“It’s Disrespectful and Unfair”: Surfing World Bursts Out as WSL Updates Championship Tour Rankings

There is a lot of surfing going on in the WSL tournaments, and there are also some disputes. Just like a curry would be bland without the right spices, the surfing world would be boring without a little drama. There has been much several controversies this year, beginning with the verdict on the Surf Ranch Pro scoring system and ending with the WSL’s most recent Instagram post. The surfing world was up in arms when the organization that conducts all major surfing competitions revealed the top five surfers on the Championship Tour.

The results of the Vivo Rio Pro caused significant shifts in the standings, with Brazilian surfer Filipe Toledo replacing American surfer Griffin Colapinto in the yellow jersey. Concerns have been raised about the state of professional surfing since rising star Yago Dora defeated Australian surfer Ethan Ewing to claim victory in the Rio Pro Finals. Even though the WSL finals are a few months away, some fans are already upset about the league’s scoring system.

Yet another drama unfolds

In the 2023 WSL season, we saw everything. From seasoned veterans thrashing upstarts to rookies establishing themselves as serious contenders, it’s everything here. All the surfing, plus the controversy and drama, plus the departure of CEO Erik Logan, has made for quite an exciting journey. The top five surfers in the world as of this writing were shown in an Instagram picture, from defending champion Filipe Toledo to up-and-comer Yago Dora, who jumped seven spots to take the fifth slot. Everything in the sport was changed by one occurrence, which just goes to show how rapidly things can change in the surfing industry.

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This isn’t the first time this season that concerns have been raised about the WSL scoring system. We saw how the community reacted when Brazilian surfers in the Surf Ranch Pro were awarded lower scores than rivals like Ethan Ewing and Griffin Colapinto. Fans were confused, but much more so was the three-time world champion surfer from Brazil, Gabriel Medina, who felt insulted by the scoring methodology used by the WSL. All of these claims, however, have been criticized by former CEO Erik Logan, who left the company in the midst of the Vivo Rio Pro.

All of these huge events have left the community baffled, with no clear explanations being provided. This was also the fundamental cause of the outcry.

The surfing community enraged over the recent rankings

Yado Dora and Ethan Ewing had a thrilling final match at the Vivo Rio Pro that significantly shifted the standings. The community was clearly not prepared for this change, as they expressed their outrage in the post’s comments.

A straightforward confession by a fan read, “No one likes this stupid format. It’s disrespectful and unfair with all the surfers.” A similar comment addressed the situation, as it read, “Terrible format!!!! Not even the competitors like!! Bring back the old format and locations!! No more pool!!”

A cheeky comment read, “I hope the new format has the same fate as Erik Logan.” The problem of the scoring system is highlighted by this fan, as they brought up an incident from last year, saying, “This format sucks. Last year a wildcard beat the number 1 in the world, in the most challenging wave of the world !”

The WSL is aware that the controversy has not subsided. With each passing day, the organization should issue a public statement responding to the complaints of fans and surfers alike.

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