Stab Podcast: The Annual Sponsorship Cliff Is Here

The pen has become the sword. A week back, Mikey Ciaramella, editor-in-chief of Stab Magazine, won a real-life surfing competition. Garden State Grudge Match Winner. The World Champion of New Jersey. No editor can rewrite what’s already been won.

“It’s the peak competitive highlight of my surfing career,” says our elated champion. 

Slow claps, damp eyes, warm hands on his back.

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This week on the podcast, we’re exploring the divine spirit of surfing — the reason we keep coming back for more. The truth behind this silly little ritual we cherish. Why we paddle out with grins stretched wide, riding beautiful walls of energy sent from miles away, merging with nature as we transcend our physical entities and become one with the universe.

This week, we’re talking dirty money.

It’s a peculiar time we’re in, no doubt, having gone from riches to rags, with major brands now praying for their marquee riders to choke in competition, just to dodge world title bonuses. Both Bong and Quik had fat payouts waiting for Griff or Ethan if they managed to win on Finals Day — so hefty that the rest of their less competitive peers would’ve found their corpses swinging from from the corporate payroll. 

Buck refers to this time as the erotic meteoric rise of the modern surf industry. By that, he can only mean that the idea of professional surfing has a certain allure, a seductive charm, but the reality is often a cold slap in the face. 

Oh, and kids don’t trust Big Surf anymore — they trust faces, names, and human worship. At best, we’re seeing the rise of an anti-establishment, anti-corporate era. Just be careful of the cult figures that may rise. Looking at you, John John. 

Speaking of sinister mega-corp plots, are Dave Rasta and Gary McNeil the unlikely knights of salvation? According to Gary, the claws of consumerism have wormed into the surf industry, with shapers now designing boards meant to snap, keeping the cycle of need alive.

“A lot of these big shapers don’t want their boards to last,” says our flax-touting whistleblower. Conspiracy or truth? The boys dig in and discuss.

Also included: a snippet from a long-forgotten Dane Reynolds-esque Venturan, now more into boats than surfboards, named Nick Rozsa. The boys also dive into the unwritten rules of leaking footage during a swell, and the art of smoke bombs — the strategic upload meant to throw Instagram followers off the scent.  

“If you score, don’t send it to anyone who can get there. Send it to your friends and get them pissed off,” Buck advises sagely. Mikey adds that posting for the thrill of today might ruin the magic of tomorrow.

Listen to the podcast today and learn how to live for the future.