The New WSL Team

I am not trying to slam the WSL or the commentary team. I want to make it clear that I love what they have done. I love how much more professional the broadcast is. I love the fact that the whole system doesn't poop itself when Kelly walks down the beach due to viewer overload.

I want to be crystal about this. I (mostly) love whabarras de tejadilhot they have done with the presenters. I think that everyone on the bench, on the beach and in the channel is awesome. Very professional. I do, however, have one small gripe and one larger gripe that I thought I would share, and wonder if anyone else agrees or disagrees:

First, the small gripe is that I REALLY wish that Joe Turpel would breathe more often. It is really off putting, just when you think he is going to stop and breathe, he tells you how much time there is left in a heat. “With three fifty seven left in the heat” when he needs to breathe, it makes me feel out of breath.

Joe, if you are reading this, I love what you do but for God's sake. BREATHE.

My other gripe is that I wish that perhaps there would be a bit more diversity in the commentary team. At the moment the whole production is just Aussi's and Americans. I know Martin Potter and Rosie Hodge are from SA so I guess they well are represented too.

You may think that this is a mute point, and me being petty, but for the rest of the world it sure is not. I for one would like to hear what a Brazilian commentator might have to say in English. All of the titles on the men's side were won by Brazilians last year, which is awesome, but all everyone can talk about is Mick Fanning, Kelly Slater, Jack Freestone and Connor Coffin. What has the Rookie of the Year been up to, or the Pipe Master or even the World Champ?

I will not go on, but my rather laboured point is this: if we really want our sport of surfing and the WSL to be global, maybe we should look at getting some representatives on the team to talk in English but from a different perspective. Not everyone understands how the Super Bowl works or gets baseball references. The tour is mostly made up of Brazilians this year, yet there is no one to represent them in English.

To sum up, love what you are doing WSL but it would be awesome if you could think about putting a bit more World in the World Surfing League.