USA Surfing Announces Todd Kline As Athlete Commissioner

Todd Kline, perhaps best known for his time as a commentator and for adorably giggling while holding the mic to Bobby Martinez’s lips as he fucked the ASP, has been named USA Surfing’s new Athlete Commissioner. 

Todd’s role, according to the press release, is to be the official conduit between surfers, competition platforms, and USA Surfing’s higher-ups in the lead up to the LA28 Games. The position is designed to help transform Olympic momentum into long-term opportunity and investment for surfers.

And yes, obvs, it’s goat-approved. Here’s Kel’s endorsement of Todd’s career pivot:

“Todd Kline is one of those people who came up through the amateur ranks on the East Coast, surfed professionally around the world and found his calling to live in California while commentating and adding value to see the sport’s evolution into the future. Todd has done it all and is personally known to everyone involved. I’m stoked to hear he has joined USA Surfing as Commissioner, and excited to see where he leads from the front.”

What makes this newsworthy? Well, not to undermine Todd, but mostly, it’s the confusing, multi-year tug-of-war over who should govern the U.S. surf team. For the full saga, click here first, and then here. But if you’re short on time or attention span, here’s the abridged version.

So, when surfing went Olympic, every country needed a governing body. Australia has Surfing Australia. France has the Fédération Française de Surf. In the U.S., it was USA Surfing, until things got a lil messy. A 2019 USOPC audit found USA Surfing tangled in conflicts of interest, failing financial audits, and an unkempt high-performance program still lugging debt from Surfing America. The USOPC suspended funding, and by late 2021, took control of the Olympic surf program.

Then came a clean-up: new leadership, new bylaws, and a Herculean effort to prove USA Surfing could be trusted again. They secured fresh investment, kept U.S. youth contests running, and lobbied for re-certification.

But another organisation had aspirations of governance, too. U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS), led by former WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, with its 172 employees and $60M budget, threw its hat in the ring. USSS saw surfing as an easy commercial play, offering Olympic-grade facilities and year-round marketing. LA28 was a goldmine waiting to be tapped.

The USOPC scheduled hearings in 2025, and then, out of nowhere, just days before the November hearing, USSS withdrew, citing “lack of collaboration” and refocusing on winter sports.

That left USA Surfing as the only player in the game. A win’s a win, even if you’re the only one in the heat. So, they got the nod. And now, Todd Kline is on board. What could possibly stop them now?