The darkening of the reporting is refreshing. The results were supplemented by written updates. Second hand reports about the conditions and mood on the sand. Pirate streams deliver shaky recordings.

An old drinking buddy of mine was always talking about a documentary he wanted to make. Some kind of artistic project, I guess. One of many such ideas that would arise during an intense day’s drinking, the kind that only young and unencumbered people can enjoy on a regular basis.

Shit talk and jokes fly around like a drunken gunfight. Some ideas would succeed, but most would fail.

The basic premise of his doco idea involved him pushing a piano off a cliff. The documentary was intended to follow him as he prepared for the task. Choosing the piano. Transport it to the cliff. Long, deep, philosophical interviews about the ontological meaning of the entire event.

Probably shot in black and white. Maybe a little Super 8 mixed in.

The problem, however, was that he didn’t actually want to film the piano falling over. When the moment came that the entire project had been building toward, the coup de grace, the camera turned away and instead filmed the static horizon. Or maybe just cut into a black void, Sopranos style.

It would be an artistic statement. I’m not sure what the statement was. I was pretty exhausted at the time.

But I have to think about it in the context of the 2024 Vans Pipe Masters.

Say whatever you want. Despite the recent downgrades, the competition is still one of the most prestigious – and viewer-attracting – events in our field. Top-class surfers from around the world were flown in to tackle the jewel in surfing’s crown. Various advertising and sponsorship partners were brought on board for plug and promotion.

Certainly the struggling shoe company has sunk tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars into the whole venture. The Pipe Masters is still a big deal.

However, the Vans Pipe Masters will not be broadcast live.

In the digital age, it is one of the most fundamental and expected achievements for any high-profile competition. Shit, that’s the whole reason you would do it. YouTube advertising. Eyeballs = sales

At first glance the decision is inexplicable. I don’t think it’s an artistic statement like my buddy and his piano intended. It’s probably more because there just isn’t enough money for it.

But there’s something a little refreshing about the semi-blackout in coverage of the Vans Pipe Masters. The results are fed through written updates. Second hand reports about the conditions and mood on the sand. Various pirate streams result in grainy, shaky footage.

Do you still remember the days when, three months later, you would get business news in the print publication of your choice? Or wait another six months to just watch the curated highlights in VHS form?

Things have changed. We expect everything immediately – and free of charge. Anything else is a miserable slap in the face for us. The audience. Have we become too demanding?

I don’t want to excuse Vans’ obvious own goal.

How easy is it to set up a camera and microphone? Da Hui has been doing this for 20 years at a reasonable price. Blak Bear Social Club and Nate Florence are currently filling the gap for us at a price that you would assume would be either zero or at most minimal cost.

But it’s a conversation to say the least. A guerrilla marketing tactic

And here I sit, in the small window of time I have before the rest of my house wakes up, pondering the meaning of it all and typing out this nonsense instead of sitting in the living room with coffee in one hand and live chat phone On the other hand, my eyes were glued to multiple screens like the hopeless social media junkie that I am.

They give us our time back. There is.

Still, it would be sick to watch, but.

Come on, Vansyou hopeless cunts.