Opinion: Why Kelly Slater Should Stop Competing

I reckon this guy just said in print what many have been thinking for a long time. But I'm one of those who feel that comp surfing is in the top five factors to blame for the ruination of my beloved activity...in short, I'm just an old much maligned malcontent anyway. If I gave a rat's ass about surf contests I would agree with this article...that's not to say, though, that I don't respect and even admire King Kelly.

Turd , what are the other 4 factors to blame for the ruination of our/your beloved activity????

Without Slater, the ASP is pro tennis. The heat he lost early in Tahiti was the most exciting point in the contest. Martinez was right about the ASP. I barely remember who won. The most interesting aspect of the finals was when Mick flipped his board upside down to show off his quad set-up.

weird article: he should retire because he's so good, in spite of being ten years older than normal pro surfer retirement age?

dude should run as long as he can, as hard as he can and retire whenever the fk he wants to. he's a frickin' miracle and inspiration to us mortals.

Let the old guy ride.

I think Kelly should drop Quik and pick up OLD GUYS RULE as his new sponsor.

Quote:

"There are so many fantastic ways that he could contribute to surfing as an art, a pro sport, a business, and a culture that it’s hard to know where to start."

Quite honestly I don't give a shit about surfing as an art, pro sport, business or culture. For me surfing is seeing a wave and trying to catch it. It's interesting watching videos of people doing that really well, such as is seen during professional surfing contests, but ultimately it's just wave porn with some competitive tension thrown in. Slater's life is one of being a competitive surfer and as long as he is still able to excel at that then I see no good reason for him to stop.

...wait a minute, is that a set? is that a set coming?

Slater can retire or not whenever he wants to. As long as he can get all the trappings of fortune and fame making guys half his age look silly, why woud he want to? Agree with earlier poster that ouside Oz and a few other places, pro surfing isn't even pro tennis without a dominant personality like Slates. Hell of a spokesman too.

Stupidest. Article. Ever. Sorry to be a negative-ninny, but almost all The Inertia articles are absolute garbage. :(

Why should he quit if he's still smokin' guys half his age? When he does finally retire, I hope to see more of him in the commentary booth. He has a great memory and always adds a lot of great insight and analysis to webcasts.

@TT, "what are the other 4 factors"? Well, first, let me preface this by going on record that I am NOT some unhappy whiner quick to blame the trannies (native sf, btw, and not that it matters!) or whatever, and pining for the good old days. Crowds were complained about back then too! I still try to surf several times a week, and am happy as ever to do so! Change is always a constant, nothing stays the same, and to use a well-worn phrase, surfing today is what it is. I accept that.

So, in no particular order the other 4 factors contributing to the ruination of the surfing experience are the usual suspects, and they are, in essence, related. Overpopulation: both world wide and within surfing's own ranks. As surfers, we love to breed almost as much as surf...well, I mean we like sex and that's the end result, innint? Surfers breed little surfers. Facts of life! Ozzies: their dream to make surfing a legit sport and their relentless push to make it a viable commercial commodity with enterprises like surf schools, surf camps/resorts etc has certainly succeeded, probably beyond what they ever imagined. Technology: includes everything from improved surf gear, cell phones, cheap air fare, pinpoint and internet surf forecasting, blah blah blah, the list goes on! Surf industrial complex: the rise of global surf brands and using surfing to market everything from automobiles to health insurance speaks for itself. I'm sure you wouldn't have to try very hard, TT, to come up with plenty more factors that conspire against a more "pure" surfing experience.

thanks turd!! I have been waiting all day for the answer..cheers

Wait, he already retired: http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/A-Legend-Retires-Kelly-Slater-won-t...

thats like asking jesus to stop being holy........

ill only hate him if i was on a surf trip at the same time he was competing and steals all the good waves. at that point asp should be eliminated

The title of the story should be LinkBait: Why Kelly Slater Slater Should Stop Competing

How idiotic of a premise can you write about? He's so good that he needs to retire so others have a chance? So fucking stupid. Which explains why the guy writes for some bullshit site like theinertia. The NBA did great when Jordan retired. Oh wait, no it didn't. When Slater retires there will such a drastic drop off of interest in competitive surfing that ZoSea will regret whatever amount they paid to handle the media rights of the ASP because no one will care.