Reading this makes me feel very lucky to have grown up in California, which allowed me to reap the in-state tuition benefits of a top university (UC Berkeley). I think it was ~$15k while I was there.
I'd just like to say that The Pudding is amazing. Anyone who isn't already familiar with them should spend a few hours browsing their amazing articles.
Most of my friends who are good at skateboarding or surfing have 2-15k followers, regardless of whether or not they're sponsored.
They do almost no personal branding, they're just well-known in their area. I imagine it's the same for most sports with a lot of participants, save those with a high financial barrier to entry (e.g. racing cars).
Did we read the same article? He turned her speaker position down because of her pattern of vengeful, childlike behavior. She acted completely in line with what her reputation would suggest and pursued a personal harassment campaign.
Maybe I'm missing something.
Can you enumerate what he allowed people to do to her, and what she did to him? That way we can compare directly.