Thoughts About Skating's Popularity | Page 4 | Golden Skate

Thoughts About Skating's Popularity

cooper

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
In the US, a girl can earn a soccer scholarship for college; not such luck for ice skating.

it's Title IX.. women getting scholarships for college.. and the program worked especially for swimming.. that's why the US dominated swimming every olympics..
 

lbc2138

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 7, 2014
Just a random two cents. I am a very frustrated fan of figure skating just because there is no one I can talk to in person about figure skating, and I live in NYC... These forums are great but when it comes to fangirling over the sport, it's quite lonely.

Not to mention if I do try to get people to at least watch some videos with me, I have to explain everything from how the points system works to why a fall on a hard program will score better than a clean program, etc.

Unfortunately, I think the only way to get Americans interested in figure skating is if there is someone American is at the top of the podium. You know, an athlete that everyone can get behind despite the sport. Sort of like Michael Phelps. The only time I talked about figure skating with people is with my Korean-American friends, but the only thing the know about figure skating is Yuna... (not to overgeneralize, that's just what I've experienced in college). I can't talk to them about other skaters that I like or admire.
 

Manitou

Medalist
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
Just a random two cents. I am a very frustrated fan of figure skating just because there is no one I can talk to in person about figure skating, and I live in NYC... These forums are great but when it comes to fangirling over the sport, it's quite lonely.

It has been EXACTLY the same always. Even during the peak of its popularity in Tonya times it was an isolated and elitist world. If you expect people talking casually about figure skating during work lunches, just like about recent NBA or college football games, then it will never happen.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
In the US, a girl can earn a soccer scholarship for college; not such luck for ice skating.

True.

Also, anyone can work on soccer skills if they have a ball and a few feet of open space. It doesn't take a whole lot more than that to hold a game. Most towns have multiple fields that are available for or in some cases dedicated to soccer.

Ice rinks are harder to come by, and ice time with limited numbers of skaters to dodge while practicing high-speed maneuvers is even rarer and therefore expensive. So the whole sport becomes expensive to pursue, which limits the number of practictioners, which means it's usually necessary to travel to enter even low-level competitions more than maybe once a year, which makes it even more expensive...

If more people participated in the sport, more people would be interested in watching on TV, buying tickets to nearby events, etc.

But without that critical mass, it remains a niche sport that few even know about except the very top elite performances that make it to TV. And participation at that level is obviously out of reach for almost everyone (for reasons of expense, time commitment, and physical ability). So skating as a participatory sport is not part of the cultural consciousness of most Americans. It's just something to watch on TV for national pride or enjoyment of top-level feats, artistry, and human interest drama to the extent that a few elite American skaters can provide enough of the above to remain entertaining TV viewing.

Is Canada the country with the widest base of lower-level participation and consequent cultural awareness?
 

concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
Swimming did have some rough years (1980s) but I agree that it has picked up in popularity. Michael Phelps won 8 OGM in one year. I doubt an ice skater will never will that many in lifetime.

fyi - several colleges (Clemson is one) are now shutting down their swimming programs because they are expensive to maintain.

I think if you don't draw the younger kids into the sport, long term you will not have a TV audience.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I think if you don't draw the younger kids into the sport, long term you will not have a TV audience.

Probably true for swimming, which is more about participation than spectatorship.

Not necessarily for figure skating -- historically, at least in the TV era, for American audiences figure skating was something to watch more than something to do oneself.

I do think that if more people do it, or know people who do it, they will be more interested in watching.

But suppose all local rinks shut down or catered to hockey and public skating only, except for a few financially sponsored training centers that went out and recruited kids with the right kinds of talent to become elite competitors, which is probably similar to the situation in the Soviet Union and maybe China today. No low/mid-level figure skaters in the US, only non-figure skating and elite-track training. As long as those elite competitors won international medals once they reached senior level, and/or put out performances entertaining to untutored audiences, I think there would be an audience.

However, if there is no means to get kids interested in the sport and keep them training through their teens, there won't be world-class elite skaters available to watch. It would be great for viewership if more adults start figure skating, but starting at later ages will make it impossible to reach elite levels.

As long as local rinks offer public skating and learn-to-skate opportunities, kids as well as adults will learn to skate. But they have to be aware of the existence of figure skating and have the means to start trying it locally for some percentage of them to go on to become figure skaters.

Ideally participation and spectatorship would support each other in both directions.

US Figure Skating has some efforts to increase participation within the US. They could also do a lot more. But most outreach efforts take money.

The ISU has some programs to increase participation from more nations. That will help popularity worldwide, but not in the US. In fact, I think the fact that there are more federations fielding elite figure skaters makes it that much harder for US skaters to win medals.
 

Anna K.

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Latvia
^
That's why a GlEE/SNL figure skating special as suggestest by os168 will never be made. It just wouldn't look realistic and shows like these need real life reference to survice. However, one succeful TV show would definitely add more to the popularity of figure skating than any medals could.
 

Anna K.

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Latvia
This is probably a bad habit to quote other people’s posts on a different thread secretly but this created some thoughts about the popularity of figure skating and it would be plain offtop if I posted them on the original thread:

Under the people don't change category I happened upon the 20 year espn interview of Tonya and after she lies, whines, takes no responsibility as always and even comments that Nancy was a whiner to complain about a silver medal. I was amazed at her comments on the woman who she tried to disable. Apparently she still does not remember facts like her handwriting was verified on the scrap of paper found. It was really revealing because she all but says Nancy deserved it. Tonya can still shock me.

Oh well. This is why Hollywood never did Nancy&Tonya: Hollywood needs heroes. This story has no heroism at all. “Why-me” Nancy really was a whiner all the way and Tonya – well, being Tonya Harding is apparently a diagnosis.
In fact, I don’t believe that these two really made figure skating popular. My guess is, the post-incident reaction was purely a collective wish to compensate the bad impression they had made about this sport.

Well, I’m not American and I may misinterpret something, so – correct me if I’m wrong!
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I think there were several reasons why figure skating became most popular in the US in the mid-1990s.

The two-year gap between winter Olympics and the options for pros to reinstate meant there were more familiar faces than usual at the 1994 Olympics -- more reasons for casual fans to tune in.

In addition, people who might not have watched at all were intrigued to do so by the Harding/Kerrigan scandal.

Many liked what they saw and were interested to continue watching skating.

A hockey strike in 1994-95 left CBS in particular with broadcast hours to fill. They chose to develop pro competitions that showcased the familiar faces from the recent Olympics. Other networks also developed figure skating programming, but the prime players in the first few seasons after 1994 were CBS in the pro ranks and ABC/ESPN for eligible competition.

On the eligible side, the US media started hyping Michelle Kwan as the next big thing in US ladies' skating. She lived up to the hype. Others such as Bobek, Lipinski, Hughes, Cohen, Eldredge, Galindo, Meno & Sand, etc., also captured fans' interest.

The change in eligibility rules allowed for development of TV friendly pro-am competitions highlighting stars from both the professional and no-longer-strictly-amateur ranks.

The rise of the Internet allowed casual fans access to information and discussion about skating that had not been available when TV was their only source of information if no one in their immediate circle of acquaintances was interested in skating so they didn't know about the options of subscribing to skating magazines, traveling to competitions, or getting involved at the local rink. Many interested fans used online communities to join the ranks of serious fans who followed the sport in person and by reading and discussing at a distance with others who shared their interest -- and some became skaters, or parents of skaters, themselves.

The fact that school figures were no longer required even at the lower levels made participation more attractive for kids, and adult skating was also taking off.

Any other important factors I'm missing?

In any case, we can probably give Harding/Kerrigan credit for the fact that the Lillehammer Olympic ladies skating broke viewership records, but without most of the other factors I don't think the increased popularity would have lasted as long as it did.
 

Hubbi991

Spectator
Joined
Feb 19, 2014
I had the feeling that this Olympics were very hyped - thanks to facebook and tumblr??? :confused:
Or am I getting the Yuzuru and Yulia's awe wrong?
I'm glad that football is having its popularity increased in US, very interesting to know about these colleges programs (I'm sorry guys but I feel a little stomach pain everytime someone calls it ~soccer~) :slink: (also, very off topic, it's funny how in most of the countries football is a "boy's sports", but not in the US) :laugh:
 

Anna K.

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Latvia
Any other important factors I'm missing?

In any case, we can probably give Harding/Kerrigan credit for the fact that the Lillehammer Olympic ladies skating broke viewership records, but without most of the other factors I don't think the increased popularity would have lasted as long as it did.

The only factor you might be missing is the end of the Soviet Block that made also the most decorated “enemy” Soviet skaters available for the shows and public relations. Anyway, thank you for your detailed explanation! There obviously were many other factors that helped to steer [even] this scandal into a positive route.
However, obviously some of these factors backfired latter; like, they led to the overdose of Pro shows that resulted in quality loss and the eventual end of Pro sportsmanship; at least that’s what Mathman said somehow. Feel free to correct me, any of you!

I'm glad that football is having its popularity increased in US, very interesting to know about these colleges programs (I'm sorry guys but I feel a little stomach pain everytime someone calls it ~soccer~) :slink: (also, very off topic, it's funny how in most of the countries football is a "boy's sports", but not in the US) :laugh:

I’m glad to see here someone else who’s soccer mad :yay: – ehm, I mean football :eek:: I also had that weird feeling in my stomach for the first ten years but now it somehow comes out of me naturally!

I wouldn’t rate your remark about “girl” and “boy” sports as very off topic. The phenomenon when a sport becomes popular in one-sex version only has affected figured skating and it still does. It really is different in different countries. So, figure skating is a “girl” thing in the US, it’s “pair” in Russia and I guess it must be “boy” in Czech Republic!
 

cooper

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
i would love to see figure skating more coverage here in the Philippines.. michael is doing great in such a young career.. but the mainstream media barely covered anything about this sport..
 
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
In order for figure skating to become popular in the US again, we will need to put ladies on World and Olympic podiums consistently. Not to diminish the contributions of Evan and D/W, but for a lot of casual fans, figure skating = the ladies individual event.
 

Meoima

Match Penalty
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
i would love to see figure skating more coverage here in the Philippines.. michael is doing great in such a young career.. but the mainstream media barely covered anything about this sport..
You came from Philippine? Sorry for being off topic because I always thought you are living in Korea?

Anyways, it's the same in my country (but currently I am working in Australia), ice skating is just a sport to watch, not the one most people want to do themselves.
 
Top