Let Me Ask Your Opinion
I'm working on an article. Well, let's back up. I'm thinking of writing an article related to surfing. So I want some feedback from everyone who reads this.
Do you think America hates surfers and surfing? Tell me why it (America) does or why it doesn't.
posted by Surfsister @ 21:27
11 comments
11 Comments:
Judging by the amount of sewage that was just dumped into manhattan beach, I'm gonna go ahead and say America probably hates surfers/surfing (the south bay certainly does).
Oh, they love us whe they can use us for marketing, otherwise we're shiftless idiots who bum around all day in our pursuit of our time wasting "sport"... posted by a proud loser!
Reading Jeff's comment, I waiting for someone to say that George Bush hates surfers (tee-hee!)
I don't think America hates surfers. I don't have a feeling one way or the other because I don't surf, however I worry that the negative portrayals seen on TV and in movies like Point Break mimic reality. I hope that it's an extreme minority of reality, but I have no way of knowing.
I think they (nonsurfing America) haven't been wowed by the surf industry. We haven't mainstreamed surfing enough as of yet. The closest we got was Kelly Slater on Bay Watch and now they both are retired(ha ha). If more marketing is done in a positive manner I think surfing will become a mainstream sport for everyone.
I agree with inkwell. We're not on America's radar right now.
Hermanos y hermanas,
I respectfully disagree,
Surf sells, and many industries know it. Middle America malls have quicksilver shops and are capitalizing. Look at the rise in surf schools and surf travel or the ads for life insurance depicting active baby boomers having a go out or the one bank ad about a small business owner seeking a loan to start his surf wax company. People surf the east coast, west coast, gulf coast, the great lakes, tropics, artic region, rivers and wave pools. No doubt that America loves surfing and the image of surfing. Miki Dora is turning in his grave.
I think the only people who hate us are the ones who wish they could have something so good to do, work too hard themselves, or don't understand how to have fun. I grew up in Florida in a town where the surf is pretty fun and surfing is well known. It was looked down upon in the corporate world but as we age more people who are in management roles actually surf. I'm sure I'm offpoint but I guess I don't think Americ cares, and I think if anyone did think about it they'd like to try it..
And yet America loves golfers. Go figure.
Patch,
I agree with some things but have you ever gotten up on a saturday or sunday morning and watched surfing on abc wide world of sports, or any other channel(mainstream: ABC CBS NBC) for that matter. I am a fashion designer, been one for 18 years, and what is selling is actually a reflection of the hip hop industry. Quicksilver is an exception being that the marketing it does is criss-crossed between the baggy pant, butt crack wearing crew that has been excepted world wide. When I start seeing more advertising on television (the world's main source of information) artery then I can whole-hearted agree.
In the meantime, buy from my clothing line Inkwell...lol. cuz the internet seems to be the only place it can be showcased(wink).
Inkwell,
Send me some of those fine duds and I'll spread the word ;)
I agree wuth Patch. Surfing is more popular than ever and the technology that enables viewers to watch surf contests has changed quite a bit from the 1970'2 occasional viewing on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Here's a cross section of some past and present shows and a couple quotes at the end.
Gidget — A show that popularized the surf culture in the 60's that was developing at the famed Malibu.
The Malibu Classic — An MSA Longboard event with roots dating back to 1961 was the first surf contest to be televised.
360 Surfing — a show that covers all aspects of the sport, big wave riding to soul surfing.
Boarding pass — Quiksilver's show featuring top athletes embarking on adventures to the most epic places on earth.
Drive-Thru South America — The ups and downs and everything in-between as five of the worlds top pro surfers travel through Panama, Brazil, and Chile.
10 count — Countdown show highlighting the 10 "best of" moments, from the biggest wave to the biggest air.
54321 — Weekly show covering Surfing, skateboarding, freestyle moto, snow boarding, BMX, Wakeboarding and Free-skiing.
Longboard TV — Classic and current longboarding spanning 60's, 70's, 80's and beyond.
Surfspot — Covering the best action in waves and locales. During summer they premier a new surf film every Friday.
On Surfari — Surfing obscure locations and learning about the people, culture, history of the places that are explored.
Firsthand — Follow the daily, inside lives of surfers and snowboard legends as they comb the globe for the perfect wave or untracked powder.
Boarding House North Shore — A lifestyle reality series takes a look at surf culture and competition.
Surf girls — 14 girls trek across the globe to compete for a wild card slot in the WCT of surfing.
The Game — Team oriented surf contest started by Brad Gerlach. U.S. Open of Surfing (I knew it as the OP pro
"Hollywood had discovered surfing. For historians of the sport, thisbrief, hectic period might as well be known as the Annette Funicello Era of Surfing. The Gray Days, really... And every time the plot would lag --
which was most of the time -- someone would run on camera and yell, 'Surf's up!' You remember the cry, of course..." — Phil Edwards"
"almost overnight it seemed, everybody in the whole country wanted to be a surfer. Or, failing that, to look like a surfer. That has always been a great mystery to me, why people who had never even seen the ocean before would want to bleach their hair, put on a pair of baggies and blue tennies, and tell everybody how stoked they were. You could say it was all just a California fad, maybe one of the first California fads, but it's been going on for thirty years now, and a billion-dollar clothing industry has grown up catering to nothing but the average American's desire to look like a surfer." — Mike Doyle
Post a Comment
<< Home