The Drop: It’s Just A “Drink In A Can” After All

Did Red Bull really send Felix Baumgartner to the stratosphere — or have Robbie Maddison fall 10 stories off the pseudo-Arc de Triomphe in Vegas — just to persuade me to crack open the gas station fridge and grab an 8.4 oz. Dragon Fruit-flavored caffeine bomb off the shelf? 

Yes? At least partially. Red Bull undoubtedly makes money off of ad revenue from their videos that capture the extremity of human achievement. And they probably sell merch, license their products out, and have other smaller revenue streams.

But the Big River of Revenue here is a million me’s (Red Bull sold 9.8 billion cans last year), dutifully swiping, tapping, or Apple Pay-ing our credit cards at the gas station to get a morning fix of the happy potion. 

In this week’s podcast, Mikey and Buck take a closer look at episode four of How Surfers Get Paid. This episode is on the influence that energy drinks — specifically Red Bull and Monster — have had in our surf universe. An influence that has turned out to be overwhelmingly… positive? 

Turns out that Stab helmsman Sam McIntosh searched high and low for a dissenting opinion, a lone cynic, in the surf world to provide a counter argument for the energy drink evangelism. But, as you’ll hear in the pod, such a statement was impossible to find. 

The podcast also gives an update on the Stab Edit Of The Year. Hint: there are two edits that remain to be seen. We also bring on our beloved Brit, Paul Evans, to talk about the return of Reunion Island to surfing competition. And finally, the accidental Nazaré conversation continues due to the infamous jet ski incident that occurred this week.

P.S. How much would they have to pay you to keep a company’s hat on your head at all times? 

“Turn on, tune in, and drop out” wherever you get your podcasts (Spotify, Apple, Soundcloud).