With the advent of scoring systems like LiveHeats and the ease of webcasting in 2023 is the WSL even necessary? Why don't surf brands and sponsors go it alone? Put up some prize money to attract the talent, get the permits, set the dates and hire some judges. Game on.
Stab Mag, Da Hui and others have done successful non-WSL tour events and webcasts that were entertaining for the viewers and I'm guessing were worthwhile for the sponsors. Is it time for pro surfing to go another direction?
Nobody's one-off event will replace a tour.
You'll get cool moments, but they'll just be moments.
The tour is the narrative arc that draws us in, as imperfect as it is. The upsets, the errors, all of it is part of the package. And frankly, hosting multiple events also tends to sand things down for a more appropriate overall winner, rather than a single discipline specialist or the product of one bad call. Which is also why I'm not a fan of the "playoff" approach that WSL is using with the Final 5.
The Backdoor Shootout underperforms on every level
except the actual surfing.
The Eddie does well, but it's really difficult to replicate and even that struggles to reach its potential.
You can do other cool stuff, but it won't be this.
Can the WSL do better? Of course.
Should they do better? absolutely.
Is it expensive? For sure.
Do most people comment on it without an inkling of what it takes to put on an event, much less a tour? Yup.
There are many salient critiques on the WSL, many that have been voiced for nearly 50 years that did not shift after rebranding. There are many new critiques that can be applied as technology fixes some problems while creating some new ones. But there are some ideas that get bounced around repeatedly that will not, and should not, be given further audience, but they should probably be officially addressed.