Blackball (surfing)

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Blackball flag

A blackball is a flag on a lifeguard tower or other highly visible area to show surfers that they must clear the water. A blackball flag is represented with a black circle in the center of a yellow or red flag; a yellow background being the most common. The flag is designed to protect swimmers from potentially harmful surfboards that may be moving at velocities after a "wipe out" from a wave. Swimmers maintain that the policy is a safety measure, while many surfers contend that blackball is an attempt to cull the in-water population in certain zones, providing preferential treatment to swimmers over surfers.

Newport Beach, California has regular headlines regarding the use of blackball[1][2][3][4] and dedicates a section of their official government site to the issue.[5] US House Representative Dana Rohrabacher[6] and Southern California politician Michael B. Glenn[7] have both made campaign issues out of the blackball implementation. Rohrabacher noted that Newport Beach was the only city who practiced blackball and also did not have a dedicated area for surf use.

## References

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1. ^ "Blackball issue churns up again in Newport Beach; parks-rec board to discuss changes at tonight's meeting". 6 April 2015.
2. ^ "Is it time for Newport Beach's 'blackball' flag to come down for good?". 24 October 2013.
3. ^ "Surfers, bodysurfers battle over Newport Beach's iconic Wedge". Los Angeles Times. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 11 Jan 2014.
4. ^ "Newport Beach debates 'blackball' surf rules". The Orange County Register. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 11 Jan 2014.
5. ^ "City of Newport Beach : Blackball". Retrieved 11 Jan 2014.
6. ^ "Endless Bummer : Ban's Retention Raises Wave of Criticism". Los Angeles Times. 11 October 1995. Retrieved 11 Jan 2014.
7. ^ "Commentary: Give Newport surfers a place of their own". Daily Pilot. Retrieved 11 Jan 2014.

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