U.S. judges give U.S. skaters higher scores

[cruzceleste]

I was reading these articles:
U.S. judges give U.S. skaters higher marks at PyeongChang Olympics

Rippon skated well, with one misstep in a triple lutz during the free skate portion of the event. All nine judges factored that flaw into their scoring. But Parker, the lone American on the panel, gave Rippon a mark far higher than all but one of the other judges. Her score for Rippon's free skate was 15 percent above the mean for the panel of nine. Earlier in the short program, she also judged American skater Nathan Chen more favorably than all but one judge on the panel.

In two other international competitions in 2016 and 2017, Parker also gave American skaters higher marks than they received from judges of other nationalities, according to data reviewed by NBC News.

But none of this sets her apart from the rest of the figure skating judges at the 2018 Winter Games. In a previously published report, NBC News found that judges typically give higher scores to skaters from their own countries. The pattern is continuing at the Olympics, based on scores reviewed by NBC News and Dartmouth economist Eric Zitzewitz, who has spent 15 years examining national bias in figure skating judgin

How Figure Skating Judges May Have Shaped The Olympic Podium

A new analysis shows that in this year’s Olympic Games, possible instances of national preference may have affected the final standings in at least two cases.

Data alone can’t explain why these patterns emerged. Higher home-country scores do not in and of themselves show a judge is purposely trying to raise a competitor’s standing. Judges might not even be aware that their scoring shows a consistent pattern, and their judging could reflect a preference for a regional style of skating or simply their patriotism.

Still, this pattern may be consequential enough to affect who takes home a gold medal. In the ice dancing competition, home-country preference appears to have boosted the winners — Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir — past their rivals, France’s Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron.
But the Canadians may also have had an advantage: the judging panel.

Leanna Caron, the president of Skate Canada, was selected to judge both programs in the ice dance competition. (Nine judges are randomly selected from a pool of 13 before each segment of the competition.) Both times she gave Virtue and Moir a score that was higher than the average of the other judges on the panel.

And both times, she scored the French team lower than any other judge.

Thought it would be interesting to read what everyone think.

 

[yelyoh]

Not always. Joe Inman (sp?) gave Michelle lower marks than Irina at Salt Lake. Can't remember how much that impacted MK's score.

 

[el henry]

I am sorry to be callous, I know that many people are not as cynical as I am. But I came up in the 70s, when the skating judging was based far more in nationalities than these articles describe. The Eastern bloc scored the Eastern bloc skaters too highly and the North Americans did the same for North Americans. When you had true agreement, like Torvill & Dean, it was a minor miracle.

For me, saying judges may score their own skaters more highly is like saying the sun rose in the East today.

 

[karne]

But *gasp* I thought only the Eville Russians overscored their skaters! I am scandalised, shocked! :sarcasm:

 

[dailytg20]

But none of this sets her apart from the rest of the figure skating judges at the 2018 Winter Games. In a previously published report, NBC News found that judges typically give higher scores to skaters from their own countries. The pattern is continuing at the Olympics, based on scores reviewed by NBC News and Dartmouth economist Eric Zitzewitz, who has spent 15 years examining national bias in figure skating judging

But focusing on the US in the title attracts more clicks, so...

 

[cruzceleste]

I am sorry to be callous, I know that many people are not as cynical as I am. But I came up in the 70s, when the skating judging was based far more in nationalities than these articles describe. The Eastern bloc scored the Eastern bloc skaters too highly and the North Americans did the same for North Americans. When you had true agreement, like Torvill & Dean, it was a minor miracle.

For me, saying judges may score their own skaters more highly is like saying the sun rose in the East today.

But what can be done to avoid this?

But focusing on the US in the title attracts more clicks, so...

Well is NBC, american media. You can tell they are not being biased by calling themselves (as a country) out.

 

[dailytg20]

It wasn't about bias. I don't think they are biased. It's from a study over 15 years showing this trend across nations, which has been obvious to most of us without a study.

That's why the title is clickbait to me.

Judges Give Higher Scores To Skaters From Their Countries would have been more to the point. But that wouldn't get a click because...well, duh.

 

[el henry]

But what can be done to avoid this?

Well is NBC, american media. You can tell they are not being biased by calling themselves (as a country) out.

You ask a good question, and I am afraid I do not know the answer. I do believe the more obvious bias has diminished over the past 40 years. And you are also right that the “Big Bad NBC” called out its own country’s judges, which I do not think would have happened 40 years ago.

 

[Blades of Passion]

Not always. Joe Inman (sp?) gave Michelle lower marks than Irina at Salt Lake.

He had to in order for Sarah to win under that scoring system.

 

[chopinskate]

Is this really a surprise?

 

[cruzceleste]

Is this really a surprise?

it is a surprise that a media calls it´s own country out, besides, fans know that country judges give advantage to their skaters, but to the casual fan this maybe a surprise and a reason more to not believe in figure skating.

 

[Proxy]

I am sorry to be callous, I know that many people are not as cynical as I am. But I came up in the 70s, when the skating judging was based far more in nationalities than these articles describe. The Eastern bloc scored the Eastern bloc skaters too highly and the North Americans did the same for North Americans.

The judging is no different today. The numbers are just bigger instead of 5.8s and 5.5s. And the blocks may be different than along strict Cold War lines. But all of the same stuff goes on. They just tried to hide it better with more complicated rules.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Welcome to figure skating. Every single country does this in the judging, and some have agreements with others to mark each others skaters, nothing new.

 

[Cindy1983]

If the piece comes off as dismissive of the skater, then yes that's a problem. Would it have changed Vincent's tech firepower ir Nathan's amazing comeback? No. Adam was a sentimental choice and never a factor. I think the real target might actually be him. He recently turned down a correspondent gig from them. He's singled out BEFORE the article begins which is odd. They do have a bone to pick with him. I'm not saying this is the case, but with this context, don't rule out ulterior motives.

 

[Mathman]

... to the casual fan this maybe a surprise ...

Actually, I think the opposite is true. The casual fan thinks that everything about figure skating judging is crooked.

I think it is the more knowledgable fans who say, well, the skaters have to do their part ,too. Even when the fix is in (which is always) the skater still has to deliver to some extent.

 

[Mathman]

He had to in order for Sarah to win under that scoring system.

That, however, is a little bit misleading. Sarah got 5 first place ordinals. She could not lose the free skate no matter what. Irina was out.

The only thing that Joe Inman or any other judge could do is decide which of the two Americans would get the gold overall. If Michelle beat Irina for second, Michelle gets the gold. If Irina beats Michelle for second, Sarah gets the gold. Inman -- that loyal American -- was in a win-win situation no matter what he did.

 

[Blades of Passion]

It was impossible to have a result of 1. Sarah, 2. Michelle under that scoring system, even if that's what a judge felt the result should be. If a judge felt Michelle was better than Irina, but felt even more strongly that Sarah deserved to win the competition, then they had to score Irina ahead of Michelle to make that result happen.

 

[Mathman]

From the OP:

But Parker, the lone American on the panel, gave Rippon a mark far higher than all but one of the other judges. ... Earlier in the short program, she also judged American skater Nathan Chen more favorably than all but one judge on the panel.

Who was the "other judge" who was even more biased in favor of Anericans than the American judge was?

 

[eriecold]

When V/M won, French tabloids kept accusing the Canadian judge for being biased in their favor. That was not even a week ago. 4 years ago it was the Russians favoring their own, with former Soviet Union countries backing them up.
What's new on all this that it makes the news?

 

[ancientpeas]

I'd actually find a thread about a judge lowballing their own skater way more interesting.

Yes national bias is at work but also there is the issue of taste.

For example if you have read the second mark you get a very good idea about how different the aesthetic can be for asian and Russian judges to North American judges. Sometimes it's not about bias but about what you respond to.

I think we have to be aware of confirmation bias. We see what we think will confirm our view points rather than looking for possible alternate explanations of data.