The Inertia for Good Editor
Staff
The Championship Tour Is Dealing With a Lack of Star Power

Where have you gone, John John Florence? And Gabriel Medina? Steph Gilmore? Etc., etc.? Photo: Tony Heff//World Surf League


The Inertia

The 2025 Championship Tour is officially underway. I wish I could say it was a banger but admittedly, I flipped off the broadcast a few heats into the men’s opening round of the Pipe Pro and checked in intermittently throughout the rest of the day. It wasn’t the waves. I’ve seen enough CT events in person to know that television screens never do the waves justice. No, it was the lack of stars. Which means the stakes seemed much lower.

John John Florence surfed but it’s not in pursuit of a fourth world title. No Gabriel Medina either. Those two alone account for six world titles since 2014 and, here’s the real dagger, they’re both arguably still in their prime. Even if you argue they’re on the downside of that hill, both would still be heavy betting favorites to win a title in 2025 with full participation. I’d bet the house on one appearing in the WSL Finals at Cloudbreak come September. Kelly Slater was there, too. But again, only as an event wildcard.

Flip over to the women’s side and the obvious absence of Stephanie Gilmore and Carissa Moore tells a similar story. They’ve won 13 world titles combined since Gilmore’s first in 2007.

So, when I say Opening Day of the 2025 Pipe Pro lacked stakes, it’s not just because the heats being run were just to see who’d end up in the Elimination Round. It’s because this season starts with a big question mark about the meaning and importance of world titles in 2025. As contributing writer Ben Mondy put it, the WSL is “in a difficult, and unique position.”

“There is perhaps no other sport that sees its biggest stars, and assets, routinely take a non-injury leave of absence,” he said, adding that “the world’s best surfers setting their schedule on their terms, is undermining the integrity of the sport. Their absence devalues the world titles they have upheld as the pinnacle of the sport.”

Last year, Filipe Toledo surfed the first day at Pipe in position to do something no other surfer had done since Florence in 2016-2017: win back-to-back-back world titles. He took the rest of the season off to attend to his mental health. That is a very rare accomplishment to walk away from. The kind of opportunity only the top one percent of world-class athletes can position themselves for. Steph Gilmore didn’t return to defend her title either. And she’s decided to keep the sabbatical going in 2025. With John John out this year, for the second year running, the men’s tour won’t have a defending world champion.

Now, I’m one WSL follower who doesn’t default to blaming the League for creating this lack of star power, or at least the absence of its greatest stars. I don’t love everything about the Championship Tour, I’m not a huge fan of how the league handles criticism from its fans, but I also don’t think they ruined the sport by attempting to evolve with a Finals Day format or the mid-season cut or the online troll’s go-to gripe about “going woke.”

I also won’t fault any athlete for stepping away to take care of their happiness, pursue and explore other ambitions, or just generally slow down for a year. I’ve watched and covered a lot of sports in my life and one thing I’ve come to believe is every athlete should get to choose when they walk away.

The women’s tour has a thick crop of young star talent that’s clearly ready to lead the sport. But the men’s tour doesn’t have that same excitement for the future. I’m curious to see if anybody can, and will, carry the torch without its three biggest draws present: Slater, Florence, Medina. Heck, the reigning men’s Olympic Gold medal winner isn’t even on tour (Kauli Vaast). So this year’s going to be interesting. And I hope that means in the best possible way. But the lack of sizzle is concerning, make no mistake.

It was nice to see Championship Tour heats again…for a couple of hours, at least.

 
Newsletter

Only the best. We promise.

Contribute

Join our community of contributors.

Apply