Ever since he started promoting The Game format at the beginning of the decade, Gerr has strived toward making surfing a spectator friendly sport. "Just like how the Lakers and Celtics are constantly being dissected and talked about on every sports station, " he explained. "That's how they should promote surfing in the X Games; commentary about the teams and their stars regarding their strengths and weaknesses should be broadcast. ESPN needs to prioritize building anticipation leading up to the games."

It's been a long road for Gerr. After two very well-documented but very un-extreme events at the HB Pier in 2003 and '04, Gerlach and the rest of his National Surf League - along with Surfline's Sean Collins - convinced ESPN that a move to Puerto Escondido in 2005 would showcase just how gnarly surfing could be.

"The surfers came to us," ESPN's Tim Reed explained of the move in July 2005. "It makes sense, too: you've got skateboarders jumping 70 feet and motocrossers going 90 feet and surfers ripping two foot waves -- world-class surfers need world-class surf."

I covered the X Games that summer in Puerto, and I'll tell you one thing: staying hydrated and sane in the Puerto heat was extreme enough, let alone pulling into six-foot Zicatela drainers. Heli-roller-bladers had nothing on this, and the neck-and-neck finish of East beating West - with some of the best surfers in the world - was as exciting of a surf contest as I'd seen. 2006 and 2007 were equally dramatic, with each year getting a better webcast -- but only slightly more promotion in the surf world.

Many folks involved say that ESPN see it like they're doing the surf world a favor by providing us the mega-platform to showcase our sport to millions. But many everyday surfers, for the most part, are like, 'who the heck are these guys?'

But all is not lost. Gerr is is a passionate dude when it comes to this sort of thing. "With the right promo, event location and prize money, 2009 could be the best year ever," he says optimistically. "Chris Stiepock and Tim Reed [from the X Games] are bros, and they're convinced we can make it work as well. We need to get more involvement from the surf community and industry in order to put on an insane event that everyone is stoked on."

Can we make it work? Comment below.