What Do We Need?
Wednesday, 29 June 2011 13:08
Our interest was sparked with a single tweet:
"@Nike6 Why not BODYBOARD on Nike Chosen??? @ibaworldtour @ScienceBB @riptidemag @rideitbbmag"
Yes, the language may be slightly jumbled, but the point is still warranted: Why isn't Nike 6.0 involved in bodyboarding?
We have to admit that we'd forgotten about the global athletic company's previous toe-dip into the industry. It's been over a year since Pierre-Louis Costes was spotted with a green Nike 6.0 sticker on his slick as he flipped out of North Shore air-bowls. But with the release of "The Chosen" (watch video below) someone out there had had a reaction sparked again and now they were looking for answers.
As you can see the release of "The Chosen" was no small affair. In fact, every surf mag in Australia had a sponsored "Chosen" campaign on their websites and many also ran ads in their mags too. There was movies, premieres, media kits, YouTube clips etc, etc, in fact pretty every expensive add-on you can imagine. On Transworld Business we found this interview with Nike's Bastien Renard on the new campaign.
After PLC had quietly removed the N6.0 sticker from his board again, we'd heard, from someone in his camp, something along the lines of, "Nike USA doesn't want to support bodyboarding." This response was also echoed by a French surf industry blog, Blogosurf, "Last year, I was told by the Nike 6.0 Manager in France that bodyboarding didn't take part in their strategy, and that they won't sponsor any bodybarder."
We offered Guillaume, from Blogosurf, the point that so many bodyboarders skate, especially in Australia, and that if you headed to a bodyboarding contest or premiere you'd see that many of them would be in Nike SB or Vans kicks. This observation was backed up in recent conversations with retailers; the fact that a significant percentage of bodyboarders buy the aforementioned products. Thus one could emotively argue that these companies should be supporting the sport as they're making money from it. Guillaume offered the following response:
"I agree with you on the point that the big businesses are making money on bodyboarders. They should give something back to the community.
One of the issues is that for the average individual, bodyboarding is riding foams or small waves with a small boards, and it's less spectacular than surfing -which is more difficult than bodyboarding. They probably think bodyboarders are surfers who can't stand up on a board - which is wrong.
Hence the necessity of media to promote bodyboarding, through its major athletes and the massive slabs that can only be riden with a bodyboard!
Moreover, I think bodyboarders are "funnier, cooler" in their attitude than surfers. They are closer to Dion Agius or Dane Reynolds than Mick Fanning or another top surfer. And if you look at Dion and Dane, you know they are not the best surfers in the world -or at least the ones who do the Tour-, but they are the ones who get the more attention from the media and the sponsors. Thanks to their creative minds and other interests (photography, music, etc.) than surfing."
This point of "creativity" has been echoed many times in both bodyboarding & non-related media in the past. In fact it's being repeated again now on the World Tour event video postings from the IBA. But creativity & a moral standing on "giving back to the community" aren't going to be the things that get these companies to support bodyboarding; they need to see benefits via their earnings or exposure.
As we further pondered the issue, we found this list of recommendations for Volcom's new owners by Chas Smith for Surfing Magazine. You see PPR, the same people that own Yves Saint Laurent, Puma and Gucci have recently bought what was portrayed to be one of the biggest anti-establishment brands in surfing. And yes, of course Volcom's shareholders made money out of it! But would we even want bodyboarding and its core companies to go down the same road?
In Riptide #179 we teamed up with Harvey Norman (and Turbo) to bring you guys the world's first 3D bodyboarding feature, both in print and in video online. We could never undertaken such a project without their assistance and hopefully they may've have gained some loyal bodyboarding customers too. The same could potentially be said about the live broadcasts from the World Tour events - could they happen (and at such a high standard), had Red Bull not come on board to support the Tour? This is just the brink of the iceberg of what could potentially be achieved in bodyboarding, should more big companies support the sport or if the companies that do already currently support the sport grow.
Enough of our discussion. We'd love to know what you think. Should companies like Nike or Vans be getting behind bodyboarding? Why? Does it make sense for them and for bodyboarding? Does it detract from the sport if these companies do get involved?
Please let us, and your fellow readers know.
*Also, if you're interested in the above debate, you may want to read this piece by JP Patterson too.
Riptide Magazine is a bi-monthly publication based in Australia that has been bringing bodyboarding to the world for the past 21 years. If you’re a bodyboarder, chances are Riptide is just like you; motivated by the ocean, inspired by creative arts like photography, design and music, and living always for travel and fresh experiences. Come ride with us - Subscribe HERE.
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Comments
But whatever, fuck Nike, and fuck Multi-millionaire money-grubbing snakes. If they don't want to support bodyboarding then thats their loss. We know the reality of it and how great and extreme our sport is.
The bodyboarding community should get more respect. The only reason I want to see the multi-national companies take on bodyboarding is because bodyboarding deserves respect. Anyone who sees actual riders going hard, they comment on crazy it is. It's all about the perception of this "cool surfy chaaa bra sick snap" bullshit, not about talent or core riding.
Secondly, if companies are iffy on bodyboarding not being advanced enough, they obviously haven't taken a look at how insane it has gotten in the last couple of years and how much its progressing, (take a look at the World Tour this year and the SIC).
hip dollar and want to bodyboard not to be famous or "earna living out of it" but because they love it and have a passion for the ocean
Bodyboard is a NEW SPORT, with only TWO GENERATIONS of BODYBOARDERS, so it´s a matter of TIME to MAKE PROFITABLE our SPORT.
It´s like ANYTHING ELSE in the Human existence, we have to be COMPETITIVE in every topic, As Sport, As Industry, As Support for the Athletes and so on.
If we pay attention to this SUPER BIG FANTASY of WHO IS GONNA HELP our SPORT, i would like to say, that companies like COCA COLA, the biggest in the world will never support nothing because they just don´t need to do that ( not only in bodyboarding, but many other sports), this is because, WE NEED TO SELL ( to have $$$$), but SELL WHAT ?- WE NEED TO SELL BODYBOARDING WORLDWIDE as an INDUSTRY, and only if we focus this way, we will BRING THE REAL PEOPLE WITH THE FLUSH $$$$$$$$$$$ to our sport.
KEEP WORKING !!!! for the next generation.
from PANAMÁ.
LA MAREA ROJA.
I'll always bodyboard! I love it and surfboarding, kayaking, skatn, snowboardn... whatever. Hey Reebock can you sponsor me so I can pump it up!? my inflatable donkey cock fuk you NIKE! Run by mark zuckersberg conglomerate of lies!
OOOO AHHHH WOOOO AHHHHHHHH blar WoooOOOoOoO!
FUCK INDUSTRY
LIVING BODYBOARDING IN THE BEACHES
we dont need publicity, we know who we are! we are bodyboarders not products of marketing, leave that to the surf.
It's called market share, and nike want a chunk of the alternate sports industries, plain and simple.
As for Volcom, we all know a companies tagline has eff-all to do with their ultimate goal, which is always the creation of wealth for the owners/investors. Most exit strategies incorporate the option of eventually being bought out by a conglomerate. So well done to them on riding out of the industry on a tsunami of cold, hard cash!
Hi Jay. I do agree with you: there is no doubt that Rawlins, Hardy, and the others are charging big and hard.
I do agree as well on the fact that bodyboarding and wetsuit companies may be jeopardized if big businesses put money in the BB game.
On the other hand, big money could help the growth of BB.
But for sure there are pros and cons. As Biggie says, "Mo Money Mo Problems".
The debate is worth being discussed and I thank Riptide for that.
Secondly yes money in the sport would be great but my question would be that would the money that would be made from us(as bodyboarders) be generated back into the sport.
There is also that unique community feeling as a bodyboarder say if u see some one in a UNITE shirt 9/10 of those people will bodyboard. Altough if a surfer see's a person in a billabong shirt their not going to say that he is a surfer as Billabong is seen as a fashionable brand.
Finally if big name clothing were to sponsor bodyboarders what would happen to bodyboarders clothing and wetsuit companies. There are already enough soul bodyboard stores and brands closing down.
Thanks Jay
Will be 50/50 more money for that gays, more and better waves for us, it`s fair.
We don`t want more than the gays, but that gays never will catch better and more waves than me (at least i my home breaks)
if all the Bodyboarders do thins, we will be bigger.
In Portugal the best breaks are dominated by bodyboarders, not surfers.
Surf is a summer sport in Portugal, bodyboard is winter sport.
I`m from Portugal and here I´m from the bodyboarders are the first riders on the new spots and when the first surfer start to arrive the new wave, the bodyboarders already are 10/20/30 riders.
If that fucking stand up is sponsor by Volcom or Nike will not surf my new wave my new line up.
When a surfer tried to catch my waves and say I catch allot of waves, I say "fuck you" they have better prize moneys, they wave better comps, they have better sponsors, but we have fins and I always say (you can have all that things, but I have fins is to catch more waves than the surfers)
We can`t never have they goods, but the sufer never catch the best waves in my home breaks, that waves will go to the fins riders
Just one interesting observation, why does it seem that our Facebook page (where the users name & face is shown) has more positive comments, yet this page (where you can type anonymously) has more negative comments...
MARKETING!!!!!! !!!!! Apart from the lighting, camera work, scripting, directing etc.... what is so progressive about that clip... in terms of surfing nothing, a few paddle shots, some carves, some reverse carve thingo and some 2 ft tow rotations.
You want to see people pushing the limits in the ocean, in a 5 hour window, with probably 1/10th the budget...
http://vimeo.com/25319400
let the big corporate brands stay with their robots and make promo photos of wankers like mic fanning pointing to the sky or some shit.
let all that over advertised riched up shit go make money off promo photos of homo lookin dudes standing against a wall
I don't bodyboarding will ever get the exposure that stand up surfing will get. We're like the poor cousin, the in-bred uncle, the coked-out neice - we're just so different. And maybe that is or it isn't marketable. Who knows.
Lets look at the diff sports as portrayed in the Nike video above. You've got snowboarding, I don't see any skiiers? Skateboarding, don't see any Rollerbladers? Same with Surfing, you ain't guna see any Bodyboarding. It's coz they've got that shit locked down. They will always be the domina. The alpha. And we will always be the retarded grandson of the surfworld.
But isn't that cool? I think it is. And I love bodyboaring. Its so fucking unique and underated.
Sure, I think that brands like Red Bull have done absolute wonders for our sport and I hope others jump on board, but please don't set up any false hopes. We'll never be as what surfing is now. And that's cool by me.
best regards from argentina
gabriel
As I also have ridden track bikes for many years now, I´ve seen how the big brands where trying to absorb the movement (carhart, nike, red bull, Vans etc)Things have changed in fixed gear even though the spirit remains in each person, but can help thinking why the fuck is that shitty bike hanging off the carhartt shop window...FUCK OFF
Let them work out the kinks before they get involved in our sport.
I'd rather see Volcom or some other surf brand sponsor a rider than Nike. That's who should support us- wave riding companies.
If there are people that still think that bodyboard is for lazy bros who don´t want to get up I think That shows that bodyboard is not uncovered outside of the bodyboard community.
It´s wierd seeing bodyboard considered as a minor sport, a foam sport. I mean Most of surfers only does Snaps and the average of bodyboarders does insane barrels and big inverts and so on.
Probably they never saw Hubb doing a big air reverse in Backdoor! Maybe they never imagined The waves surfed by Brendo or Hughes.Probably they never saw the perfection of BP Maybe they never dreamed how hard is to be good on bodyboarding.
What do we need? I don´t know! We are a white dot on the black paper!
Who cares if Nike sponsors bbers and bbing events ? seriously. Do you think bb is cool enough for them ? nope. But who cares ?
BBing needs to make it happen with its own resources and people. Our mags, our vids and our creativity are all way better than anything i've seen in other boardshorts (except for skateboarding which is - and has always been - ahead of most other boardsports). There are many creative and smart people in the bbing industry or people passionate about bbing and these people are slowly but surely making it happen. BBing needs to grow with its own brands. That's it. Doesn't matter what's happening in the surfing industry.
Make it happen by yourself, don't wait til some big sport or surf company comes and invest in bbing - it's not gonna happen or if it does it'll only be short-term.
Stop whining and just support bbing brands.
T.
But thinking to this, and to my mind, I don't trust in the big companies to support bodyboard, just because I don't believe in their balance between money won with the bodyboard and money reinjected in this sport. They just don't care of the little board and develop it. All they are looking for is invest a market that can be good for their benefits. But maybe not for bodyboard companies...
As instance, just have a look on Billabong... How many bodyboarders wear their suits, and how many bucks Billabong give back to support the sport? Well you know...
That's why we bodyboarders got to pay attention to who we give our money. Small boogie brand are born and they need our support to then support back the sport and all our heros driving their boogie all over the globe.
So I think we don't need this big brands and their false pretence.
That's my point of vue, from the far west France.
fuck nike
what about redbull? they seem to sponsor pretty much everyother sport. everything from surfing to formula one. but not bodyboarding?
imagine the amount of progression and cool stuff that could be done with their seemingly bottomless pockets of cash.
And once they have made their money, and milked it as much as they can, they will abandon the sport and move on to the next big thing, and we will be in a worse position as they will have destroyed or weakened many home grown BB industries along the way.
forget them and there fake bullshit, we dont need it.
keep doing our own thing, keep making quality products by bodyboarders for bodyboarders
so instead of whinging that they are not sponsoring us lets just laugh it off and know they will regret it later.
And all of this does'nt even matter because less money in bodyboarding means less crowd at your break!