, and this is a chance to ignite the change.
In the end it's gonna work out for the best and we are gonna keep our fav's, our parko's and Mick's and then then some, with our local fav's havin a better chance to mess things up for the pro's. Get the local rippers right up there, taking it to the top 12 or 14 rather then battling it through the bullshit.
Dunno about you but when I watch the first round heats with lower seeded Ct'rs I often get bored just thinkin, comon mate Fark I could do that.
Surfing has evolved and it has made a massive shift in our lifetime, maybe we have a mothering hold on the sport because its been brought from nothing to something and we can't let it leave the nest.
Go the new tour!!! and Go Parko!
I don't know why, as some of you say, surfers would be against more (I read one article that said a last place finisher on the new tour would net as much as a 1st place finisher on the ASP, close to 10x that for first place) pay, benefits and paid travel accommodations. They're the talent, and they deserve better than the brands (they are the ASP) are giving them.
Kudos to Kelly for stickin' to his guns and doing what he feels is right.
http://www.grindtv.com/surf/blog/7226/inside+sources+separate+new+dream+tour+fact+from+fiction/
The best thing will be for the ASP and ESPN to work together on this thing though so there's still one governing body and one champ can be crowned. This new thing will also give something for the juniors, WQS and current lower CT seeds something to aspire to, thus pushing the limits of the sport.
The system is outdated. Let's welcome the change surfing has been waiting for.
Promotion firm America Presents down for count
By Dan Rafael, USA TODAY
Denver-based promotional company America Presents burst on the scene in 1996 with the signing of Olympic gold medalist David Reid and quickly established itself as a force.
It secured an exclusive deal to televise fights on Fox Sports Net and had contracts with top fighters such as David Tua, Hector Camacho Jr. and Joel Casamayor.
Now it's going down in flames under a heap of unpaid bills and lawsuits from fighters.
"We're going through a tough time, but we still have some good fighters," says embattled owner Mat Tinley. "I'm doing the best I can under difficult circumstances."
Jeff Fried, the company attorney who took over day-to-day operation after Tinley forced president Dan Goossen to resign...
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/stories/2002-03-22-america-presents.htm