Weir/Lipinski take spot as top figure skating commentators at NBC

[Mathman]

Do people get irritated also when other OGMs from the distant past make similar references? :confused2:

I think the knock on Tara is that she tends to reminisce about her own former accomplishments when she is supposed to be critiquing current skaters. Terry Gannon also has a tendency to keep bringing up the youngest Olympic champion ever, back when you were 14, Tara, etc.

In the context that you proposed above, it wouldn't be so bad. (But I don't think Tara could pull off the "Little ol' me here in the bright lights of Washington, D.C.?" thing.) It would be better if the interviewer would say, "And here's Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski, now turned sports and fashion correspondent for NBC. What's up, girlfriend?" Then Tara could say, "well my partner in crime, Johnny Weir, and I will be jetting off to do the Kentucky Derby next week, ahead of a skating benefit show in New York to raise money for cystic fibrosis."

(Why don't they hire me to write this stuff? )

 

[ice coverage]

I think the knock on Tara is that she tends to reminisce about her own former accomplishments when she is supposed to be critiquing current skaters. Terry Gannon also has a tendency to keep bringing up the youngest Olympic champion ever, back when you were 14, Tara, etc.

In the context that you proposed above, it wouldn't be so bad. (But I don't think Tara could pull off the "Little ol' me here in the bright lights of Washington, D.C.?" thing.) It would be better if the interviewer would say, "And here's Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski, now turned sports and fashion correspondent for NBC. What's up, girlfriend?" Then Tara could say, "well my partner in crime, Johnny Weir, and I will be jetting off to do the Kentucky Derby next week, ahead of a skating benefit show in New York to raise money for cystic fibrosis."

(Why don't they hire me to write this stuff? )

Thx for the additional Tara explanation. (Still doesn't bother me, but I understand what you're saying.)

All the better if the interviewer introduced Tara as the OGM.
But if the interviewer did not, and simply said (with no preamble), "Here's a belle of the ball: Tara Lipinski looking lovely tonight. What up, girlfriend?"
Another idea for Tara's reply: "Johnny and I will be back with more skating commentary in the fall ... but now it's time to switch sports. We're going to the Derby again!"

 

[noskates]

So let's see - if this is the prevailing opinion that anyone who has participated in a sport and is commentating on something else should also pander their sport....Terry Gannon should be talking about basketball all the time, Michael Strahan should always be talking about football, etc. etc. I just don't agree that Tara and Johnny have to push their sport in hopes of reviving interest in figure skating in the US. That isn't going to make the networks air more skating, it isn't necessarily going to make people demand that the networks air more skating, and for someone who isn't a skating fan it could get annoying. What's going to revive the sport is a breakout star or two that interest the public enough to want to watch them.

There's probably a lot of things a person can criticize Johnny and Tara for but this whole conversation, IMO, is just not the way. Everyone pretty much knows they are figure skaters. No need for reminders.

 

[ice coverage]

....Terry Gannon should be talking about basketball all the time, Michael Strahan should always be talking about football, etc. etc. .

Johnny and Tara currently are serving as the lead analysts for the only U.S. broadcast network airing competitions in the niche sport of figure skating.
And NBC already has announced that they will hold those positions through the 2018 Olympics.

So your analogies to Terry Gannon and Michael Strahan simply do not hold up.

 

[el henry]

Seems like we have two threads;

1.Tara and Johnny don't talk enough about figure skating in their non-figure skating related appearances.

Although I see the point, I do not share this viewpoint. T and J are not being put on the red carpet or in television appearances at the Run for the Roses to talk about figure skating, and if all they want to do is dish about clothes, well, that's why they are there. In a perfect world, skating would get all the credit and more publicity, but I don't blame them for not crafting a perfect world. And I actually *like* Johnny's outfits. So sue me.

2. Criticism of T and J's commentary is because Jason ubers can't take criticism, Americans don't like criticism, and everyone hates Johnny.

I don't know if everyone hates Johnny. I don't hate Johnny; see number one. And as a Jason uber, I am perfectly open to real, thoughtful critique; might not like it, but don't hate it. The B Esp commentators, for example, as much as they praised Jason in his Worlds' performance also said straight out "he will never compete with the likes of Hanyu without a quad". No kidding; I'm not saying that's bad commentary.

But to say, as Johnny did, that Jason looked *disappointed* after a pretty darned good skate in his first Worlds, with a standing ovation, is not good criticism. Has diddly squat to do with a personal opinion of Johnny or of my admiration for Jason's skating. I will just see if Johnny gets over it by next season.

 

[Watermelondrea]

Also why do they keep saying the lipnitskaias and sotnikovas to compete with? Like why cant they just say Russians-/-

 

[Mathman]

2. Criticism of T and J's commentary is because Jason ubers can't take criticism, Americans don't like criticism, and everyone hates Johnny.

Wait, I thought it was criticism of Polina Edmunds' costume that we didn't like, or was that just me?

This is what I think on the "Americans don't like criticism" front. These are amateur athletes, many of them teenagers. They have sacrificed a lot (a normal adolescence, countless hours, tons of their parents' money) to try to master the sport of ice skating, with close to 0 chance of ever receiving a proportionate reward. It wouldn't kill us to say, "Hey, I enjoyed your performance. Good for you!"

 

[karne]

But to say, as Johnny did, that Jason looked *disappointed* after a pretty darned good skate in his first Worlds, with a standing ovation, is not good criticism. Has diddly squat to do with a personal opinion of Johnny or of my admiration for Jason's skating. I will just see if Johnny gets over it by next season.

Yes. Not because of anyone's personal feelings for Johnny, but because it was an outright lie. Jason didn't look disappointed. The crowd was on their feet cheering. Why was Johnny so intent on trying to drag down Jason's moment?

Probably grateful that they didn't, but I would also be intrigued to see what might have happened if T/J did commentary on the WTT programs. Particularly Jason's absolutely perfect FS.

 

[Warwick360]

Also why do they keep saying the lipnitskaias and sotnikovas to compete with? Like why cant they just say Russians-/-

Just like Tara can't help calling someone an" itty bitty....grasshopper".

Still can't believe how they wrote Karen Chen off of Podium when she was performing the way she was. :disapp:

 

[Warwick360]

And to the person who said someone's criticism shouldn't be criticised....isn't that how things work? If someone comes up with an opinion of disagreeable nature, obviously an opinion to counter will prop up and should be acceptable.

PS: Feel free to counter my counter criticism.

 

[whatif]

To me Jason did look disappointed. So I agree with Jonny. Now whether he was indeed or not, I do not know.

 

[noskates]

Well there are a lot of opinions in this thread that don't hold up!

Bottom line is - apparently Johnny can do nothing right. But that's all in your perspective. IMO there is nothing Johnny or Tara can do that will make the networks televise figure skating the way they used to. The interest is just not there in the US. And every time I read something negative about Johnny's commentary I go back to the Dick Button years and the fact that he was the most negative, opinionated, narrow-minded, steeped in the past sports announcer I ever had to listen to. While some revered him, others barely tolerated him. So you're going to like some people and dislike others but to lay the responsibility on a sports announcer to revitalize a sport in a country is ludicrous. Would that it were so easy.

 

[ice coverage]

Well there are a lot of opinions in this thread that don't hold up!

Bottom line is - apparently Johnny can do nothing right. But that's all in your perspective. IMO there is nothing Johnny or Tara can do that will make the networks televise figure skating the way they used to. The interest is just not there in the US. And every time I read something negative about Johnny's commentary I go back to the Dick Button years and the fact that he was the most negative, opinionated, narrow-minded, steeped in the past sports announcer I ever had to listen to. While some revered him, others barely tolerated him. So you're going to like some people and dislike others but to lay the responsibility on a sports announcer to revitalize a sport in a country is ludicrous. Would that it were so easy.

Let's be clear:
You are the one :yes: who keeps saying Johnny can do nothing right. That is not my perspective.
I for one have never said that, because I do not believe that.

W/L are going to be the lynchpins of NBC's FS broadcasting at least thru 2018.
So believe it or not, it is in W/L's own interest to do what they can to promote NBC's FS coverage -- and the sport of FS as a whole.

Most broadcasters (such as Gannon and Strahan, I'm quite sure) would like as many viewers as possible to watch their broadcasts.
And it is possible that W/L's NBC contracts offer bonus money for meeting certain ratings thresholds for FS.

I pay attention to W/L's social media sporadically, but not exhaustively. Sam-S pointed out an example of a W/L Instagram that did promote their Euros coverage -- which I was pleased to see.
I wish that W/L took advantage of other opportunities for promotion as well .

 

[noskates]

To be really clear, I don't believe that Johnny can do nothing right and am just remarking on the criticism in this thread. I'm a huge fan of his - skating and broadcasting. I think he's the most interesting and informative broadcaster that figure skating has ever had (short of Kurt Browning) I'm just tired of people criticizing everything he does in this forum when the public at large is quite pleased with him. I have friends who have rarely watch FS, can't understand why I spend money to go to competitions and insist they be quiet when it's being aired on TV and they're suddenly interested because of Johnny. I doubt my friends are the exception! Should he take opportunities to promote figure skating? Yes. No question. But is it his responsibility to do that? No. He's not being paid to do that. I don't care if he dresses up like the Dalai Lama when he broadcasts. I dont' care if he's flamboyant and OTT in his behavior. He gives darn good commentary and he's going to have opinions that aren't always popular - just like every other sports broadcaster in the media. And I would also hazard the guess that if NBC wanted him to promote their FS coverage - he would! Perhaps it just isn't on their agenda.....which is sad. I still maintain that for FS to be popular in the US like it used to be there has to be another Michelle Kwan or a breakout star. Of the current crop of skaters, Jason Brown is probably the only skater with the charisma to do that.

 

[ice coverage]

To be really clear, I don't believe that Johnny can do nothing right and am just remarking on the criticism in this thread. I'm a huge fan of his - skating and broadcasting. I think he's the most interesting and informative broadcaster that figure skating has ever had (short of Kurt Browning) I'm just tired of people criticizing everything he does in this forum when the public at large is quite pleased with him. ...

Yep, it has been more than clear all along that you are a Johnny fan.
But you are the one who keeps making sweeping generalizations that the thread overall and the GS forum overall contain nothing but "Johnny can do nothing right" criticism.
I don't think your generalizations are accurate, and I do think that they are getting really tiresome.

As tiresome as you find my desire for a win-win-win for W/L, the sport of FS, and for fans like us [b/c more viewers for W/L's FS coverage potentially could lead to more hours of their FS coverage].

 

[TheGrandSophy]

Well, it isn't a crime for noskates to be a Weir fan and, yes, I know you didn't say that, but there comes across an implied dismissal of their opinion for being so. And I'm not sure why a polite opinion, even if repeated and strong, should be dismissed as tiresome?

Tbh, I have been reading this thread and there does seem at times a rather OTT tone to people's criticism of him that comes across as personal dislike rather than just discussion of the commentary.

Plenty of broadcasters who are known for one thing start being used for other broadcasts and yet don't plug their original gig all the time. I don't think these two are unusual in that.

 

[Mrs. P]

Reinforcing my earlier point -- there is a WIDE spectrum in the expectations mentioned. I don't think anyone here is expecting Tara and Johnny to single-handily revive the sport in the U.S. That is naive and I think everyone here is much more intelligent than to think such a thing.

Also as I said earlier, I don't think it's wrong that Johnny and Tara want to expand their brand beyond skating (or NBC sees potential for them to be more of a television personality, rather than a "mere commentator."

Again, the line isn't that Tara and Johnny shouldn't promote themselves at all -- it's that it would be nice if they would acknowledge the sport a little more when they have a captive audience.

FWIW, did everyone remember during the Smucker's Skating Spectacular (i.e. U.S. Nationals gala) they had a WHOLE segment where skaters talked about the teams they were cheering for at the Super Bowl? It's not totally off base to incorporate a segment from another sport.

ETA: I think there are people who probably dislike Johnny the person/skater for whatever reason. But I'm not one of them -- and it's presumptuous to think everyone who have provided criticism or thoughts in this thread all feel this way out of some sort of personal dislike.

 

[sabinfire]

FWIW, did everyone remember during the Smucker's Skating Spectacular (i.e. U.S. Nationals gala) they had a WHOLE segment where skaters talked about the teams they were cheering for at the Super Bowl? It's not totally off base to incorporate a segment from another sport.

Just playing devil's advocate here...

That segment was under 30 seconds, IIRC. Also, Americans are almost expected to pick a team to root for during the Superbowl, even if they don't really follow the sport (or any sports really)... it is an event that transcends sporting, as some folks mostly watch for the commercials?

And, finally, one could say that they were in essence promoting themselves, since J&T were featured heavily during the pre-game show, and most of the figure skating media (NBC-based, anyway) promoted the event by saying, "Hey, J&T will be at the Superbowl!"

That said, I do wish that J&T/NBC would feature figure skating in some form outside of the actual dedicated skating coverage, even if briefly. Seems like it would be very easy to do this and would seem to benefit everybody involved.

 

[Mrs. P]

Just playing devil's advocate here...

That segment was under 30 seconds, IIRC. Also, Americans are almost expected to pick a team to root for during the Superbowl, even if they don't really follow the sport (or any sports really)... it is an event that transcends sporting, as some folks mostly watch for the commercials?

And, finally, one could say that they were in essence promoting themselves, since J&T were featured heavily during the pre-game show, and most of the figure skating media (NBC-based, anyway) promoted the event by saying, "Hey, J&T will be at the Superbowl!"

That said, I do wish that J&T/NBC would feature figure skating in some form outside of the actual dedicated skating coverage, even if briefly. Seems like it would be very easy to do this and would seem to benefit everybody involved.

Yes, hence my point of putting a FWIW.

You are right that the Super Bowl has a lot of mainstream appeal. Most skaters watch and cheer for football teams. Not many football fans cheer or watch figure skaters.

 

[ManyCairns]

Well, I think saying "at times an OTT" means that not everyone and not all the time was implicated, so to me the comment was not presumptuous/ did not appear to be specifically accusatory toward any individual posters.



For me the overall tone of the thread (meaning the general trend, not every post by every person and not even a single post by some people) trends negative. It sounds as though J & T have missed some opportunities to plug figure skating, but whether it was appropriate for them to have made more plugs is debatable to some people.

For me, FWIW, (and my opinion and a couple of bucks will get you a cup of coffee), noskates hasn't been tiresome at all. Surely it is ok to have some pro-J & T commenters on the thread. The naysayers have repeated themselves a number of times, I'm pretty sure. And btw, I went back and read golden411's comments on the Bryant Park event, and wasn't the only Johnny-specific comment on that thread that he was adroit in introducing Ashley's program for the evening (unless I'm missing another thread, and that's certainly possible)? It was certainly a nice comment, but I didn't find it "profuse" praise, but golden remembered it as such. And the reason I bring that up is simply and only that I wonder if some posters are being more negative than they realize? Not just golden, that was just an example -- and golden is generally very balanced in comments, as I said, but that example just stood out to me in the context of this thread. **I repeat, it was an example that came to mind in the flow of the conversation of the thread and not meant as an attack on golden.**

And everyone can see that I am biased for J/T. But basically I found it unfair to call out one side for being tiresome when I think both sides have persisted in their opinions. Maybe the whole debate is tiresome! I'm sure I'm tiresome! -- But it is the off-season and what else have we got to be tiresome about?


Ugh, honestly, this post probably adds nothing to the conversation but now I've spent the time typing it out I hate to just delete it and declare the whole thing a waste.