21 year old up and coming professional surfer Charly Martin had it all! traveling around the world competing in contests, and a lucrative sponsorship by corporate giant Nike. pretty much living the dream.
well, no dream anymore. the kid just got fired from Nike. why? he and some other pro surfer friends got into a fight in Scotland and charly had a knife on him. for some countries, it’s ok to carry a knife on you, but in Scotland, no freaking way. it’s illegal, he got arrested, and now Nike fired him.
surfers in the past could get away with things like this. but now with huge corporate sponsors, there’s no bullshit. image is everything. you promote a negative image with a huge corporation, you will get fired.
i think this is a great example on where we are today in surfing. if surfers want to get respected as professional athletes, they must act professional both in and out of the water. i hope my nephews look at this as an example. keep cool, don’t get into trouble, and obey the laws in every country you visit. oh, and if your sponsored by a big corporation, you better be on your best behavior. a surfers dream life could end in a flash. don’t take it for granted.
