Hersh doesn`t know or understand that sport he should not be commentating on it period.
Just because Hersh has an an opinion different than yours doesn't mean he should be banned from covering the sport. For the many times I've disagreed with Hersh over the years, he's only one of a handful of reporters in the U.S. who still covers figure skating to detail (along with USA Today's Christine Brennen and AP's Nancy Armour). Most reporters don't commit much more than a brief inside the sports pages.
And quite frankly, if we can voice our opinions in a public forum, why can't Hersh?
Hersh can be off his rocker at times, but I don't agree with your assessment that Hersh doesn't understand or know the sport. He has covered it for many years. He also has provided some informative articles as well — he did a great job on his profiles on Gracie Gold and Jason Brown. (Though I find the double standard he has with Alissa Czisny quite troubling.)