The Spearboard monopoly

  • Some of you already know the history of Spearboard, others may be oblivious and think it doesn't matter. I believe anyone who takes spearfishing seriously in the US should be aware of what Spearboard represents. I have well defined feelings about SB, partly based on personal contact I've had with the owner Tony Grogan, and partly because of what I consider the "greater good" of the spearfishing community (myself included), so here goes.


    The beginning of SB is what I have only general information about, as I was a latecomer on the scene in 2006. It was created around 2002 by a scuba spearfisherman, I can't remember his name. Him and his friends were a group of guys communicating in a small section of the Florida Sportsman forum. Apparently they weren't treated very well there so that prompted them get their own place on the net. SB experienced steady growth until around 2006 when for some reason the original owner that founded the place decided to sell it. In comes Tony Grogan AKA "The Grogan", and scoops it up for a song.


    Under the grogan's management over the next four years SB caught huge momentum and the number of registered users, lurkers looking to get information, and businesses trying to gain exposure through SB increased dramatically. The grogan steadily and increasingly implemented "rules" that would limit member's input on issues that were important to them, so as to drive the board in the direction he wanted; marketing spearfishing to the masses in tune with his vision for the spearfishing community, feeding his own megalomania, and catering to sponsors.


    Rather than adhering to stated rules about business promotion, the current SB policy simply depends on how the grogan feels about a particular company. In the case of Speardiver, any mention of the name is grounds for the post to be deleted and the impartial member being threatened with banning. The same goes for SB members who use Speardiver gear, and post a fish pic where theSpeardiver logo on their wetsuit or fins is visible. All links to Speardiver forum and the Freedive Store website are automatically censored.


    It would seem that's a normal way to run a business, it's a competitive world. But for various reasons as a spearo living in the US, and a small business owner with my own set of principles, I find the SB monopoly extremely disturbing. I hope to get more into the reasons for this as the discussion develops.


    At this time I want to share an email that the grogan has been recently sending to various small spearfishing related business owners. In essence he's blackmailing them into giving him money. The ensuing email exchange with this particular business owner, after he declines to sponsor, demonstrates even more clearly the grogan's devious nature, but I'm not at liberty to post it publicly at this time.


    Hi *****,


    I hope things are going well for you. We are ramping up the marketing power of Spearboard and signing up lots of new sponsors. We are tightening the rules on posting promotion by non-sponsors directly and indirectly. I hope you will consider becoming a sponsor this year.


    Here attached are the marketing program elements of the 2010 Spear Wars. I hope you will want to retain your existing advertising and/or expand your Internet marketing efforts which have become even more affordable. [/SIZE][SIZE=+1]We realize the down economy is affecting most businesses and thus we have lowered our advertising and marketing rates accordingly from last year.


    In spite of the down economy, the website Spearboard.com has continued its record growth. Every month, we now have over 80,000 unique visitors, over 7 million page views, and over 25 million hits. Those are some staggering web traffic statistics that make Spearboard.com by far the largest spearfishing website in existence.
    [/SIZE]

    [SIZE=+1]For 2010, we have developed a creative concept called The Big Bang! Open Tournament with which we are combining the traditional three tournament Blue Storm series into one massive event in one location at the Riviera Beach Marina which is the excellent Palm Beach Open venue. The tournament rules have been super-charged as follows:


    Two Days of Hunting (not just one!)
    Hunt Days = Friday, July 16 + Saturday, July 17 Weigh-in Day = Sunday, July 18


    Two Sets of Prizes and Trophies!
    For this tournament and for cumulative points for three years


    Double Aggregate Points Scoring!
    2010 aggregate scores will be doubled for prizes and trophies


    In addition to a large prize table for this event, there is a special set of prizes and trophies for the cumulative top 30 winners of points earned over three years of participation in the Spear Wars Blue Storm Tournaments. Participants will add their 2008 + 2009 points to the 2010 double points!


    Check out www.spearwars.com for further details such as the new tournament rules and forms.


    The following items are attached to this e-mail for your review:


    1.) The 2010 Spearboard.com Marketing Rate Sheet for tiers one through five.


    2.) The 2010 Big Bang! Open Tournament Sponsorship Sheet for Bronze through Diamond levels.


    3.) [/SIZE][SIZE=+1]The 2010 Big Bang! Open Tournament Flyer.[/SIZE]
    [SIZE=+1]
    Should you decide to advertise and market on Spearboard by donating prizes, you will have to make only one prize shipment this year instead of the three shipments of prior years. And, as I mentioned above, the rates have been adjusted downward so that you get more value for less cost. Additionally, unlike some tournaments that pile your prize donations on a table, we try our best to showcase them on grid wall such as these prizes displayed at the last 2009 Palm Beach Open at this link:


    2009 Palm Beach Open - Official Photos - People, Trophy & Prize Bonanza! - Spearboard Spearfishing Community


    Please let me know what you would like to do. I am looking forward to having your participation in marketing your business on Spearboard. Please e-mail me or call me at 561-371-1256 with any questions or comments.


    Thanks, Tony Grogan
    Owner of Spearboard.com

  • You forgot some major pieces of information such as the Stalinistic purge circa 2007 where many of the original members were booted for next to no reason except for some disagreements with the grogan. This was the impetus behind spearfishing planet and one of many reasons I scaled back my post entirely over there although I have made a choice to not post much in general.


    I was the 340th member and was one of the original contributors to the Miami/Keys section. I still have posting privledges, but rarely use them for obvious reasons. By the way, the original owner was Scott McPherson.

  • that's the place to be for a kind of people who got nothing to do with us . the perfect example are the bubble board bunch, jfjf, ironhead etc. we all know them . that is a fact.

  • Dan, that in my book reads: BLACKMAIL!! Shiiiiit, then if someone asks for a no shit straight statement about gear, if the manufacturer of that product doesn´t support S.B. IT WILL BE DELETED???? SERIOUSLY??? What kind of business platform is that anyways???:nono: :confused1::@

    I'm a Speardiver, not a freediver

  • I go to groganboard very rarely. It never fails, as soon as I click new posts I see repugnant shit like this www.panamaspearfishing.com vs. www.spearfishingpanama.com - Spearboard Spearfishing Community Queerboard never, ever, fails to give me a lingering nasty feeling. Notice the grogan purposefully lets the thread stand. I believe it gives him a hard-on to be in imaginary control of people's lives.

  • You should post the pictures where you used to make fun of him. My personal favorite is the one where you have him in an astronaut suit with a tiny grouper attached to a stringer


    Lmao I'm lmao just thinking about it

  • I go to groganboard very rarely. It never fails, as soon as I click new posts I see repugnant shit like this www.panamaspearfishing.com vs. www.spearfishingpanama.com - Spearboard Spearfishing Community Queerboard never, ever, fails to give me a lingering nasty feeling. Notice the grogan purposefully lets the thread stand. I think it gives him a hard on to be in imaginary control of people's lives.


    I've been following that thread for entertainment purposes. My thoughts were the same as yours.. who exactly does he think he is to try and mediate that shit publicly? I wonder how it would have been different should one of those guys have had a blue nametag, ie. sponsor. My bet is it would have been deleted ages ago.

    Edited once, last by Nate ().

  • Ha that one Technical Spearfishing picture is pretty funny.


    But to tell the truth, all this complaining over spearboard is just rubbing me the wrong way. Not that I'm pro-Grogan or anything. It just feels like you (Dan) put too much effort into reminding us how bad Grogan is.


    I don't know. I guess I'd feel differently if you were just another member on this board. But since you're the owner of the forum it just seems wrong the way you speak about Grogan.


    I just expect an owner of a respectable company to never bad mouth the competition. If the competition is bad, let your followers complain about how bad it is. The owner should stand above it all and just be proud that their product is so superior that it does not need to point out all the flaws the competition has.


    I mean just look at this comment you wrote below. You would never see the president of Coca-Cola say something as vulgar about the Pepsi president. Even if the Pepsi president was at fault on the matter. It just shows poor character in my opinion.


    I go to groganboard very rarely. It never fails, as soon as I click new posts I see repugnant shit like this www.panamaspearfishing.com vs. www.spearfishingpanama.com - Spearboard Spearfishing Community Queerboard never, ever, fails to give me a lingering nasty feeling. Notice the grogan purposefully lets the thread stand. I believe it gives him a hard-on to be in imaginary control of people's lives.


  • Under normal circumstances, I would agree. However, the grogan is not worthy of being magnanimous. I also don't see how he is the competition. He's a creepy sociopathic freak, nothing more. The grogan, well he's been on the wrong side of the fence for much too long and most of the truth has been revealed about him and he has been exposed. And besides, it's highly entertaining and what are we without levity?

    Edited once, last by Rolo ().

  • Daniel I am with on this point in almost all other situations but I have no problem with it in this case. I am a pretty argumentative guy. I love discourse and a good debate and above all to learn something. Even if it is at the expense of anything I thought I already knew. I have had numerous situations where my posts were edited or outright deleted and no explanation given. I don't see Tony and spearboard as totally one and the same though. To me, there are legion of spearos who have no awareness of his methods and they have a lot to teach me. That is why I still visit that site.
    Dan and I disagree about this, and while i see that every post I make and all good info I propagate is literally money in gtogans pocket, I still see a small bit of actual community learning.


    If it rubs you wrong to see the site owner do it let me ask you a question. Does a site owner not have the right to express their opinions? Do you mind it if it is intended to sway you or just because it is being shared? Might doing so on a private thread on this forum be the best place to do such venting or does it have no place at all?
    Please read these as genuine questions of interest because I want to understand your feelings on this. No sarcasm or any pejorative attitude at all

    i like to spear fish

  • Daniel, I don't presume to be above anything. In this forum I want to able to express my honest opinions about spearfishing and matters of the community. I don't see spearbroad as competition, precisely for the reasons stated in my post #8. Apart from being fundamentally a scuba spearfishing board, it's become such a shit place making this forum a sanctuary for those who love freedive spearfishing. Spearfishermen need to be aware of what SB and grogan are about, because the negative impact of spearboard carries over to the real world. You don't think your diving has been affected by the propagation of information about your diving areas on SB?

  • Daniel,
    The spearboard mentality is not building the relationships in the fisheries management arena or in the local neighborhoods to keep consumptive diving legal and maintain access over the long term. In fact its damaged what ever good will we had. The change is much more apparent to those of us who have been spearing long before the internets. If you are involved with SB or the poachers alliance you are just being used to protect a few peoples financial interest in the business. A greed driven short term mentality. You will eventually see whats going on. In the mean time please don't ruin for the rest of us.


    Dive safe!
    Mike

  • All I have to say personally, is I do not let someone I have never spoken with or met, nor treated in a negative
    way, publicly or privately control my friends or associates. If I'm channel surfing and don't draw entrainment or knowledge from a topic I keep my finger on the button. Life is good when one warms his face in the sunlight,
    and dives in the arms of the Mother Ocean, later just sharing with friends. I have many friends here that have treated me with kindness.......a word that is derived from the word ''kin''.


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

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