U.S. media continues to get the story wrong

[Ven]

As ESPN airs it's Harding/Kerrigan documentary, here is the accompanying article:

With so much competition from other sports and entertainment options, figure skating will never return to the popularity it had following Tonya and Nancy. But its popularity could rise again if the sport takes requisite measures.

The scoring must be revised to bring personality and creativity back into the routines. A top mark -- the equivalent of a 6.0 -- must somehow be determined to help fans follow and understand the scoring.

http://espn.go.com/olympics/winter/...rding-kerrigan-incident-helped-figure-skating


The media continue to (incorrectly) claim the new judging system is the reason why nobody watches skating anymore. Hello, most Americans don't even know figure skating changed judging systems. Despite the change, figure skating is more popular now than ever in Asia and perhaps Russia, so this alone suggests that the judging system is not a problem. US Figure Skating interests would be better served to drop the misguided "return to 6.0 campaigns".

The real reasons Americans don't take interest in figure skating anymore:

1. There are no stars. Nobody gets excited to see the best Americans finish 5th and 6th or worse every year at the Olympics and World Championships. Nobody wants to watch skaters who fall down all the time and say "I need to do better" after every single competition.

2. The sport is marketed terribly. This starts right at the top with NBC and USFSA. They have done a historically poor job of packaging the sport and delivering it to the public for mass consumption.

3. Finally, the USFSA has failed its leadership duties. Anytime a sport becomes rotten and decayed, as US Figure Skating has become in recent years, it's an indictment of the leadership and sanctioning body. They are failing to develop young skaters, coaches, everything. If there is a problem with the sport, there's no doubt that the first problem is the USFSA itself.

 

[Skater Boy]

As ESPN airs it's Harding/Kerrigan documentary, here is the accompanying article:



http://espn.go.com/olympics/winter/...rding-kerrigan-incident-helped-figure-skating


The media continue to (incorrectly) claim the new judging system is the reason why nobody watches skating anymore. Hello, most Americans don't even know figure skating changed judging systems. Despite the change, figure skating is more popular now than ever in Asia and perhaps Russia, so this alone suggests that the judging system is not a problem. US Figure Skating interests would be better served to drop the misguided "return to 6.0 campaigns".

The real reasons Americans don't take interest in figure skating anymore:

1. There are no stars. Nobody gets excited to see the best Americans finish 5th and 6th or worse every year at the Olympics and World Championships. Nobody wants to watch skaters who fall down all the time and say "I need to do better" after every single competition.

2. The sport is marketed terribly. This starts right at the top with NBC and USFSA. They have done a historically poor job of packaging the sport and delivering it to the public for mass consumption.

3. Finally, the USFSA has failed its leadership duties. Anytime a sport becomes rotten and decayed, as US Figure Skating has become in recent years, it's an indictment of the leadership and sanctioning body. They are failing to develop young skaters, coaches, everything. If there is a problem with the sport, there's no doubt that the first problem is the USFSA itself.

Well winning helps but interesting characters or skaters is a big seller. Even if Tonya, Nicole or Sasha didn't win they were interesting on and off the ice. Now we have pretty princess no. 1 Gracie, pretty princess no. 1 (get it) Ashley, pretty princess no. 1 Polina edmonds. pretty princess no. 1 Mirai nagasu and pretty hurt princess Alyssa Czisny. Generic pretty on ice, pretty physically skaters. Miss America pageant entries. Bland pablum. And then the programs now are all so similar because of COP. Skating now though is not so pretty.

 

[Ven]

And then the programs now are all so similar because of COP.

CoP is not the problem, because if it were, FS would not be so popular now in Asia and other places.

I really think it's time to clean the slate at the top of USFSA, American coaches, broadcasters, journalists, nearly everyone associated with figure skating in the U.S (not talking about current skaters obviously). There seems to be a complete lack of leadership, evidenced by how mediocre FS has been in the U.S. for nearly a decade now. If this were to happen in other sports, or teams, the managers and team presidents, they would all be fired, new tv contracts would be negotiated, everything. Instead, all you get is year after year of mediocrity, meddling, and constant misguided complaining about the judging system.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

I'll agree that character is a big issue. I for one am kinda turned off by the attitudes of our top girls. More so Ashley but Gracie at times too even.

The not winning aspect also slows the momentum. What if four Americans would have made the GPF? I think ratings and coverage would have intensified. Julia and Adelina will have gone head to head three times this season before the Olympics. Plus both girls battled with Elena Radinova. That builds up interest and competitiveness which has both olympic hopefuls on top of their game. That isn't happening here. US Nationals are a reflection of that.

Maybe a little more on topic is the fact that the US media gets almost everything wrong. Espn fails on every aspect of sports that don't involve a ball with the exception being MAYBE of the x-games.

 

[Mathman]

I agree with the article that the CoP did figure skating no favors. Not because of the scoring system itself -- as Ven says, who cares about that? -- but because of the type of programs that it encourages. No one in the U.S. wants to watch figure skating any more because the performances are blah.

Finally, at U.S. Nationals, there was one program that was skated from the heart and reached out to the audience. Jason Brown's LP has received two million views on You Tube. That should tell the USFSA and the ISU something.

 

[ice coverage]

The real reasons Americans don't take interest in figure skating anymore:

1. There are no stars. Nobody gets excited to see the best Americans finish 5th and 6th or worse every year at the Olympics and World Championships. Nobody wants to watch skaters who fall down all the time and say "I need to do better" after every single competition.

...

3. ... They are failing to develop young skaters ...

I do not know the reasons why Americans have lost interest in figure skating, but ...

Re #1:

After Davis/White's silver at the Vancouver Olympics, they have won silver or gold at every Worlds since then.
As beloved as they are within the skating world, they have not made the leap to stardom within the world at large -- through no fault of their own. As many of us have discussed over and over, they have the total package of off-ice qualities: distinctive good looks, endearing personalities, solid communication skills, etc.​

Re #3:

Team USA's results at Junior Worlds 2013 are not so shabby, IMHO:

- Men: Farris, Brown, and Omori swept the podium

http://www.isuresults.com/results/wjc2013/CAT001RS.HTM​

- Pairs: Denney/Frazier gold + Calalang /Sidhu 9th; Simpson/Blackmer 10th (they since have split)

http://www.isuresults.com/results/wjc2013/CAT003RS.HTM​

- Dance: Aldridge/Eaton bronze + Hawayek/Baker 7th; McNamara/Carpenter 9th

http://www.isuresults.com/results/wjc2013/CAT004RS.HTM​

- Ladies: Cesario 4th; Hicks 5th; Siraj 11th

http://www.isuresults.com/results/wjc2013/CAT002RS.HTM​

 

[YunaBliss]

I agree with the article that the CoP did figure skating no favors. Not because of the scoring system itself -- as Ven says, who cares about that? -- but because of the type of programs that it encourages. No one in the U.S. wants to watch figure skating any more because the performances are blah.

Finally, at U.S. Nationals, there was one program that was skated from the heart and reached out to the audience. Jason Brown's LP has received two million views on You Tube. That should tell the USFSA and the ISU something.

Just saw the video (first time watching Jason Brown). Very entertaining and enthusiastic performance for sure, albeit not technically brilliant.

Just to offer some different perspective, I can sort of see why it has gone "viral" but here is a question I ponder: do people watch figure skating to be entertained or appreciate a technical and/or artistic brilliance? Does a skater have to expressly "reach out to the audience" in order to move the audience? Maybe it's because I studied cultural anthropology in college, but I do see some interesting cultural discourses in play when we discuss something like 6.0 v. CoP.

Anyway, by its nature, figure skating has been and will always remain a niche sport. And i mean that in a very good way. To truly appreciate figure skating, it requires certain philosophical approach to aesthetics and some technical knowledge -- as such, I would say there is a high learning curve and entrance barrier, and that should be the case for a sport like this, which truly represents an unique combination of art & sports.

I have noticed that some long-time figure skating fans, particularly those in the U.S., seem to prefer 6.0 because the performances were apparently more "dramatic" and today's CoP programs seem comparatively more "sterile". Whether such criticism is justified or not, what I don't want to see is figure skating degenerate into another American Idol / popularity contest where each skater is essentially judged by how many people were impressed, based on a scale of 1 to 6 or 1 to 10 or whatever. That is not the way to appreciate figure skating, IMO.

Some networks and federations may prefer that kind of drama, but only because they think that will generate more money. But really, does generating more money for the TV network/federation benefit the sport itself, and what it should embody?

Going back to the points raised by TC,

- No, i don't think the sport is suffering at all. I think the sport is becoming what it should be.
- I don't care about the general popularity of figure skating. It should never be NFL or NBA.
- USA is doing nothing wrong, except to think that figure skating is dying.

Soccer has never and will never succeed in USA, but it remains the most popular sport in the world.

 

[pangtongfan]

The biggest reasons figure skating isnt popular in the U.S:

1. Ironically what made it more popular in the first place. The oversaturation of pro events and the skating boom in the wake of Tonya and Nancy. People got bored, and it sent it spiralling downwards to a lower point of interest than it was before. There isnt even a real pro circuit anywhere anymore.

2. The SLC pairs scandal which in NA the disgusting Scott and Sandra duo helped create/exaggerate, thus helping destroy the sport in NA in the process. Congrats boneheads, and btw the new scoring system is 100% your fault too.

3. As funny as this sounds the person who brought so much new interest to skating in the wake of the Tonya/Nancy days and the pro boom of skating (and the early days of it too) Michelle Kwan. The reason I say that is Michelle is such a huge star she was almost impossible to live up to for any future American skater. Yet that is what people want, another Michelle or something even better in the U.S, and it probably wont happen for awhile.

4. That they have no U.S women winning medals, let alone titles. The U.S isnt interested in dance or even mens golds, only ladies, and the occasional legendary long standing mens champion (Boitano or Hamilton, not Lysacek) appeals to them.

 

[chuckm]

The reason why Jason Brown's video went viral is because Jason did what made Michelle Kwan's performances so special: that special audience connection. It's been a long, long time since a skater has gone out of his/her way to do that because it departs from the usual cookie-cutter CoP performance.
Under CoP, all performances look pretty much alike. Jason's performance is like no other.

 

[YunaBliss]

The reason why Jason Brown's video went viral is because Jason did what made Michelle Kwan's performances so special: that special audience connection. It's been a long, long time since a skater has gone out of his/her way to do that because it departs from the usual cookie-cutter CoP performance.
Under CoP, all performances look pretty much alike. Jason's performance is like no other.

Actually, his performance looks exactly like many other performances I've seen - the same moves, the same spins, but with more flair. To me, the best part of the whole program is the intro. So, sorry to say, but I didn't feel much out of it. I would rather watch Jeremy's SP.

 

[Mathman]

Just to offer some different perspective, I can sort of see why it has gone "viral" but here is a question I ponder: do people watch figure skating to be entertained or appreciate a technical and/or artistic brilliance? Does a skater have to expressly "reach out to the audience" in order to move the audience? Maybe it's because I studied cultural anthropology in college, but I do see some interesting cultural discourses in play when we discuss something like 6.0 v. CoP.

Here is my view. I think that the figure skating establishment over the last decade has responded defensively to criticism that skating is "not a real sport." The ISU and its allies have undertaken the task of making skating "more like other sports."

This, in my opinion, is a big mistake. The more figure skating becomes "like other sports" the weaker its claim on our attention, both as participants and viewers. After all, there are plenty of other sports that are already "more like other sports" -- why do we need figure skating?

We should stop with the "it is too a real sport, so there!" and celebrate (instead of apologize for) the fact that figure skating is a discipline that combines athleticism with performance art. In particular, we should not apologize for the fact that Jason's performance here, or Yuna's Les Miz at Worlds, leaves us laughing, crying, cheering, shouting, and stamping our feet. Even the unwashed masses can see that!

Great avatar picture, by the way.

 

[Mathman]

So, sorry to say, but I didn't feel much out of it. I would rather watch Jeremy's SP.

OK, but two million people thought otherwise.

 

[YunaBliss]

Great avatar picture, by the way.

Did you notice that Jason does almost the same exact move in the beginning?

 

[Layfan]

Here is my view. I think that the figure skating establishment over the last decade has responded defensively to criticism that skating is "not a real sport." The ISU and its allies have undertaken the task of making skating "more like other sports."

This, in my opinion, is a big mistake. The more figure skating becomes "like other sports" the weaker its claim on our attention, both as participants and viewers. After all, there are plenty of other sports that are already "more like other sports" -- why do we need figure skating?

We should stop with the "it is too a real sport, so there!" and celebrate (instead of apologize for) the fact that figure skating is a discipline that combines athleticism with performance art. In particular, we should not apologize for the fact that Jason's performance here, or Yuna's Les Miz at Worlds, leaves us laughing, crying, cheering, shouting, and stamping our feet. Even the unwashed masses can see that!

Great avatar picture, by the way.

I totally agree. It's never bothered me a bit that "figure skating isn't a like other sports." Plenty of people tease me and say it's not a "real sport." My answer is always that I don't care what you call it, I enjoy watching it because it combines incredible athleticism with grace. You're supposed to make it a triple lutz triple toe or a quad triple look effortless and graceful and that is the magic of it.

I'm not sure how the COP has factored in to the decline in the popularity but I agree with Ven that down on the list although it's not completely irrelevant. When people do tune in and are bewildered by the results, it doesn't help. I don't think it's happened THAT often but it has happened. The lack of stars in the ladies field is the No. 1 reason. It has simply been way too long since the ladies have been able to medal at worlds/Olympics for regular people to turn their heads.

It's a pity that so few regular people care about ice dancing because Davis and White maybe the greatest athletes the USA is sending to Sochi and their rivalry with Virtue/Moir will be the best showdown. But I think ice dancing is hard for regular people to understand no matter what the scoring system is. If you watch the very top teams compared to the more bottom ones than you start to see why one team is better than the other. But if you compare V/M and D/W at their best - how is a regular person supposed to know who did better? It's frustrating but that sport is probably always going to be seen as completely subjective by the regular public. It's hard enough for me. I just watch the videos and then go see what Doris and others say and then watch them again to see if I get it

3. As funny as this sounds the person who brought so much new interest to skating in the wake of the Tonya/Nancy days and the pro boom of skating (and the early days of it too) Michelle Kwan. The reason I say that is Michelle is such a huge star she was almost impossible to live up to for any future American skater. Yet that is what people want, another Michelle or something even better in the U.S, and it probably wont happen for awhile.

The next Michelle Kwan turned out to be Korean but who knows maybe the next Yuna Kim will turn out to be American

 

[YunaBliss]

Here is my view. I think that the figure skating establishment over the last decade has responded defensively to criticism that skating is "not a real sport." The ISU and its allies have undertaken the task of making skating "more like other sports."

This, in my opinion, is a big mistake. The more figure skating becomes "like other sports" the weaker its claim on our attention, both as participants and viewers. After all, there are plenty of other sports that are already "more like other sports" -- why do we need figure skating?

We should stop with the "it is too a real sport, so there!" and celebrate (instead of apologize for) the fact that figure skating is a discipline that combines athleticism with performance art. In particular, we should not apologize for the fact that Jason's performance here, or Yuna's Les Miz at Worlds, leaves us laughing, crying, cheering, shouting, and stamping our feet. Even the unwashed masses can see that!

Absolutely agree with you that figure skating should not become "like other sports" (that was actually my point too) and we shouldn't be apologetic about enjoying it as a performance art.

Where I may differ is that while some may think that CoP - which is an attempt to infuse more "sports aspect" into FS - is harmful, I think it is beneficial, because previously, FS was too shifted toward the other end of the spectrum, its performance art aspect, where you are judged by how much you excite the crowd. It's all matter of finding a right balance between the sports aspect and the performance art aspect, and I think CoP achieves a better balance in that sliding scale (at least for my preference).

 

[pangtongfan]

The next Michelle Kwan turned out to be Korean

Indeed but that is not what the U.S media wanted to happen or what appeals to the U.S star and gold hungry U.S public.

but who knows maybe the next Yuna Kim will turn out to be American

Lets hope.

 

[Mathman]

Did you notice that Jason does almost the same exact move in the beginning?

I have to do ten of those on each leg every day, for my knees. I don't look as good doing them as Yuna, though -- or Jason.

 

[caseyl23]

Just to offer some different perspective, I can sort of see why it has gone "viral" but here is a question I ponder: do people watch figure skating to be entertained or appreciate a technical and/or artistic brilliance?

I think the answer to that question is both. Figure skating is one of those very unique sports that combines athleticism and art, and I think that's a huge part of the allure of the sport. The most beloved skaters are the ones who can combine the triple lutzes, triple axels and quads with the artistry and can reach the audience at the same time. Even without the quad and the just-added-in-last-season triple axel, Jason Brown appears to have the potential to become one of those very special skaters. He's still a work in progress, but he's improved a lot, so there's reason, especially given he's still a teenager, to think he can get there.

From pangtongfan's post:

The biggest reasons figure skating isnt popular in the U.S:

1. Ironically what made it more popular in the first place. The oversaturation of pro events and the skating boom in the wake of Tonya and Nancy. People got bored, and it sent it spiralling downwards to a lower point of interest than it was before. There isnt even a real pro circuit anywhere anymore.

Don't forget – the ISU purchased some of those professional events in the mid-late '90s, allowing amateur skaters to compete against the pros, too. Up until that point, I found the pro events fascinating, because as someone whose first skating event was the '92 Olympics, they introduced me to a lot of interesting skaters I didn't know much about. As those events transitioned into pro-ams, and then disappeared all together, figure skating lost that connection with some of its past greats. Now, we don't get to see Evan Lysacek or Belbin and Agosto or Michelle Kwan as much on TV, and I think that is part of the problem, too.

2. The SLC pairs scandal which in NA the disgusting Scott and Sandra duo helped create/exaggerate, thus helping destroy the sport in NA in the process. Congrats boneheads, and btw the new scoring system is 100% your fault too.

Yes, the SLC scandal was another part of the problem, although given the speed with which it was put in place, I think Code of Points would have been implemented sooner rather than later anyway. Part of me suspects the system was already in the works by 2002 and the pairs and ladies competitions that year gave the ISU an excuse to push it forward – maybe before it was fully ready.

3. As funny as this sounds the person who brought so much new interest to skating in the wake of the Tonya/Nancy days and the pro boom of skating (and the early days of it too) Michelle Kwan. The reason I say that is Michelle is such a huge star she was almost impossible to live up to for any future American skater. Yet that is what people want, another Michelle or something even better in the U.S, and it probably wont happen for awhile.

To a large extent, yes. It's human nature for fans/the press to look at any girl that follows a legend and say, "She's the next Michelle," "She's the next Kristi," or "She's the next whoever." The problem is, for generations, whenever one legend stepped down, there was always someone in place to at least medal by the next Olympics. Tenley Albright was followed by Carol Heiss. 1964 was an off year, due to the '61 plane crash, but even then, Peggy Fleming was well in development for 1968. Then came Janet Lynn, Dorothy Hamill, Linda Fratianne, Rosalyn Sumners, Debi Thomas, Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan, Tara Lipinski, Sarah Hughes, Sasha Cohen and . . . Mirai's fourth place in 2010 was a good result for her, but it broke the string of medals, and let's face it, the U.S. isn't looking much better for this year. Whether that's because of the greater competition from other countries, this crop of U.S. girls just isn't as good as past generations or a combination of both, I'm not quite sure, but if a U.S. girl starts winning medals at the Olympics/Worlds again, I'll bet U.S. fans become more interested again.

4. That they have no U.S women winning medals, let alone titles. The U.S isnt interested in dance or even mens golds, only ladies, and the occasional legendary long standing mens champion (Boitano or Hamilton, not Lysacek) appeals to them.

I agree, and that's too bad, because Davis and White, as someone else mentioned, have everything it takes to be superstars in this country. They have the "magic," they have the looks, they seem very likable, they finished second four years ago and are hoping to take the final step up to gold this year, and they have the close rivalry with Virtue and Moir for good measure. That the American press hasn't been all over this since 2010 is a travesty in my opinion.

 

[WeakAnkles]

I agree with the article that the CoP did figure skating no favors. Not because of the scoring system itself -- as Ven says, who cares about that? -- but because of the type of programs that it encourages. No one in the U.S. wants to watch figure skating any more because the performances are blah.

Finally, at U.S. Nationals, there was one program that was skated from the heart and reached out to the audience. Jason Brown's LP has received two million views on You Tube. That should tell the USFSA and the ISU something.

But that's a total CoP program from start to finish, constructed to get the maximum points Jason is capable of getting at this point in his career. I think it also shows you can create memorable programs under CoP if you put a little creativity into the choreography and skate it with genuine passion. I think CoP in and of itself is less the problem than the fact so many skaters are depending on so few choreographers for their programs. And the IJS penchant for tossing off PCS scores as a 5 part package instead of really evaluating each of those 5 points individually isn't helping matters. Why shouldn't a program score 9.75 for creative choreography and the skaters only a 6.5 for skating skills if that is what their ability truly merits without warning flags going up because judges have strayed from some infamous corridor.

On the other hand, I completely agree with your comments about ice skating's uniqueness as a discipline combining athletic ability with artistry. Viva la difference!

 

[Ven]

Some good points made by all, but I still think it completely misses the mark to say CoP is the reason why figure skating popularity has declined in the U.S. If CoP were the problem, then the popularity wouldn't be so high in Asia. Asians are no less capable of telling good skating from bad skating performances. They are no less capable of telling good art from bad art. If CoP made skating less palatable, Asians would notice too.

Instead, I think the problem lies with a failure to adapt to the new rules in the U.S. From the top levels of the USFSA, to the top American coaches, to the tv and media personalities (who are often top skaters from yesteryear), there seems to be complete inability to move their mindset from 6.0 to CoP. They are stuck in old ways, and the result is mediocre American skating. If the USFSA produced better skaters, Americans would embrace the sport more. It's as simple as that. Instead, the USFSA has failed its job.

This is why I suggest a complete purge of the top USFSA ranks, because it has failed for a very long time now. Sometimes purges are necessary for the younger generation to come in and take a fresh approach. The top coaches have failed too. What are the reasons other nations can maximize their talent according to CoP, but not the USFSA? Just some ideas which may or may not be right, but maybe they are: looking for the wrong qualities in skaters; not training properly; perhaps the top coaches and choreographers are better suited for 6.0 but unable to bring out the best aspects of CoP skating, etc.

Also, I think it would help the sport overall if more penalties were enforced for grievous mistakes, like falling. Perhaps a fall should be -5 or -10 point deduction, instead of -1. As the rules are now, skaters are given incentive to skate programs with highest base value possible, because sloppy performances with higher base value can often give higher scores than clean programs with lower base value. Harsher deductions would shift that balance.