Cover photo: WSL

In the same week, two news items were shared that imply a hard blow from the World Surf League to those who have been most loyal to it throughout its history: the competitors and the specialized press.

The CS competitors, who had previously gone through the tortuous regional qualifiers, and who suddenly had years of loyalty to the WSL, received a makeshift round with Hawaiians who were handpicked for the job.

An invitation given for no greater reason than to pander to those in charge in Hawaii to avoid having the guts to explain that this is a sports league that qualifies for the Olympic Games, in which exceptions and differences should not exist as perhaps they did before.

If they want to be part of the Olympic show, then they should adjust their criteria to Olympic values, and if not, they should quit and continue with their show, which is still big and well-followed.

The ISA should do something about this. In the middle of a year when CS qualifiers move to the CT, this move could have left a potential Olympian out via CS.

It's a WSL and ISA thing.

On the other hand, there's the specialized press, especially the Brazilian press. Those of us, with whom I feel a strong connection, humbly follow the WSL and rely on live streaming to keep our audience engaged.

Brazilians were banned from sharing WSL material if they spoke against it.

And sharing videos of those sent for broadcast after the finals day ends was also prohibited.

The funny thing is that in this unregulated internet of social networks, WSL friends post whatever they want and strangers are persecuted.

Whatever the case, the sad thing is the blow to those who have followed the league all their lives and are now being told that they can't do it or that they have to do it in a worse way.

But the saddest thing is the coercion, appealing to fear and telling people: "If you speak badly of me, you will cease to be part of my group and I won't even let you share photos."

What more can be said: The WSL has accustomed us to sad things and it's not surprising that it continues to give them to us.