Johnny and Tara

[MiraiFan]

He's still crazy biased for the Russian skaters and it's so annoying.

 

[Scott512]

He's still crazy biased for the Russian skaters and it's so annoying.

It just seems that way. They have the best of the lady skaters by quite a lot and if those are the ones you are covering big events then you are going to laud them.

Or do you find him biased for the Russians in men's and dance too?

 

[Baron Vladimir]

He's still crazy biased for the Russian skaters and it's so annoying.

I wouldn't call it a bias. He is just giving 'the right information' to the viewers at one point of time, the one with what skaters scores and the judges at that point of time are in agreement with. If we are looking at his comments in recent years, i would call him quite 'objective' for predicting what the scores would be like based on someone's skating, no matter what his real preference is. I mean, it would be confusing for the viewers to comment in a circles what you don't like about some skater's skating, when in the end of the competition that skater finish as a winner.

 

[Jetta]

I swore off of watching any skating with the two of them commenting because it was just so hard to listen to. But maybe I will give them another chance given the comments here.

I enjoy Johnny’s commentary, but I agree he does tend to gush over the Russian skaters.

 

[Baron Vladimir]

I swore off of watching any skating with the two of them commenting because it was just so hard to listen to. But maybe I will give them another chance given the comments here.

I enjoy Johnny’s commentary, but I agree he does tend to gush over the Russian skaters.

He is not just gushing about Russian skaters. He is gushing for a skaters who had the best skate at the night. Including Russian ladies, and Nathan Chen. Which B ESP commentators did too. And majority of others, everywhere in the world.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

He is not just gushing about Russian skaters. He is gushing for a skaters who had the best skate at the night. Including Russian ladies, and Nathan Chen. Which B ESP commentators did too. And majority of others, everywhere in the world.

No, he really does have a bias towards the Russians and always has. We're talking about the guy who was competing for team USA and tried wearing a Team Russia jacket everywhere (including to competitions where he wasn't repping them) and he got told to knock it off by the USFS, etc.

 

[jeb]

See...I was just thinking the opposite. Johnny talked way too much. Even my husband told him to shut up.

 

[alexocfp]

No, he really does have a bias towards the Russians and always has. We're talking about the guy who was competing for team USA and tried wearing a Team Russia jacket everywhere (including to competitions where he wasn't repping them) and he got told to knock it off by the USFS, etc.

I would too. Those Russian skating jackets are FLASH. Haha

 

[Baron Vladimir]

No, he really does have a bias towards the Russians and always has. We're talking about the guy who was competing for team USA and tried wearing a Team Russia jacket everywhere (including to competitions where he wasn't repping them) and he got told to knock it off by the USFS, etc.

But for me personally that is exactly an example of not being biased. Representing your country and equally rooting for all the other ones too (rooting for Russia being USA is just a best example of that point)

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

But for me personally that is exactly an example of not being biased. Representing your country, and rooting for all the other ones too (rooting for Russia being USA is just a best example of that point)

That wasn't the point. The point was you don't wear the jacket of the team/country you do not represent while you are representing one that competes against them and got you to the elite international level to compete. They could have easily sent another American man to rep the USA instead of Johnny. That was the beef the Fed had, and rightly so.

 

[el henry]

But for me personally that is exactly an example of not being biased. Representing your country, and rooting for all the other ones too (rooting for Russia being USA is just a best example of that point)

I think unless you have been watching American skating closely for many years, you might be fooled.

Johnny did not wear the jacket ETA: only, or even mostly, out of love and respect for Russian skaters, but also to flip off the US Fed. He did, and the fed was rightfully flipped off. Can you imagine if Kolyada wore an American flag jacket?

Johnny loves Russian skaters because he loves Russian culture. Nothing wrong with that at all, but that's the basis.

If someone is telling our European friends that Johnny is gushing over Russian skaters *solely* because of their superiority, they are not telling the truth. They should not mislead like that

 

[Baron Vladimir]

That wasn't the point. The point was you don't wear the jacket of the team/country you do not represent while you are representing one that competes against them and got you to the elite international level to compete. They could have easily sent another American man to rep the USA instead of Johnny. That was the beef the Fed had, and rightly so.

Or you are competing with them, it always depends how you look on it
I mean, if people see it as USA vs Russia it's fine, but Johnny and me obviously don't see it that way,

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Or you are competing with them, it always depends how you look on it
I mean, if people see it as USA vs Russia it's fine, but Johnny and me obviously don't see it that way,

Oh please, save it.

I competed with/against many skaters on international stage. I respected all of my competitors, never once though did I desire to wear their team jacket over the country I repped.

That is what I'm talking about: Johnny was out of line for doing just that, and I'm glad I'm not the only one that sees it that way as proven by others in this thread and skating federations.

 

[Baron Vladimir]

Oh please, save it.

I competed with/against many skaters on international stage. I respected all of my competitors, never once though did I desire to wear their team jacket over the country I repped.

That is what I'm talking about: Johnny was out of line for doing just that, and I'm glad I'm not the only one that sees it that way as proven by others in this thread and skating federations.

Well, i see your point. I just don't agree that's the best way of thinking. I don't even think that was a situation needed to be analyzed and to be reacted to, but OK.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Well, i see your point. I just don't see it that way. I don't even think that was a situation needed to be analyzed and to be reacted to, but OK.

I wrote about it here in reply that Johnny's not biased, which he clearly is and has been. End of discussion.

Agree to disagree.

 

[karne]

Or you are competing with them, it always depends how you look on it
I mean, if people see it as USA vs Russia it's fine, but Johnny and me obviously don't see it that way,

No. Freaking. Way.

If you have been awarded your national team jacket/national colours, if you have earned that greatest honour, to wear another country's jacket/colours while representing in competition is a tremendous insult. Afterwards, swap jackets, wear it casually, do what you like. But while competing? At the competition? While on official duties? No, that is an insult. And it is an insult to your teammates, not just to the USFS or whoever Weir thought he was flipping the bird at.

Goodness, I can't even imagine what might happen if a Wallabies player turned up to a Bledisloe match wearing an All Blacks jacket. That player would certainly never play for Australia again.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

No. Freaking. Way.

If you have been awarded your national team jacket/national colours, if you have earned that greatest honour, to wear another country's jacket/colours while representing in competition is a tremendous insult. Afterwards, swap jackets, wear it casually, do what you like. But while competing? At the competition? While on official duties? No, that is an insult. And it is an insult to your teammates, not just to the USFS or whoever Weir thought he was flipping the bird at.

Goodness, I can't even imagine what might happen if a Wallabies player turned up to a Bledisloe match wearing an All Blacks jacket. That player would certainly never play for Australia again.

Exactly this here! Thank you @karne for elaborating on what I was trying to explain to Baron.

It is an honour to wear the countries jacket to an international competition as I have many times in my past competitive career and it is such an insult to all on that team and the Fed, etc for someone to do what Johnny did.

 

[katymay]

I like Johnny. He knows what he's talking about. That's why people like Tanith because she knows what she's talking about in ice dance. If you had her "call" the men's long program she probably wouldn't be as efficient. Dick Button was horribly biased about skaters and wrote a skater off if they made one little mistake. You knew immediately if he personally approved of a skater's talents and/or programs. His knowledge was steeped in the forties and he did not keep up with all the changes in figure skating. I used to cringe when he'd say something like "a spiral is more important than a triple jump!" Uhhhh - in whose world? And don't get me started on Peter "can't finish a sentence" Carruthers. Johnny may have his foibles but he does know the sport and he does know the technicalities. And he's obviously not afraid to call attention to a bad jump or spin or a less-than perfect program.

I like Johnny and Tara as well. And I loved Scott Hamilton. Couldn't stand 'Dick and Catty Peggy'-will never forget Dick saying that Tiffany Chin was 'pretty good for an Oriental'. (Cringe). (Tiffany Chin was actually a great jumper back in the day, but Dick and Peggy were not fond of 'jumping beans'). I think Johnny has also done everything he can to sound the alarm on US skaters falling behind in tech content.

 

[Olympic]

Johnny and Tara have improved. I noticed it before seeing this thread. Someone must have said something.

 

[Thrashergurl]

I like Johnny and Tara as well. And I loved Scott Hamilton. Couldn't stand 'Dick and Catty Peggy'-will never forget Dick saying that Tiffany Chin was 'pretty good for an Oriental'. (Cringe). (Tiffany Chin was actually a great jumper back in the day, but Dick and Peggy were not fond of 'jumping beans'). I think Johnny has also done everything he can to sound the alarm on US skaters falling behind in tech content.

I always laugh when Johnny is critical of the US skaters falling behind in tech content, or men not landing quads. Ummmm.....