9x world champ Kelly Slater was the first person to reach the 1mill mark in 03 and Kelly will be the first surfer to reach the 2mill mark currently at 1,910,405 going into the trestles event.
World No. 1 Roger Federer became the first player in tennis history to surpass $50 million in career prize money after defeating American rookie Devin Britton 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 Monday at the US Open. The Swiss earned $31,000 for the first-round win, adding to his $49,977,919 total prize money coming into Flushing Meadows.
World No. 1 Tiger Woods owns all the records at $90,537,539
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:27 am
I’d still take surfing any day,tennis is to hard on your body and I got ADD.I can barely play nine holes with out losing interest.
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:16 am
So… you have the best job in the world. The one you can be happy every time you get in to the office. Nice!!
good luck in trestles!
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:44 am
success is not the key to hapiness, but hapiness is the key to success, learned that lesson pretty quick on tour
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I wonder if Kelly really trained hard at golf if he could be in the PGA and do well too? i shall never know
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Thats a crazy comparison of money considering the amount of years Kelly’s been on top and the fact he’s won so many events and he’s just about to hit 2 mil and the other two examples are 50 and 90 mil. He’ll never get that money tour wise but the new tour is his way of trying to get that money gap closer for the next generation it seems. I bet he’s really bummed on the reactions a lot of people had to the new tour though. Sucks cause i’m sure you guys would agree all he would ever want to do is improve the tour for everyone, just maybe went about it the wrong way, maybe not. Has there been any more news about the rebel tour of do you guys think there will be during the Trestles event?
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:51 pm
no news prob here more in europe
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:04 pm
@RydrHi
you make some good points bro maybe it was the wrong way to go about it but it seems to have shaken the ASP a little an got the surfing world talking about the current tours fults. your right though it is sad that people hav been quick to rubbish kelly and what he’s been trying to do some one that has helped the profile of surfing so much since he’s been on tour and ppl are quick to judge.
time will tell on the Rebel front i guess,
Cheers
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:27 pm
The ASP reminds me of a bad employee about to get fired trying to all of a sudden to save his job… they promise to start doing better now? So what were they doing before? Not their best, apparently. It’s an admission of guilt… and incompetence.
Promising to do better isn’t going to solve anything, especially w/ these guyses track records.
I don’t think the hate on Kelly is widespread or honest. I don’t see how it could be.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Ya was bummed about people bagging on Kelly also
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:31 am
surfing is not as readily visible like tennis or golf… you would have to have a venue like huntington beach, with waves like they had this year, and charge 100 bucks for each person to get on the beach in order for even the 10 best surfers(including dames and cj) to even come close to anyone making money like tiger or fed….
you cant make any money when all you guys want to do is surf perfect tiahpoo in a 2 week window with a few people in boats watching… its going to come back to surfing small beach break with all the fans watching in 2 ft conditions and you got to shut up and surf!!
or take all your surf money and go surf by yourself in indo… cant have your cake and eat it too..
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:34 am
@mike on point kid, spot on!
the balance is surfing will always take care of itself its that good.
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 am
do you get a cut of the parking cost when we come and watch you guys at sebastien inlet???
September 3rd, 2009 at 12:25 pm
OK only 2MM,but it’s for surfing. Spending your days at the beach, getting wet, and doing a sport that never grows old, and you will love doing day in and day out for the rest of your life. I’ll take it!!!
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:56 pm
I bet they’d trade a bit of that coin for just one of Kelly’s 64,345,698 tubes. i know i would!
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Longsnapper Joe Zelenka for the a Jaguars is scheduled to make over a million dollars this year if the Jags don’t cut him for a younger, cheaper alternative (which they will probably do because a mil for a longsnapper is just dumb). Pretty funny to think about.
Surfing is the wrong business folks. It is what it is. Even the top dogs don’t ball out like they should. Still, they can afford double waterfront for doing what they love and that is pretty ballin’. I’d take that! You guys rule.
September 4th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
thanks cj! Knock em dead at trestles!
September 6th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Who cares what surf winnings compares to other sports. Not even in the same league as the amount of eyeballs those sponsors bring in with tennis and golf. You got into surfing cause its one of the most fantastic things to do on earth. Be happy your talented and spend your whole life persuing it and being paid. You’re very fortunate.
September 7th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
@Kincaid are you a lifecoach or somethin?
September 11th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Advancement in Video over Internet technology coupled with HiDef over time will provide the means for an excellent immersive viewer experience on surfing (not talking todays webcast, which btw has improved by leaps & bounds in last 3-4 yrs, atleast Billabong, Hurley sponsored events) but multiple HD feeds/angles along with professional commentary/realtime analysis right on your 1080p HDTV fed over the internet.
Viewers will be able to witness the thrill and excitment of high performance surfing at Teahupoo or Pipe as if they are right there looking into the gapping barrel. The question is will surf industry be smart enough to invest in this tech and find ways to monatize it (ads, subscription etc.). Or will they be “too smart” and continue to be unfair in compensating the athletes who drive the traffic to these events and these multi-billion $ brands. The brands do a great job of marketing, that is why they are big and growing as multibillion $ enterprises, on the other hand ASP does a piss poor job of marketing the tour even to average surfers. Bottom line, surfing will be never as big as tennis or golf ’cause it will never be that mainstream (thank God!) but the payout to athletes in surfing has to be commensurate with the size of industry they help market & drive, which is BIG. Whether folks like it or not surfing IS an industry and today has much broader visibility, participation and growing population. Compensation to surfers and viewing enhancement for fans have truly lagged behind as this industry has grown over the years. Kudos to anyone, Kelly or others who have the smarts, power and balls to think out side the box and shake up the frickin status quo!!!
September 21st, 2009 at 2:08 pm
The Soul Of Its Own World Tour
Coming To A Sphere Near You. 4 Seasons, 10 events, 8 Paddle in events, 2 per season plus 2 Special Death Defying Tow in events!
32 competitors, The Complete 16, capable of all & more, plus the top 12 qualifiers from the ASP tour & 4 invitees from God knows where, round out the 32 who will compete in the most challenging conditions our planet can provide. Athletes, not surviving to see who makes fire first or able to gather better than the rest on a Hollywood set. No, these are unlike others who challenge themselves & the elements, not on track or field, but against the Supreme Force, the Giver of Life, Our Mother Ocean. A plethora of potential sites will be at hand with permits in place. Modern tech. allows our athletes to be flown to their accommodations, whether on land or at sea, depending on location to meet the coming challenge. Contestants on call, ready & mobile at the moment. No waiting period, it’ll be pumping, and the world will be watching, as we search our planets’ surface for its strongest pulse, its unscripted pure energy, to be tapped like never before in a competitive format. Where will our athletes be swept off to next? What exotic isle, dangerous reef pass, or unknown slab will test the best? We’ll take you to places where dreams are made & broken. Wave riders from all points will froth at the arenas, pushing pearls shoreward. And of course Current Footage will be available on demand.
As the Endless Summer touched a spark, so will the Soul Of Its Own World Tour, creating an audience unsure what’s up, but unable to deny it. Surfing, the creator & father of action sports, and soon to be spokesman of a planet gone astray, will usher in a wave of consciousness that only a surfer understands.
The ASP will be what it always was, what it is, proving grounds for the best competitive surfing & will continue to spawn & develop future World Champions. So calm down boys, it’s all there, better than ever. The ASP will update & integrate the Q.S. 100 vying to become 1 of the 12 disciples on next years World Tour as only ESPN can bring you.
32 competitors. I’d like to see the bottom 16, including invitees, go 4-man, 4- 45min-1hour heats. The hassle is important, brings out character, creativity, the interference possibilities, the bump & grind, and when its pumping, the playing field expands, plenty for all. Remember these boys are professionals. The victors will pit themselves against #9 to 16, so impersonal. When its game on 4-man rules continue, its called Action Sports, with 4– 1hour heats. 8hrs. in, you are left with the cream for day 2. Might be boring live, if not a purist, but with slight delay we got chicken dinner. Live cast a must, in ESPN we trust that this will be more than another sporting event wedged into the grid, where’s Tesla, wave master. To be Hollygood takes a special sort. Do you see a problem here? Na, me neither. This is their last chance to paddle out, it’s hot & glassy, & there’s one coming their way. No scores called here, keep your own score & give it your best shot, watch your ass & keep your head up, quit thinking you need to know something, you got a watch, that’s all you need. It’s no longer what you need, you need only to tear it up! You’ll know who won soon enough. So cut the crap fools, school’s out, it’s your J.O.B. join our brotherhood, the Brotherhood Of Surfing. Well that might be to much, depends on the fence you sit on, I guess.
1st place Tour Champion receives 500k for his efforts
$250k You figure out the points.
2nd 100k =3rd 50k =5th 25k =9th 15k 10k for the rest
That’s a 100k all expense paid trip around the world for the rest, if you got the nuts to tow, with incentives, for showing up. Fuck you if you think you’re worth more than that, let’s see it!
OK, that’s 830k, plenty enough prizes for the 1st go round. That leaves 670k per event to do things right & look towards the future.
So what say you, fuck off, or is it our time?
Brought to you by
VPSports