Frankly, it’s been an ordinary year for the World Surf League, both in and out of the water. Waves have been below average at almost every Championship Tour (CT) event this year. And funnily enough, the place where the surfers get an equal opportunity for waves – the Surf Ranch – was the inspiration for a Public Relations nightmare. When surfing’s biggest superstar by social media metrics, Gabriel Medina, called out the WSL for unfair judging, and Erik Logan’s response seemed to only make matters worse. Was Ranchgate the final catalyst for the capitulation of the CEO who became known simply as ELO?
Logan made some risky moves throughout his tenure as Chief Executive Officer. The Final Five and the revival of the Mid-Year-Cut (MYC) were initiatives made under ELO’s reign. If you go down the rabbit hole of any surf media’s comments section (including the the WSL’s) you’ll find a stream of negative commentary about the seismic alterations to the tour’s structure. Meanwhile, the Challenger Series model has proven far more popular with fans and even if the MYC is ditched one imagines the Challenger Series, in some form, will be preserved.
Of course, some fans are always going to complain about change, but the core base seemed to be against the overall direction of the WSL under Logan.
As the former president of Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network, Erik Logan strived to bring the ‘razzle and dazzle’ to pro-surfing. And kudos goes out to ELO for his push with the ‘Make Or Break’ series , which took us behind the saltwater curtain of pro-surfing and from the outside looks to be a net positive for the sport. ‘Make or Break’ managed to achieve a dual agenda by satisfy surfing’s core devotees whilst appealing to a broader market – no easy task.
The WSL has begun the process of identifying a new CEO. In the meantime, Emily Hofer, WSL’s Chief People & Purpose Officer, and Bob Kane, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Legal Officer, will jointly lead the company.
So who’s next, will it be a former pro surfer? A long-timer in the surf industry? A former executive from another professional sport? Or are they once again looking for a TV guy to improve the media product?
Or is ELO making way for Kelly Slater to retire from competition and step-in as the WSL’s CEO. Ha?
Below is the WSL’s statement on the news:
“Today, the World Surf League (WSL) announced that CEO Erik Logan has departed the company, effective immediately. As the WSL begins the process of identifying a new CEO, Emily Hofer, WSL’s Chief People & Purpose Officer, and Bob Kane, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Legal Officer, will jointly lead the company and continue to drive the WSL’s mission to showcase the world’s best surfers on the world’s best waves as the global home of competitive surfing.
With Hofer’s and Kane’s leadership, alongside the dedicated executive team, the WSL remains well-positioned for continued success and growth. The League maintains an unwavering commitment to working alongside our colleagues, athletes, and partners to build surfing’s global competitive platform, aligned with our purpose initiative around ocean conservation. Together, we will work to advance and develop competitive surfing, pushing forward to the evolution and progression of this incredible sport.”
