Red Dog said:... But I think such a story is going to have the opposite effect: it might drum up interest in skating (which I think is exactly what ABC wants- anyone know if they advertised Skate America during their news broadcast? ) because scandal is what gets people interested, it seems. (Except when it happens DURING the Olympics. )
At least in So. Calif., they did not advertise Skate America. Whether the scandal gets people interested in skating or not, however, doesn't depend on when it happens, but on what kind of scandal it is. Let a large enough audience (which is something that doesn't happen outside of Oly) feel that the judges cheated, and the sport will be hurt, even if (by some fluke) it did not happen at Olys; let a skater get whacked, and people will watch, no matter where it happened.