With all due respect to Kelly, I can see no reason why the current ASP organization can't work out the media problems. Currently Billabong has carried the weight and should be praised, not undermined. Billy, Quick, Globe, O'Neill, Rip Curl and all of the other players have done a tremendous job in creating a venue for the best surfing in the world. I really don't get how a couple of guys can show up and take advantage of something that surfers have created for surfers.

I guess I'm still on the fence. I've heard that Kelly doesn't attend the surfer meetings and has never had a discussion about this with the events or the ASP. It just seems like if he had a problem with how things were run, he could have approached the board and gotten it fixed. Instead he's ran off with some sleazy agents to promote a concept that I don't really understand. 16 Invitees? How will they be selected? Who will do this? If the ASP surfers don't surf on it, will it be for retirees? Bruce Irons? Or for never weres? Jamie O'Brien? I don't think this is necessary, professional surfing is pretty sick - today was unbelievable. Maybe more consistent coverage and more prize money for the surfers is all they need.

Just the thought of a Breakaway tour happening might get the ASP to shape up. There are places (such as Brazil) which clearly do not belong on the dream tour. If anyone should have a say, its Kelly. He is clearly the best competitive surfer to ever live. Although many of you would like to argue with this, the results don't lie. 9 world titles says enough.

I agree with John, this could be exactly what the ASP needs to get it together. Consolidating coverage would be a good start, but not if its going to create a monopoly with one company (San Diego Padres and Cox Cable?). There needs to be some serious discussions though on how to create the best possible event format, the best coverage, and the largest possible purses. If these aren't addressed then why shouldn't someone else come along to try to improve the system? Just because something has been done a certain way forever doesn't mean its right! Biggest thing for me is that there needs to be better coverage, and hopefully something that can be shown on the boobtoob so that I can tivo that bad boy and watch it again and again. Today was amazing!

Take a walk away from the trees and try to see the forest. Surfers are "cool" people all over wants to dress like surfers and have that "cool" healthy look. Our "sport" has a tremendous potential but the main players, the surfers, who risk their life's in extreme conditions don't make a tenth of what say Roger Federer or Tiger Woods make. This is where I believe Kelly and who ever else is behind it are coming from. Well is about time the pros get the $$ and recognition from the masses for what they do. Go for it!!

After watching the differences in excitement from the 1st round to 2nd of J-Bay (save the phenom's and Sean Holmes ) I would think the top guys can go wherever they want , set up a webcast and the media and fans will follow ! I know the surf was better round 2 but jeesh , it looked like a Pop Warner team playing the Chargers .

Change is good....Trust Kelly, because SIMA and the ASP has failed Surfing and Surfers.....Change is very Good.......

I am confused. The ASP has given the Sir Slater the label of greatest surfer of all time. Why can't his colleagues organizing this other thing talk and work with the ASP. Come on work together guys. We want one world champion and we want Kelly!!!

Yeah a break away seems pretty extreme. I think the ASP can work out a media contract with ESPN or Fuel or one of the other Sports?Surf Media companies and they can them sell the advertising to fund the broadcast, etc. Just seems a little extreme to fold on the ASP. Reformation seems like the best way but if the ASP is resistant to change than maybe it is time. It would be good to have and objective media broadcast and available advertising for all the brands.

"They’re the ones who got together and said that surfing is not structured properly. It’s one of the last professional sports that doesn’t nearly have the package it could have." The whole point it seems is to make surfing more mainstream by connecting it to an even wider audience. This means more "lifestyle" junk peddled, and eventually more crowds (well, for those of us who don't often go on sponsored photo shoots in pick-an-empty-exotic location). Pro surfing can be fun to watch (it can be dull as fvck), but if you prefer to actually surf, and don't care about the industry's shyt, then I think you should view this with a great deal of skepticism.

I'll make a resume of Slater's interview just for you: "The ASP is ruled by Billabong, Rip Curl and Quiksilver because, among other things, Rabbit and Brodie sold their souls. So the only way to put things back on track and improve the tour is to move on and start a new thing that's not controlled by Billabong, Rip Curl and Quiksilver." What i don't know is if surfers will have the balls to move to a new tour when the interests and money of their enployers are on the ASP tour... Coque.

It's all about money guys! Kelly wants a smaller and more consistent with TV settings' tour in order to increase the prize of the events. The reality is that, in the current format, our sport simply can't be watched on TV by nobody else but us, surfers, who are the only ones that actually get the concepts of, let's say, priority exchange for example. With a totally new concept, and some different rules - that allow surfers more chances to show their ability - the public in general would be more attracted to our sport, and with increasing interest, the big money would eventually come. Think of how much money a NBA late drafted rookie makes per year, and compare it to what CJ makes. The difference is outrageous to say the least.

And Micheal Jordan was clearly the best competitive basketball player ever to live. 6 NBA titles (and 2 or 3 more passed up) don't lie. But as an executive? Not saying Slater is wrong or the ASP has it all being done right -- I don't know. But just saying.. . Being the best surfer doesn't at all qualify you for being the best coach, executive, owner or commissioner. Or head of the labor union, for that matter. Anyway, overall, it sounds like Slater has some gripes, with vague ideas, and he is being used by a group with an agenda. I dunno, sounds a bit fishy to me. Still, like I said, I (and we) hardly know anything at all about this so far. It's too early to judge. But I'd guess (just guess) that working to improve things through the ASP would be better than trying to tear things down (and maybe ending up with two, rival, tours and champions going on at the same time. Sounds like the road to boxing pergatory, potentially.

Did anyone see J-Bay today? It was the most amazing contest I have ever seen. Incredible waves, ripping everywhere and a pretty good webcast. To me, that's where it's at. The CT could use some improvements obviously - prize money, better webcasts in Brazil, etc. But this is what it should be about - perfect waves and the world's best surfers. My concern is that Kelly is trying to dilute the best guys to serve his own purposes. I hope it's just a rumor.

Couple of thoughts. First of all for me surfing is the best sport to have ever existed. After saying that, who wouldnt want to watch the contest on TV? Even if its a re run? Even tho i stay up late watching it over the webcast. I think that if it were broadcasted by a sport company (ESPN) the surfers would get much more benefit.

Well, from where I sit, nobody knows what is really going on behind the scenes in the ASP nor what it is like being a pro on the Tour unless you work for the tour, or are seasoned vet on the tour such as Kelly. I cannot sit here and say what he is thinking and what his agenda is, but I can say this. He is intelligent and seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. If anyone knows the tour in and out from a competitor's view, it's Kelly. Look how long he has been on tour...I hope his intentions are good if he is fully backing a competitive surfing revolution per-se...Also, with sponsors and families to feed, the surfers on the tour may not be so keen to voice concerns in public or otherwise. What will happen will, what should not happen won't last long....

If the surefers or ASP don't own the rights, and if the right5s aren't consolidated, there is a lot of room to improve this thing. Creating a new league or entity may be a legal necessity. I have some experiene in this and it;s not easy or one dimensional. And the big guys (Billabong, QS, etc) have it alltheir way right now. The product (pro surfing for surfers and fans) will get better, but it will be hard work. Good luck!

The proverbial "ASP Child" has outgrown its clothes as its matured and its time to get some new threads. What was wrong with black and white television when color television made its debut? Everyone freaked but now who doesn't own a color telly? Just like in the book, "Who Moved My Cheese," if you are afraid to move and seek out new "cheese" you could wither up and die. You must scurry around and get outside the comfort zone to stay alive. So long as its well thought out and strategically implemented, it could be good and promote growth and the survival of professional surfing.

I feel befor any move is done all discussions to improve the sport should be discussed with ASP to see if thay can improve the tour. I have always thought, do 5 events for the year, put 250,000 for first palce and the best will come running know matter where the event is. Money talks to the pros, just be careful who is behind the wheel running the tour. If you have one corporate company makeing all the plans and they decide to run, where does that leave pro surfing. Things always seem simple from the ouitside looking in.

It doesn't matter what Tiger Woods or anyone else makes. There is no inherent value in being able to hit a ball or sink a basket. The only value is in how many people you can get to sit on their Lazy Boy loungers and watch the events on tv. No one "deserves" to make more money in a couple of months of playing a game than the average fan will in 30 years of working nine to five. It's not like these guys have cured cancer or solved the world hunger crisis; They are entertainers and marketing instruments. If they don't like getting paid to surf they could always try working for a living.

Without TV coverage Pro Surfing will never evolve. Only Surfers watch the event on the internet.

It's just a threat to get the sponsors to release the media and other things they are not talking about, money. No surfers, no world tour. They are threatening a strike to get more say. Look at other professional sports. The tour surfers need to come together as a unit and side together. Then propose their changes. Once they show that organization, they can do anything.

Sounds like technical issues such as scheduling, logistics, IT logjams, are easy enough issues to work on. The larger issue is media rights and the money that pro-surfers earn. After all, other than the top few, the others are just scraping by. A good analogy is SAG, the actors union. They make deals with the studios to share media rights (residuals) with actors. Unions can also work to have ASP and the big corporations do likewise.

This "idea" is still in its infancy. Many things can come about. As a fan there are 3 things I'd like to see... 1) That there remain one tour that decides our World Champ. Lets not dilute our sport with paper Champs. 2) That the coverage of the events have a consistent look. Each website is totally different from the other. One consistent lay out and a GOOD feed. I've missed many a heat because the feed sux. 3) That money gets better for the pro's. Which is a delicate matter because that often means ultimately it comes out of our pockets. So I think thats what might be the advantage to the "total package" media deal. We need a wider fan base.

Why the ASP can´t be publicly critized? Of course, leaving a side all the contributions they have done to what´s todays professional surfing. If its a way to better things out and help other growing brands to compete fairly with RC,Quik and Bong, why be afraid of a change??

I'm all for being progressive, but if this new format ends up streamlining surfing to put bucks in the pockets of television tycoons or ESPN affiliates, rather than the surfers themselves, then I'm not sure this is the right type of progression. Other than Slater, do we know who the other individuals promoting the new format are? It's kind of a crucial question and can help us understand whether we should trust them and ask other surfers to support them as well.

Whether its the ASP or a new tour something needs to change.And i think its in the webcasts more than the format.It lacks in quality both visually and sonic.I agree with madman that whatever happens we need ONE world champ.The websites are terrible.I cant tell you how many times i think man how awesome would it be to seee this in a higher resolution.Id hook my pc to my big screen and sit there for hours.No disrespect to the guys i know they try their hardest but the commentating puts me to sleep.If any other sport had two color commentators instead of a solid play by play guy and a color commentator they'd be out of buisness.

Sadly, for a decade plus, the ASP has been near collapse. It is and has been operated unlike any other pro tour in the world in that it is one big marketing coop, funded/governed by the brands. Not a knocking the brands, it's just a fact. The tour has never been run as a business with a tight focus on the product (events, media & prize money) and the bottom line. It is not a conflict of interest that limits its potential, but self interest. The brands, mainly Bong and Quik, have invested millions a year on the event ops, advertising, prize money, shows and webcasts. They should've benefited by controlling the media rights. But that doesn't make it a good model. An independent business is the only path to a real healthy world tour (better quality events, broader media coverage and increased prize money). I don't know enough about the "Slater Tour" to know whether their model is better, but it might be the right direction to head...the media isn't the only thing broken...Brazil (pl

ASP walked away from a 6-year Prime Time ESPN deal in 1997 that offered separate Tour shows for both the Men and the Women. That deal would have then renewed if ESPN was treated well. The deal would have kept ASP Pro Surfing in the National forefront and would have retained Coca-Cola on as a blanket sponsor. Additionally, those same ASP TV shows were slated to be distributed to 130 countries. Regardless of the writings of some unknowing individuals, it was a time when Nielsen Ratings for Surfing were at the pinnacle. The ASP member companies wanted things a different way and wanted their individual event rights back. Coca-Cola went away and ASP moved to the Gold Coast. The ESPN Prime Time deal also went away and pro surfing became fragmented,and has been ever since. The good news for the core enthusiast has been the webcasts. Surfing's biggest TV viewership, and I might add financial growth, came back when a big network aired the shows, there were schedules, and we also had a Bud Tour on US TV building st

Step up or step off. The ASP has been trying to get their act together for what...years? Surfing is blowing up, and with the new ability for all of us to watch it online we should have the best viewing and pro surfers should have the best format to represent themselves. The technology is right there and available, but once again a muddle of diversified interests make adaptability a slow slog in the mud. Wake up ASP...take the initiative and get it done, cause its already happening with or without you.

all of you are totally wrong. I funkin schralp. As a shralpist, kids look up to me. They want ME to be on the TV to be a roll model and I can show them how to be a man. Don't need no jersey, or New Jersey.

Kelly, Be careful, be respectful to your own legacy. You are viewed as much as competitor as an ambassador to the sport. You don't want to get involved in messy things like this. I would personally think much less of you if you really are planning to part with the ASP. The ASP is a work in progress. Think about how much it has evolved. Any group of people can do anything. And no group of people is more deserving of doing it than the ASP. Other professional surfers, please don't buy into this. You have to see it for what it is, a power grab. Think about all that the ASP has done for surfing. The training, the judging criteria, its evolution over the years. It would be just a travesty.

The MJ to Slater comparison is off. Look at the current executives. What's their background? Being less successful than Kelly at the same thing? Kelly has thought about this a lot and I would go out on a limb here and go as far as to say that he would like his level of thought and consideration for the advancement of professional surfing to be his legacy as much as his collection of world titles. He seems to down play it but would bet he is more vocal than he says and that he is being heard. Furthermore, when the ASP switches to the "new" (and please don't label it "improved") format I don't care to watch until the contenders start surfing. Who do I actually want to watch surf. I bet I run out of names before I hit 16: Kelly, Taj, Fanning, Parko, Dane, CJ, Bede, Jordy, Adriano, Bobby... I can name surfers all day but who I care to clock in for and watch surf heats? That's a different story. 16 is an adequate number.(I just went back and looked at all the names for JB

TV is a failed model for surf. An event that needs flexibility to run properly is inherently screwed by TV. OR go back to watching an event that is 1-2 months old by the time it gets to air and no one cares? If ESPN or FUEL dive in for a Live or Same day coverage - the sport is screwed as we are left with the US Open model of no/limited flexibility and running with what you got. It's 1-2ft surf and the organizers will be saying, "you guys have to go as the TV crews have to get something in the can!" Don't loose site of the fact this is "outsiders" to the surf industry trying to exploit and suck the soul out of surf for their personal benefit. IMG...stick to stick and ball dudes. ASP may be stuck and needs a wake up call - but they are representing the surf world to the best of their ability looking after athletes, industry and fans. It has skewed too much to the industry - and maybe a wake up call to get their media program dialed will send IMG running to figure out pushing S

I hope the NEW tour won't involve to much surfing on twitter..........Especially by the photo pros. They have way too much time to tweet. http://dontyouloveitwhen.com/?p=892

It's good the way it is now. Free live and p. recorded video, etc., of every event, free. My experiences with the online streams have mostly been great, just a few temp. outages here and there, and a bit of slowdown. Still grateful, though. I kinda don't want a more organized, encapsulated surfing organization with heavily funded mass media deals. Like some have already said, this just means MORE CROWDS. Selfish, yes...but also, real...and it seriously makes me nervous.

Being a surfer from Europe I don't really trust ESPN or any other will broadcast here anything close to what we've seen these days at Jeffrey's. For sure it will on USA and Australia but for the rest of world it will be just like watching Curling games whenever the don't have anything else....pure chance. Just take snowboard and Eurosport as an example. I don´t care if surfers make more money (although they deserve the the most), that will not make them better surfers than they are today, I care about a sport which plays by its own rules and its owned and enjoyed by its own people. Honestly I don´t see why having big star surfers on TV will make them or us any good. Change is good but this is not the right direction (Kelly keep trying...)

I hope that the opening event will be held next autumn at "Chatte Point" - Lacanau-Océan, sponsored by "Birdwell Beach Britches". Come on, Kelly, you and all the pros will get the bucks you deserve.

Here are the things the ASP tour needs for a fans point of view: 1) One Champion. 2) A schedule that allows each event to happen during it's best swell season. There are too many contest with junk waves. 3) A few less guys on tour / the bottom 10 get 33's all year anyway. This would allow the best match-ups when the swell is really pumping. 4) Solid webcast & possibly a TV deal. 5) More $ for the athletes. 6) Who didn't enjoy the Occy/Curren heats? Maybe something like that at each event. 7) No more 2 month breaks between events.

The coverage from different sponsers range too much. I like billabongs as I get to see good heat replays if I cant see it live. Brazils and the triple crowns'webcasts are pretty bad, it would be good to get something consistent. I like the competition format happening but agree with RK, the early round surfing can get tedious and there's a noticeable difference in the standard. Might be better to reduce the size of the field and increase the money again, get to keep to 3 days competition too.

Surfing used to be on TV back in the day...and it was absolute dogshit. World Titles were decided is shit surf all over the world because events were forced to run on tv schedules and in urbanized areas. This was the most embarrassing era of competitive surfing ever. The dream tour isn't perfect, but let's be honest, they do a pretty damn good job of putting on events in sick locations. And the irony of this is that the ASP and the dream tour is what legitimized Kelly's clout in the first place. He was champ in sick waves all over the world - it validated his position at the top. Now that he's losing step, he wants to revert professional surfing back to the dark ages while cashing in. Dogshit. Go Parko!

come on! 30k for a win!? the asp has been doing all it can!? billabong!? they are just hanging on to the last straw. who wants to see ben dun, weare, dayan neve, kling, curran, lipke, boal, picon, et al surf?? come on, it's embarrassing. curren and occy surfer better than most of them at j-bay, as slater mentioned. asp CAN do better, just think tennis or golf tours. as for billabong, they are just typical corporate sponsors, no better, no worse.

if a new tour is formed individual event could have a live score feed on the internet with basic video kind of like watching bowls or pipe on wavewatch.com ((This happens all the time with baseball if your in a diffrent city and the local station does not carry the games)) then one day after the holding period it could be broadcast to the world as mentiond before only surfers watch the webcasts. Even tho we will all know the scores wouldent it be great to watch the events in HD at the bar. Currently each event has a diffrent broadcasting crew that cost quite a bit of cash if their was one HD film crew that followed the tour to all the events the quality would be much more dependible and consistiant.

Surfing evolved on TV like any sport. There were good and bad decisions made. Events in the day were rarely forced to run on TV schedules but sponsors did want crowds. The first big exotic road contest was Fiji in 87. G-Land, Tahiti, Reunion and Vietnam then taught the sport a lot as well. In 1987 The Op Pro HB outrated Fiji and Pipe Masters on TV. Why? Many fans that want to see their riders compete live. The Occy-Curren rivalry exists because over 100,000 screaming fans witnessed their battles, live at HB. They saw Tom and Mark's faces, knew who they were and loved their styles. Ask a kid to name the top 15 WCT pros today? Then ask them to name the Top 15 US Pro Surfers Today? If you asked the same questions of a kid in 1995 your response would have been quite different. Why? Because they were seeing there heroes surf back then. And here in the USA, the Bud Tour was also consistently televised and building stars into bigger names. Check the real facts, it all ties in with the industry growth curve as we

Kelly Slater was a household name long before the "Dream Tour." He had 6 World titles in hand before then. In fact, he was probably a household name before he had even ridden a double-overhead wave. Why? Because the kids knew his face and they saw him surf right in front of them. They knew his style, his boards and innovation. He was on Prime Time TV all the time. Op let him go, what happened to them? Quik signed him, what happened to them? The ASP Dream Tour, well they were just very very fortunate this unique phenom became hungry for another title.

who really cares about pro surfing anyway????????

Hey SurfMediaman. Pull your head out of your bum will ya? You are dreaming and you obviously have a vested interest - kook! The webcast in J Bay was insane.

cmon guys contest surfing is sooo boring. Only a surfer could watch it. Having surfers dodge golfballs or even bombs could make it worth watching maybe even throw in a few sharks. we've sucked the guts out of surfing enough we might as well all play golf

Just offering a few helpful facts to people who have either forgotten or were not there. In Surfing there is a place for webcasts, there is a place for TV, there is a place for films, there is a place for the mags, there is a place for stars and there is certainly space for a couple of competitive Tours. It's about connecting the dots and the entire Surf World has a vested interest. You are right, J Bay's webcast was insane! Billabong did a tremendous job connecting the dots and bringing it to you for FREE bro. Thanks in major part to partnerships, banners, click thru's, upgraded technology and a production team that loves the sport so much that they were willing to work on the cheap just to be there in person.

I kind of agree with steve, watching a webcast is about as exciting as watching pro golf. We need change if they want to break through this low budget webcast crap and move onto a consistent major network broadcast where the big money is. Cut, edit, show snipets and highlights of the early heats and only show the final heat in its entirety as a lead up to the drama of the event. Individual interviews of the final contestants thrown in during lull's, interesting facts about the contest, the wave, etc. Its got to POP and stay exciting for the general public to buy this. Kind of like the same format that they use on ESPN for the WSOP and X-Games. That will condense an entire contest to 30 - 60 minutes and the major networks (or ESPN) would be all over it. 20 hours of webcast is great for people that love to spend all day in front of a computer, unfortunately most people don't have that kind of time available.

This is Slater being Slater wanting all the attention for him...ok lets praise mr slater who always wins with the excuse oh and to think I was not even planning to attend. He could of voiced his opinion to ASP but Media coverage alone is not the issue...the whole set up like when I went to Brazil it was awful to park awful to watch the whole structure of surfing needs to be redone by the founders.....

The action sports industry which spawn off of surfing should make the all events highly advertised to the public , most people don’t know when the event is taking place live at that moment, and the coverage is some of the lamest on the web. Better statistics on the surfers and their future base on winning or losing this heat would make for better commentary to start. GT guy is lame or gay. They tend to miss major parts of scoring wave, that sucks for viewers; the judging is better but still need not give 10’s every five heats( J. Smith’s ARS in a HEAT would have to be a 20 pt score by today standards), better for the surfer’s. The Event media rights are huge advantage in blocking other corporation from taking the lime light from the company who control these media right. That explains why a CBS or NBC doesn’t show surfing prime time or no time. For some did surf yet, Wide World of Sports, Pipe Master’s Final: Dane Keoloha, Mike Ho ( busted wrist and all), Joe Buran, Tim Fitz? Was on Prime Time

I think that heats on demand really needs to be worked on, at the moment all you see is the four scoring rides and the interview with the surfers - i want to see the whole heat! If each heat can be uploaded to a central dedicated server (like how youtube works) then we can have the same live experience only we can delay it until we get home from work. This should solve the bandwidth issues too - i'd pay for an HD version too by the way. Slater is also the best surfing commentator - its obvious why he is such a great competitor when you hear how well he can analyze peoples surfing and their strategy.

the judging is all wrong, you have people surfing way too conservatively...give credit for the guys who throw the radical maneuvers the the guys with style and the guys who just rip i.e. Dane Reynold. why do you thing so many of the best surfers in the world leave competative surfing... Rasta left the tour the malloys are gone and there is speculation about whether Dane will stay or leave. I love watching contests but i'd honestly rather be watching freesurfers instead because the level of surfing is so much higher.

So many good ideas. But the fact is that surfing can't grab a huge audience like other sports. Kelly has some great ideas, but some are not very realistic. Billabong, Quiksilver and RipCurl don't want to give up the media rights, why? because that is really all they have left. Don't get me wrong, I think all 3 give so much back to the sport of surfing, even the broke quik is still spending (money they don't have) on all the contest they promote. Surfing needs it's own pay channel. That would be a start. The ASP is not doing enough. Good luck Kelly, I hope you win 10 and we surfers are proud of what you have done for our sport. thanks! Quik better give you that 10 million you earned even if you don't get 10, in my opinion you should make way more money, just like in other sports!!!

The ABC WWSport final with Ho and boyz was on a weekend afternoon. Not Prime Time. It was a 20 minute segment of a larger ABC WWS anthology show. ESPN, ESPN2, FSW, USA, FUEL, and VERSUS are about the only meaningful US Networks to air "stand-alone surfing event specials" in Prime, 7pm-11pm. The reason why CBS, NBC and ABC will never schedule Surfing in Prime is because zero available airtime exists and because sponsors are not lining up to buy Surfing. And thats OK. ESPN have not only scheduled the WCT in Prime before but they provided multiple airings of individual 60-minute WCT shows to their 80-plus million homes as well. Much better numbers than one non-prime CBS or NBC airing. There is power to the Heats-on-Demand concept but I am sure Billabong would agree it is a hassle and expense to bring in more camera angles and upgrade it without additional partner-sponsor money. By the way, "The Quiksilver: In Memory of Eddie Aikau" also broke a lot of new ground for surfing on TV as well.

watch what you wish for..look what the x games and TV coverage did to snowboarding...you think the lineups are crowded now?? sure the pros make out like bandits with $100,000 first place prize contests but the soul of the sport is completly gone. When it goes on TV so Mr. Sla9ner can make more money it will go corporate...Sponsors by Target, Home Depot, etc.. Then the corporations will own pro surfing and they will not choice but to do what they are told to keep making good money. Best of luck though...

Who gives a shit, I hope the new tour and the old tour cancel eachother out and pro(whore)-surfing is lost forever. The ASP has no benefit to any surfer unless he's in the "industry", and the "industry" is designed to pump more kooks into your breaks. This new tours mission is to do that better than the ASP. DEATH TO PRO-SURFING!

Guaranteed I'll be watching.

Improve the ASP product and it will sell it self. Why are most ASP contests booorrrring ,,,when the warm up free surfing is MINDBLOWING. Because the ASP judgeing rules have never changed. Three safe waves ,,,then take a risk. NEW ASP RULES - before each event surfers are told by the judges the performance level and min number of advanced moves required. For example - Quicky Pro Location QLD Superbank, conditions 4-5 ft. ASP judging rules for the day are - more than one aerial and one full 360 (bottom to top )per wave , will be scored out of 10 - one aerial and one full 360 (bottom to top )per wave , will be scored out of 8 - Any wave without these will be scored out of 6. ASP surfers now have a defined performance goal for the days surfing , set by the judges, producing a HIGH level of performance to score max out of 10

My experience in growing up on the beach is this. The guys who vocally warn the world about your break being taken over (if surfing grows too big) are usually transplants who moved in from mid-america, or the Northeast, discovered pro surfing on TV or on film, went to a surfshop, asked entry questions and bought a board, then, busted their way into your lineup. These are often the same guys who are saying no one else should be allowed into the sport.

carpe diem quam minimum credula postero

get rid of the tour all together. Surfing is the only sport that the athletes can not give 100%. These guys can still have a career and get paid by just going out and doing what they do best, killing it ! they can surf how they want and go for it all the time when they just free surf. They can go surf the best waves at the best times, get fotos, video sections etc... really, would anyone miss the tour ?

KS is right - the tour is run like a cartel. That's why sponsors other than the big 3 can only participate in the WQS. Surfing needs change, Bugs didn't have the stomach and Brody Carr is a little boy lost.

Money ruins everything it touches when it comes to sports. People should surf because they love to do it, not for money.

COMPETITOR SURFERS HAVE A MYOPIC VIEW Surfing will always struggle to be accepted in mainstream. Non surfers in most cases don't understand or comprehend how one surfer wins and the other looses. Tennis, golf, car racing etc have clear cut winners. Eliminate the element of luck, competitors sitting out the back waiting for seemingly an eternity for the perfect wave(boring) How often do you see the best surfer lose? Get the judging and format right first then take only to the most spectacular location. As far as risking life and limb check out locals charging Shippies & Chopes for nothing. Pro surfers stop whinging get a job in the real world then you'll realize how good you've got it.

Slater is a hack and his time is over. There's no way he will be able to take on Parko this season because he was too scared to ever contest for the title. Case in point: he rode weird shitty boards. If he lost, everyone says "no worries, he was riding weird boards." If he wins, everyone thinks he's amazing. No risk, no reward. Put it on the line again Kelly.

Frankly, I find it really disappointing that Kelly would turn his back on, not just his fellow top 44, but all the wqs, pro junior, women, longboarders out there trying to make it. It's pretty obvious that surfing should be concentrated in one organization, and ASP, for all it's flaws, has provided all surfers with a pathway to a world title. Kelly's "invite" concept smacks of subjectivity, and I'm really disappointed that he's associated with it.

I would watch this new tour just for the fact I never have to hear that toolbag at Billabong GT say another word. How does anyone stand that guy. Please remove him from pro surfing.

COMPETITOR SURFERS HAVE A MYOPIC VIEW Surfing will always struggle to be accepted in mainstream. Non surfers in most cases don't understand or comprehend how one surfer wins and the other looses. Tennis, golf, car racing etc have clear cut winners. Eliminate the element of luck, competitors sitting out the back waiting for seemingly an eternity for the perfect wave(boring) How often do you see the best surfer lose? Get the judging and format right first then take only to the most spectacular location. As far as risking life and limb check out locals charging Shippies & Chopes for nothing. Pro surfers stop whinging get a job in the real world then you'll realize how good you've got it.

Last two events: J-Bay and US Open, awesome action, awesome webcasts, awesome surfing. Terry's idea of splitting up the world's best is a terrible idea.

What has Kelly accomplished outside of 9 ASP World Titles? Kelly is a phenomenal surfer and a draw and great for the sport. However, without the 9 titles validating his dominance, would we really have considered him the best surfer every year for the past 20 years? I don't know. They way we hype everyone up and so on and so forth, it's possible that the accolade of "World's Best" may have gone to Taj one year, or Parko and Mick earlier than their titles came, or Machado, or Dane, or Jordy. ASP has made Kelly and Kelly has made the ASP...but when he's done, does that mean competitive surfing is done? I don't think so. There are so many talented surfers in the world and so many up-and-comers. I find it hard to believe that Kelly is the end all be all. I think the new concept has some merit, ESPN and increased prize money, but diluting the world's best surfers by making some surf on the WCT and some surf on Kelly's exhibition tour is a bad idea. I'd really like to see Ke

who cares, surfing is more than just a package.

How is it that sports like Skating / Moto - X can get huge media attention and events at the X-Games but surfing is like some loner sport on it's own and by no means reaching the potential it could on a mass scale. What has been done for it so far is great don't get me wrong but there is the potential to exploit this sport to a whole other level. Just like the insane amounts of money and TV time being pumped into the red-neck dooche bags you see doing Moto-X, Surfers could also enjoy similar spoils! Set surfers up for life and potentially pump more money and more aggressive competitiveness into the current surfers and groms . At the end of the day everyone has to agree the media coverage for the current tour is CRAP! And could definitely be done 10000 times better.