World Surf League Loses Top Employee to Tennis; Bobby Martinez Prophecy Fulfilled

In 2011, at the fabled Quiksilver Pro New York, the Association of Surfing Professionals as it was called then (or ASP; a precursor to the current World Surf League), Santa Barbara pro surfer Bobby Martinez infamously went off in a post-heat interview:

“I don’t wanna be a part of this dumb, wannabe tennis tour,” Bobby spewed. “This is my last one. And you know what, I don’t like tennis.”

Some speculated career suicide, although Bobby went on to become a successful freesurfer. Regardless, it was a spectacular denouement from competition, one that’s still referenced today, and as it turns out, Bobby was right: his prophecy was finally fulfilled.

In storybook fashion, the World Surf League’s Chief Marketing Officer, Sarah Swanson, just left the company to join (you guessed it) the Women’s Tennis Association.

Per a press release:

“With more than 20 years’ experience in brand management, consumer and media marketing, Sarah Swanson joins WTA Ventures as Chief Brand Officer on December 1 with responsibility for building the WTA brand and growing interest in the Hologic WTA Tour. WTA Ventures’ brand marketing, communications, and social functions will report to Sarah, who joins from the World Surf League (WSL) where she has been Chief Marketing Officer since 2020, having previously served as SVP, Strategic Insights and Consumer Growth.

“In her role at the WSL, Sarah led global growth strategies and integrated fan-facing campaigns to drive revenue growth for the League, in addition to overseeing a transformational brand strategy and redesign based on key consumer insights. Prior to joining WSL, Sarah was Head of Marketing for the NFL in the UK, where she oversaw all marketing and fan growth activity, achieving double-digit fan growth over three years. She has also held marketing roles at NFL Network and Civic Entertainment Group.”

Bobby Martinez, soothsayer?

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