← The Rock Fight: Outdoor Industry & Adventure Sports Commentary
The Rock Fight: Outdoor Industry & Adventure Sports Commentary
All Rock Fights Must Come To An End
00:14:26
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- [00:01]
A
Welcome to the Rock Fight, where we speak our truth, slay sacred cows, and sometimes agree to disagree. This is an outdoor podcast that aims for the head. I'm Colin True, and no, it's not Clickbait. Today I'm gonna tell you why. Next Monday is going to be the last episode of the Rock Fight. That's right, today is the penultimate episode of the podcast that debuted just over three years ago on the heels of another podcast we made called Lairs. And that came after I took a break from my outdoor industry career to give podcasting a go. But to understand why we've dec to close up shop, we had to go back even further than that. So please indulge me, won't you?
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Welcome to the Rock Fight. Rock Fight. Rock Fight.
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Today's episode of the Rock Fight was made possible by support from Global Sales Guys. Global Sales Guys isn't your normal sales agency. With offices across the US and Europe and partnerships with retailers on four continents, GSG is your one stop shop for brands looking to grow their presence in outdoor specialty shops worldwide. Brands like Van Revenue, Red Bull, Nikki Picture Organic, Kip Run, Decathlon Deluxe, Fubuki and Gore Tex all know that Global sales guys provide an innovative and full service approach to delivering their brands, sales and marketing needs. Is your brand looking to break into the US Outdoor market? Is your retail shop looking for what's next? Then you need to be working with global sales guys. And if you want to know what's next when it comes to outdoor running and action sports, specialty retail, global Sales guys is what's next. See for yourself what's next and get in touch with global Sales guys by heading to globalsalesguys.com today. Hey Rockfighters 2026 has arrived and Lem Shoes is ringing in the new year with new products that will keep your feet happy no matter what the occasion. Hey, you want to get out for a hike? Check out the Trail Thrasher or the Trailblazer Mid. Are you looking for function and fashion? The Summit Boot Pro will work hard to make you look good while keeping your feet comfy during the winter months. And at the end of the day, stay comfy with Lem's brand new Zen Clog and attention. Outdoor and footwear retailers Lemz recently expanded their wholesale sales team. Do you want to meet your new local rep? Well send an email to Colo. That's c o l o m shoes.com just make sure you tell them that the Rock Fight sent you lems where less equals more. Fjallraven isn't here to conquer mountains, tame rivers or beat the weather. We are here to go slowly, to tread carefully, and to cherish the visit. For us, the outdoor experience has never been a race to Victory Factory. It's an ongoing journey to create equipment and memories that last for generations to come. Our mission is to inspire more people to move with nature, and we do this by developing durable and functional equipment that never goes out of fashion. What we really want is to make it easier for people to enjoy spending time in nature on nature's terms. This is our passion. So let's use this vast experience and competence to help more people feel at home in nature. Because when they do, they will take greater care of it. Get started on your Fjallraven journey by heading to fjallraven.com today. So in the fall of 2003, I was living in New Hampshire, working at Timberland, obsessed with sea kayaking, biking and climbing New Hampshire's 4,000 footers. Oh, and I was also obsessed with New England's professional sports teams. Because if there's a defining characteristic of New England beyond lobster chowder, Duncan's and quaint villages, it's how much everyone loves the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and Patriots. And speaking of the Patriots, this was before they became the dominant football team of the century that everyone now hates. They had won the Super bowl in 2001 as much. Beloved underdogs finished up their title defense a year later by going 97 in Tom Brady's first full season as a starter. And when the 2003 campaign was getting underway, the narrative around the team was that they could be good, but that Brady was still a wild card. I mean, was he a one season lightning in a bottle? Would he become consistently great? We still didn't know at that point and nobody had particularly high expectations for that team. Then, the week before the season started, the Pats traded defensive back lawyer Malloy to the Buffalo Bills. Now, Malloy was one of the players from the 2001 Miracle Patriots. That was the heart and soul of that team. A fiery defender, a four time Pro Bowler, he always seemed to make the right play at the right time, but the team asked him to take a pay cut so that they could afford to sign other players and Malloy refused. So for the first time, in what would become a hallmark of the way the team operated, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots traded away a known talent to better the team. Famously, the next week, the Patriots played the Bills in the season opener in Buffalo. Absolutely smoked them 31 to nothing, Patriots nation called for Belichick's head. It's crazy to think of this now after the way it all turned out afterwards, but they did. They called for his head. As it had seemed, the worst of our fears had been realized. The magic of 2001 had to be a fluke, and the team was clearly on the wrong path. Well, how did that actually play out now? The Pats finished 142 and won their second Super bowl, kicking off one of the greatest stretches of success by any modern North American sports team. The early cutting or trading of beloved and or talented players in the name of future success became a mainstay of their sustained success. Players like Logan Menkens, Richard Seymour, Chandler Jones, Wes Welker, they were all cut loose early. And each time it was a shock to the fans who would argue that it was too early or the team would be worse for making such a move. But almost every time, Belichick and the Patriots were validated in the move that was made. Alright, so why am I telling you all of this? Well, because I'm a big fan of things that end on a high note. People, personalities, teams, bands, shows, whatever that all either understood that it's good to leave people wanting more or had those exits forced upon them early, so that ended up being their legacy. You want a few more examples? Beyond the second most hated team in pro American football? The Chiefs are still number one right now, by the way, because they have that douchebag Harrison Butler. And Mahomes is already more insufferable than Brady could ever have hoped to be during his playing career. But sure, here are the best examples I could think of off the top of my head. You got Daniel Day Lewis, maybe our best movie actor ever. He just hung him up. At least for a while anyway. Chappelle Show. Great example. Dave Chappelle walking away from $50 million just as his show was peaking. What about the original UK version of the Office? I wish the American version had taken that lesson. Ginger Spice. People forget that Jerry Hallowell left when the Spice Girls were still massive. Seinfeld. No one wanted Seinfeld to end. When it did, everyone was trying to make it come back. Jerry decided it was time to walk away. Breaking Bad. After a slow start, the show was still peaking when Vince Gilligan decided to end things. Michael Jordan hit one of the biggest shots of his career against the Jazz, wins his sixth championship and walks away. And did you also know that there's actually a conspiracy theory that he came out of retirement to play for the Washington Wizards a few years later. Is that hilarious? MJ on the Wiz? Come on now, that could never happen. And lastly, the Beatles, the greatest band of all time, exploded on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964 and six years later it was all over. That would be like Madonna releasing Like a Virgin and being all done by 1990. Now maybe that wasn't a strategic choice by the Beatles, but by ending things early we were spared a 1980s filled with subpar albums and the Beatles trying to remain relevant by evolving their sound to match the new era. So maybe that wouldn't have happened to them, but I'm glad that they weren't even allowed to be tempted.
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Right?
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So that's a lot of pre mumble to say. Yep, we're ending the rock fight. Why? Well, it's simply time. The rock fight is three years old shout out to the OG listeners that have been around for all three years and has evolved to become the voice of the outdoor industry. And those aren't my words. I'm not just claiming that. I've been told that by many and I've seen it put into print as well. And I could not be more proud of what we have created. If you don't know, the main origin story of the show was me, mostly during my time at Polar Tech, saying over and over again to anyone who would listen that we needed a Bill Simmons sports pop culture style podcasts for the outdoors. Something with discourse where all of the trade show conversations I had been part of over the years could be brought to the fore and explored. Clearly, many of you agreed with me because our show has grown exponentially over the past few years, with our listenership expanding from those who managed to find the fledgling show to the audience we have today, which includes those in leadership roles throughout the industry and what started as a generalist outdoor show. That would give me the opportunity to spout my deep, if not flawed, opinions about both the outdoor industry but also the outdoor community. Community that then grew into the first outdoor B2B, a pivot driven outlet to get the attention of our outdoor industry since Snooze. And I really couldn't be prouder of all of that. But that said, I'm all done. I'm ready for the next thing now. Besides my personal motivation to continue to make the show, there is the reality of the amount of time and effort that goes into making the pod and the money we earn for doing so. And the outdoor industry is remarkably behind when it comes to media savviness. Our largest media players meaning the ones with money are mostly cont intent to run back watered down versions of the same stories we've been getting for decades. C level work with the occasional B level rough gem thrown into the mix. The most interesting work being done is by print magazines, with most of the titles taking on a personality to serve a specific niche or segment or demographic of the outdoor community. On the outdoor podcast front, it's a dog's breakfast of mostly amateur produced shows, this one included by the way, putting the outdoors a category with huge reach, money and opportunity well behind the offering we get from nearly any other interest lifestyle or hobby driven podcast scene I started the Rock Fight because I thought there would be interest in a specific type of podcast and I was right. But I also thought others would follow. And on that front I was wrong. Maybe the appetite just isn't there, but I would wager that if some of the more well funded media entities out there actually built podcasts effectively instead of just expecting them to make money without understanding how they make money, that they could become a new cornerstone in driving revenue in outdoor media. So despite the support of some amazing brands and partners who we will pay tribute to on Monday's final episode, I'd be lying if I told you that money isn't playing some sort of role here. Speaking broadly, the dominant sentiment across the industry is that the Rock Fight has become an important cog in the business of the outdoors machine. Important enough to help make it into a viable business? Eh, not so much. But if that's all this was ever going to be about, then the podcast wouldn't have lasted that long anyway. Making the Rock Fight has been a labor of love because I do truly enjoy making the podcast seriously. Spend a few minutes in a room with me and my Rock Fight LLC co founder David Karstad. That's producer Dave to you. And even the most enthusiastic outdoor industry focused individual will likely get overwhelmed about the amount we talk about this shit. It's seriously in our bones. So making the podcast, whether that meant once a week or daily and go back and check it out. There were weeks where we put up five episodes. I never once said we were sane. It was never a chore until recently. And it's starting to feel like a chore, reminded me of something that happened a few years ago when Justin Hausman first joined the Rock Fight. At first he was a regular contributor and eventually Justin became a weekly co host. And Justin was skeptical about what we were doing with the podcast. Not because he doubted us, but because he very much felt like there simply wasn't enough to talk about on an outdoor podcast to sustain what we were trying to do. And while I think we mostly proved him wrong, I mean the weekly grind of the business of our industry definitely allows for multiple topics to be discussed, sometimes multiple times a week. There is a repetitive nature to doing this thing, and when you combine that with the length of time it will likely take to make this thing truly profitable. Well, I think you see where I'm going here, and thus our curmudgeonly podcasting pal the houseman ended up being right after all. But like I said, mostly I'm just ready for the next thing. You've probably heard me talk about the time I spent working at Polartech and how that experience was invaluable because not only did I have to work to grow the Polartech brand, but also our customers were every relevant apparel brand in the outdoor and active industry. Between that experience and the work we have done here on the rockflight, I'm ready to get back out there and find a brand to help grow. So hit me up if you'd like to have a conversation so what does this mean for you, the Rock Fight listener? Well, it means that Monday, January 26th will be the final episode of the Rock Fight Gear Abbey will continue. And it sounds like some other folks associated with the show will be working to create a new podcast so you can all get your audio industry fix. Stay tuned for more information on that. Rock Fight llc, the business entity, will continue on as we look to produce new projects and hopefully launch some merch in the near future. Because for fuck's sake, who doesn't want a T shirt that says Rock Fight on it? But for now, the Rock Fight the podcast is ending at the peak of its powers. Will we one day look back and say it was a good Bill Belichick esque decision? Hard to say. I mean, not every cut ties. Early decision in history has been the right call. Just look at the Mariners trading Ken Griffey Jr. Or the Red Sox trading Mookie Betts, both in their respective primes for evidence of that. But all that said, thank you for listening to the Rock Fight for the last three years and for coming with me on this journey. I'll speak to you one more time next Monday with producer Dave and Owen, and then we'll sign off. If you want to send some emails in, we'd love to get them. Myrockfightmail.com remains open. Please send in your feedback with love to hear what you have to say. And that's it for today's show. Thank you again. The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight llc. I'm Colin True. Thanks for listening. And here to take us out like he always does, it's Chris d' makes with the Rock Fight Fight song. We'll see you one more time. Rock fighters.
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Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Welcome to the rock fight where we speak our truth, slay sacred cows and sometimes we talk about human powered outdoor activities and big bites about topics that we find interesting like pop culture music, the latest movie reviews ideas that aim for the head this is where we speak our truth. This is where we speak our truth. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Welcome to the rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Welcome to the rock flight Rock flight Rock fight. Rock light Rock fight. Rock fight. Welcome to the rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight.