All good things must come to an end—the US Open of Surfing found this out the hard way.
The 2012 edition of the popular surf competition had one of the biggest turnouts in the event’s history. However, that wasn’t enough to convince Nike to stay. The Swoosh, along with its subsidiary Hurley, announced yesterday that it will not renew sponsorship with the US Open of Surfing in 2013. After becoming the official sponsor in 2009, Nike reinvented the competition, turning it into one of the biggest ones in the sport. Nike’s withdrawal certainly leaves some big shoes to fill for the event.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that Nike won’t be involved in the world of surfing. According to Hurley CEO Bob Hurley: “In many ways, we achieved the goals we set for ourselves at the US Open. Now it's time to export the magic created at the U.S. Open and invest it into other aspects of our business, like a renewed athlete focus and new and exciting ways of connecting with millions of kids."
Moving forward, we expect to see big things from Nike Surfing. As for the Open, hopefully it can overcome the loss and continue to host some of the best surf action in the country.
[Eat-Surf-Shop]
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