I remember figure skating becoming very popular in the early 90's, before the T and N scandal. After that there were a lot of skating specials for a few years, but from say 2000 to maybe 2006 it was still fairly popular, and readily accessible on television.
When ABC dropped the figure skating contract is when things really went bad. All the ESPN coverage disappeared, beloved commentators Dick and Peggy were gone, it was harder and harder to find. . .it was getting better with Universal Sports, but now that that channel is gone, the sport is more or less done as a spectator sport on television.
There is a problem with the COP. However, seriously, if that were the judging system in the US in the 90's, does anyone think Michelle still wouldn't have won most of those years? That's not what's killing the US girls, it's their mediocrity and inconsistency.
The COP does take a few fun aspects out of watching it, however:
1. There's no drama about someone falling, as we've seen. Fall away, but if your edges are the best, you still win.
2. There's no drama in knowing which country gave which score
3. If you think someone should have won but didn't, it's like your fault because you haven't memorized a 200 page rule book. There's no fun in arguing that one person was beter than the next, because the person who disagrees with you measured the feet with a protractor and saw the angle of their edges, plus they analyzed the music and noticed that the winner was skating to a 4/4 count and not a 3/4 count--OK, I guess that's fun
4. There are serious complaints that the programs all look the same, and there is less creativity in a contest to rack up the points.
When ABC dropped the figure skating contract is when things really went bad. All the ESPN coverage disappeared, beloved commentators Dick and Peggy were gone, it was harder and harder to find. . .it was getting better with Universal Sports, but now that that channel is gone, the sport is more or less done as a spectator sport on television.
There is a problem with the COP. However, seriously, if that were the judging system in the US in the 90's, does anyone think Michelle still wouldn't have won most of those years? That's not what's killing the US girls, it's their mediocrity and inconsistency.
The COP does take a few fun aspects out of watching it, however:
1. There's no drama about someone falling, as we've seen. Fall away, but if your edges are the best, you still win.
2. There's no drama in knowing which country gave which score
3. If you think someone should have won but didn't, it's like your fault because you haven't memorized a 200 page rule book. There's no fun in arguing that one person was beter than the next, because the person who disagrees with you measured the feet with a protractor and saw the angle of their edges, plus they analyzed the music and noticed that the winner was skating to a 4/4 count and not a 3/4 count--OK, I guess that's fun
4. There are serious complaints that the programs all look the same, and there is less creativity in a contest to rack up the points.