There is unfortunately a double standard for female athletes when it comes to sponsorship and endorsement opportunities in the U.S. Looks and packaging can carry you a long way even when the results aren't there. Look no further than Lolo Jones, who is a household name in the U.S. despite an unremarkable Olympic track record. Figure skating is certainly not immune to this. Nancy Kerrigan was rolling in endorsements long before Tonya Harding-gate, while Kristi Yamaguchi really struggled to cash in on her Olympic gold medal.
My point is that the bar is pretty low for Gracie Gold to profit from these Olympics. If she wins, she will be a multi-millionaire. Even if she doesn't, there will still be opportunities for her that weren't there for Rachael Flatt and won't be for Ashley Wagner. She's already on the cover of SI despite never winning a World Championship medal. That is a difficult task to accomplish for a figure skater in the U.S. She is extremely talented, but she is lucky that she has her looks and personality to fall back on.
Why did you change your username? I preferred the other.