The World Surf League was originally known as the International Professional Surfing founded by Fred Hemmings and Randy Rarick in 1976. In 1983 the Association of Surfing Pros took over management of the world circuit. In 2013, the ASP was acquired by ZoSea, backed by Paul Speaker, Terry Hardy, and Dirk Ziff. Sophie Goldschmidt was appointed as WSL CEO on 19 July 2017. Erik Logan, Former Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) President and Executive Vice President at Harpo Studios, will be CEO on 14 January 2020.