Stab Podcast: The Winners And Losers Of Bombing Pipeline

If your head’s still spinning from the first few rounds of the Pipeline Pro, join the club. 

So many heats, too many highlights. This week on the Stab CUSP, Mike and Stace set us straight and break down all you need to know about the first event of the 2022 WCT, undoubtedly one of the best comps we’ve seen in recent memory. Listen to the guys break down which rookies rose to the occasion, who buckled under the pressure (and the lip) and their picks for the final rounds. 

If there’s an underlying theme to this week’s episode of The Drop, it’s that there are some interesting business going on in the surfing world. Danny and Buck cover how surfers monetize their YouTube channels (Thanks Nate) and the business of self-improvement (Thanks Mick). Speaking of improvement, the Coachella Valley is getting some Wavegarden tech to spice up a new hotel.

Then there’s the topic of sports betting. For those who are so inclined, you can now throw down serious dollars on surfing in the U.S. And no, it’s not just for bragging rights. While surf betting is still in its infancy in the states, I’m already wondering what the future holds. The NFL playoffs are about to conclude, and one of the side-effects of all the high-stakes games is the ludicrous bets people place hoping to make it big. There are plenty of agonizing/hilarious clips online of people either landing a major home run or getting gut checked by a last second swing. Broken hearts lead to broken TVs. 

Multi-game parlays, doubling down on underdogs, even wagering on the coin flip are all common bets when it comes to professional football. It begs the question, will surfing ever reach that level of dedication? Will someone throw down a million on Slater to retire? What if you nailed the world champion before the season began? And can we bet on how many backflips Italo lands in a year? I’m leaning toward the over. 

Listen to The Drop on Spotify, Apple, Soundcloud, or wherever you get your podcasts. Search name: Stab Podcasts. Highlights include: 

– Betting on surfing in the U.S. (4:02) 
– How much surfing’s YouTubers actually make (12:04) 
– Mick Fanning has Cheat Codes just for you (21:10)
– Wavegarden x Coachella (26:09)
– Surf Sin: Can you ever use too much wax? (32:30) 
– STAB CUSP with Mike and Stace (40:10) 

Got a Kelly story or a Surf Sin? Maybe they’re one and the same? Drop a line to [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected].