Surfline decided to go straight to Triple Crown of Surfing founder Randy Rarick to get his perspective on what the ASP/ZoSea Media deal means to surfers, contests, and surfing in general. It would be difficult to find a wiser, more generous, experienced person in surfing to discuss this. It was interesting to see how optimistic Rarick was about it. Here’s just one of his answers:
I think the timing is right. I think they have the smarts, the drive, and the wherewithal to probably take it to the next level. We don’t have any details yet; we’re meeting in about three weeks to start hammering through those details, but I think they have some connections in the media world that we haven’t been able to tap into. And whether it be ESPN or Fox or NBC, I think you will see the elevation of surfing in the media, no question. By eliminating the specter of the brands having to try to outdo each other, now the brands can focus their energy on using these as a promotional platform and I think these ZoSea guys will bring more money into the sport simply because that’s what they want to do. They want to monetize it, and good for them. Hopefully they get rich on it. And if they get rich on it, that means the tour will improve because it’ll bring in more money, which means more money for the athletes, more money for media coverage. I’m sure some people will bemoan the loss of the soul or the grassroots-ness of the thing, you know, but commercial competitive surfing has always been like that anyway.
We would never disagree with Mr. Rarick, however, after reading the entire interview we were reminded of three things. One, TV doesn’t have the same cultural impact it once had. Two, in the new world of media efficiencies there is very little room for middlemen, and thirdly, once you give it away, it’s very difficult to get it back. But click the link and read the rest before you think too hard on any of that.
[Link: Surfline]
