Mick Fanning lands the cover of Australian Elle. Photo Tracks Mag
Mick…so hot right now. The latest in the onslaught of media coverage surrounding Mick Fanning’s shark encounter is somewhat of a doozy. He’s landed on the cover of Australian Elle, a female fashion rag with nothing to do with surfing, alongside gap-toothed Aussie supermodel Jessica Hart.
The down-unda based Tracks magazine broke the story; though the November issue isn’t supposed to be on newsstands until Monday. The shot on the cover features Eugene doing his best supermodel impression with a brooding look in the camera’s direction and, of course, showing off his chiseled surfer abs. Tracks even released a small snippet of the article, which was penned by Surfing World‘s editor Vaughan Blakely:
“After his fight with the white, Fanning, momentarily at least became the most famous athlete in the world. He was the lead story on every major news outlet from New Zealand to New York. Politicians, fellow sports stars, media personalities and entertainers were giving him shout-outs on social media and he inspired thousands of memes including one shot of Fanning with the caption, ‘Chuck Norris? Never heard of her.‘”
For better or worse, Mick Fanning’s brawl with a shark has brought surfing into the public eye. Nearly every major media outlet covered Fanning’s incident from more revered establishments like 60 Minutes to the gossip queens of the industry like TMZ. And throughout the storm, surfing and surfers (mostly just Mick) have become more part of public discussion than ever before. But what does it mean for the future? Will Mick’s encounter spark a departure in surfing – a shift from salty outsiders to a mainstream following? Or will the hype blow over soon?
It all comes at a very interesting time in the sports’ development. Surfing is currently being considered for a berth as an Olympic sport. Wave pools are now a thing and possibly a tool to bring surfing into a stadium-style sporting event. The fear of shark attacks has seemed to hit a fever pitch; every other news story is about the latest shark on surfer assault. Yet, throughout it all, Mick Fanning still retains the number one spot in the WSL rankings, making a run for his fourth world title.
There’s no way Fanning could’ve wanted this attention. As a good ‘ol boy from the Goldie, it’s hard to imagine that he is relishing the limelight, rather than focusing on surfing to the best of his ability and locking in the points necessary for the win. But then again, he does make a pretty damn good Derek Zoolander. And the best part? He can go left…his backhand is on point.
