Just to clear this up ... Science vs Morey is a bit like David vs Goliath.
For those that don't know Morey is owned by Wham-O (
http://www.wham-o.com ) which also own BZ and just on proper bodyboards sales alone is one of the largest bodyboard manufacturers in the world ... however - the real money for a company like this is in volume sales of its "Boogie Board" range (if you're looking at their website - look at > Products > Surf). So although you may not see that many more BZ or Morey bodyboards in the water or surf shops ... just think about how many of their low cost boards are being grabbed up at supermarkets and surf shops around the world.
But the point is ... are these large companies putting enough back in? Do we see them headline sponsoring a world tour event? Or what specifically is their sponsorship commitments - because we see smaller companies doing just as much as them, if not more.
For me - boogie boarding is part of bodyboarding and if our sport can learn to somehow make money out of this aspect of our sport then we will be laughing ... but for the moment it is hard to see profits from boogie boarding being invested back into bodyboarding and development.
For the riders - it is always a tough decision ... you'd like to go with your first choice brand but sponsorship IS A JOB and we all know you don't always get to work for the company you want to. Without sponsorships these riders won't get to travel and get exposure so we can get the Magazines and DVDs.
It is their job to promote the brand they work for but for us as consumers who want to ensure our money makes it back into the sport in SA we need to simply look at whether the local distributor or local company is backing the sport.
Some food for thought ... as always ...
