How much interest can Alysa Liu revive in figure skating in the US?

[TontoK]

If she becomes more of a celebrity than an athlete, I could see her management team encouraging her to wind down her career to keep her winning aura front and center. There's a lot of downside for the Alysa brand if she competes and doesn't perform as well, but if skating doesn't become more popular (with help from her participation) then that's also not good for her brand. It's a dilemma and it will be interesting to see how things unfold in the next year.

Personally, I think this approach is without merit. If she wants to compete, she should. If she wants to be done, then that's fine, too.

But making a decision on what she thinks the general public might feel about some potential future event is just madness.

Case in point: If someone had told me that Ilia Malinin would have one of the most epic crash-and-burn performances of an Olympic favorite ever... and RISE in popularity because of it... I'd never have guessed. You can never tell how the public is going to react to anything, so there's not much point in structuring your life to suit their whims.

My guess is that if Alysa handles a disappointing loss as well as Kaori Sakamoto did when she lost in Boston to Alysa or in the GPF to Amber, she'll be fine. I don't think Kaori gets nearly enough credit for redefining what it means to be a champion.

 

[Mathman]

Case in point: If someone had told me that Ilia Malinin would have one of the most epic crash-and-burn performances of an Olympic favorite ever... and RISE in popularity because of it... I'd never have guessed.

So true. You just never know when something or someone will strike a chord with the public.

I would say the same thing about Alysa-mania -- who could have predicted all this, no matter how well she skated at the Olympics.

 

[el henry]

...

On a more serious note, all sports in theory are meant for all ages and for every social status but in practice the demographics vary. Especially the aficionado segment tends to belong to a specific demographic group. How would you describe the demographics of figure skating target audience in the U.S.?

The current audience for skating in the US, or at least those who buy tickets and go to comps, could be characterized as "God's Waiting Room" ) Not completely, not totally, but in a higher percentage than of the general population. And I am in the anteroom myself.

That is what is exciting/could be exciting about Alysa. A completely new demographic. If, and yes we all know what a huge if this is, any of it boils over.

....

My guess is that if Alysa handles a disappointing loss as well as Kaori Sakamoto did when she lost in Boston to Alysa or in the GPF to Amber, she'll be fine. I don't think Kaori gets nearly enough credit for redefining what it means to be a champion.

Considering how gracious Alysa was in victory, I don't think we need to worry there. I do believe her interviews and I don't think she sees any result as disappointing, unless she did not do her best. And then she would be disappointed in herself, not at her competitors.

 

[Anna K.]

The current audience for skating in the US, or at least those who buy tickets and go to comps, could be characterized as "God's Waiting Room" ) Not completely, not totally, but in a higher percentage than of the general population. And I am in the anteroom myself.

That is what is exciting/could be exciting about Alysa. A completely new demographic. If, and yes we all know what a huge if this is, any of it boils over.

It is exciting, but...

Every time when Alysa is referred to as "a Gen Z icon" I can't help giggling. The contrast is too stark. Of all sports imaginable, the new Gen Z icon has emerged from the most mothball one which, in the US, is sponsored by a company that sells products for the elderly

"A completely new demographic" looks great on the paper. But how will it work in real life? How can it possibly work?

Are we on a collision course?

 

[rabidline]

It is exciting, but...

Every time when Alysa is referred to as "a Gen Z icon" I can't help giggling. The contrast is too stark. Of all sports imaginable, the new Gen Z icon has emerged from the most mothball one which, in the US, is sponsored by companies that sell products for the elderly

"A completely new demographic" looks great on the paper. But how will it work in real life? How can it possibly work?

Are we on a collision course?

Maybe we are, and it's exciting to sit back and watch whether it will work or not, and how it will work if it does. Even if it doesn't work, what happened with Alysa is already an unprecedented start. I don't think we can use past playbooks of a figure skating star as a reference here. The aspirational fantasy of Alysa's win is against a lot of figure skating star / idol template, including the lack of acceptable nationalistic burden and the personal ownership she displays of her output. Which Olympic champion can say "I like to fall too. I don't mind falling." ?

Still too soon to get concrete data of course, but we never had a figure skater amass 7,5 million new Instagram followers not even a month after her Olympic victory of course not all past stars had an existing Instagram account already when they won but that also what makes Alysa different from them all. (She also has the best curated feed, in my honest personal opinion. Which is very Gen Z of her).

And well, that mothball sport is still the crown jewel of the Winter Olympics. I have long suspected the lack of a "real" Olympics in 2022 will surprise many in 2026 when it's back under the spotlight, but a new potential A-List star American female figure skater was not on my bingo list.

 

[Mathman]

.Which Olympic champion can say "I like to fall too. I don't mind falling." ?

Although, if I remember the quote correctly, Michelle Kwan once said something like. "I wish I had a dollar for every fall I've taken on the ice in practice... Oh wait... I do."

 

[Mathman]

Actually, I do wonder what the USFSA will make of all this, if anything. Thie USFSA is an organization largely made up of volunteers. They are enthusiastic about figure skating. There is a lot of autonomy for local skating clubs to do their thing with only mild oversight and help, financial or otherwise, from the national organization. In particular, they have never shown much interest or expertise in money matters or in tooting promotional horns. They are happy enough to accept primary sponsorship from Prevagen (a memory-loss supplement for old people).

When Dorothy Hamill got rich in the 1970s off a flood of ballyhooed merch, the USFSA had nothing to do with it, It was all outside promoters trying to make a buck off Hamill's sudden popularity and press exposure. From time to time the USFSA announces that they have hired a marketing consultant or whatever, but nothing much ever comes of it. It's just not their thing.

Is this alarming? Or is the USFSA as laid back and "authentic" as Alysa?

 

[moonvine]

Actually, I do wonder what the USFSA will make of all this, if anything. Thie USFSA is an organization largely made up of volunteers. They are enthusiastic about figure skating. There is a lot of autonomy for local skating clubs to do their thing with only mild oversight and help, financial or otherwise, from the national organization. In particular, they have never shown much interest or expertise in money matters or in tooting promotional horns. They are happy enough to accept primary sponsorship from Prevagen (a memory-loss supplement for old people).

When Dorothy Hamill got rich in the 1970s off a flood of ballyhooed merch, the USFSA had nothing to do with it, It was all outside promoters trying to make a buck off Hamill's sudden popularity and press exposure. From time to time the USFSA announces that they have hired a marketing consultant or whatever, but nothing much ever comes of it. It's just not their thing.

Is this alarming? Or is the USFSA as laid back and "authentic" as Alysa?

Not when they’re still charging $1,000 per year for the right to purchase FOFS tickets for $100 a pop.

 

[Arriba627]

Not when they’re still charging $1,000 per year for the right to purchase FOFS tickets for $100 a pop.

I'd give anything to have them bring back the FOFS breakfasts (at a reasonable price).

 

[Skating91]

I'm not sure how it started but we were told by all the commentators and it seemed to spread through social media that Liu only skates for her enjoyment, the results don't matter at all to her. Liu often pushes the idea she just goes out there because she enjoys going there as a form of expression, if good results happen then that's a bonus.

It really felt like commentators were hammering home the point at times that she only skates for her enjoyment, results are secondary. It was as if this is the new era, Noonan pointedly said that the Olympic podium was a 'happy podium, a healthy podium' (we all know what the subtext is but everyone was wearing COVID masks and told to isolate from others in Beijing).

But then she wins Olympic gold and skips World's presumably because she won't be in peak form and will be beatable. Which contradicts this idea that has been pushed that the she skates for enjoyment and as a form of expression. Why would it matter finishing 10th if you only go out onto the ice to express yourself. You can just jump a 3-2 combo instead of a 3-3. World's only comes around once per year, skaters have short careers maybe only 4-5 World's in their lives, 1-2 Olympics. There are not many better stages to express yourself than at the World Championships.

Really, if the ISU, the skating establishment want to push Liu as the new face of skating, as a new philosophy where the sport is not about being pressured to get results rather than just having fun and expressing yourself, she needs to be at every major competition. Maybe offer some kind of incentive. Otherwise it becomes hard to promote the sport, to cash in on some of that social media buzz from the Olympics.

Maybe the US fed or the ISU need to offer appearance fees for the Olympic gold medallists or medallists so that they appear at World's in an Olympic season.

 

[Mathman]

To me, its a case of "everything old is new again." That's why I use the word "rejuvenate."

Lady figure skaters throughout history have proclaimed some version of, "I just want to skate and have fun." Sonja Henie's autobiography is all about "the wind whistling through my hair..." Not so much about winning ten world championships and threee Olympic gold medals.

As for the ISU or USFSA offering appearance fees for participation in major competitions, neither organization has ever gone that route. When youthful Olympic champion Oksana Baiul landed in the iSU's doghouse for off-ice behavior, the discussion was, "But figure skating needs Oksana Baiul." ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta was quoted as saying flat out, "We'll create a new Oksana Baiul."

In the case of the USFSA I do believe that the $900,000 per year that they paid Michelle Kwan came with the understanding that she would participate in all the cheesefests and made-for-TV shows produced by ABC television for commercial purposes. But not for official competitions like Worlds and Nationals. That wouldn't be fair to other aspirants.

 

[el henry]

The ISU isn’t pushing a darn thing, they’re just jumping on the train. This swell of interest in Alysa is organic, which fascinates me and why I started the thread. If the ISU and USFS knew how to generate enough interest for a skater to add more than seven million followers on IG in less than a week, skating would be the most popular sport in the US. It is not.

Again, the ISU isn’t pushing a narrative that Alysa doesn’t care about results as her first and foremost goal, Alysa herself has said that in multiple ways and in multiple interviews. Anyone who cares to listen to them or read them can see for themselves.

I prefer to believe Alysa herself, whose words and affect seem quite genuine and not manufactured. I think this is part of her popularity and that is indeed difficult to replicate.

ETA: and over the years, I have seen a lot of the perky “oh I just love to skate” interviews. This is quite different. As stands now, she is a breath of fresh air.

 

[noskates]

Presumably because she won't be in peak form? That's ludicrous! As mentioned in one of her latest interviews, she's hardly had time to sleep much less get on the ice. Going from training for many hours every day for months to rarely putting your skates on. I don't think that's a "presumably" connotation. I still don't understand all the negativity around Alysa in this thread. Did she beat your favorites or something? The old tried and true "the judges got it wrong" mindset? Why are many of you predicting doom and gloom? Why cant we all just sit back and see what evolves? Be happy for Alysa and her gold medal. Be happy that for some period of time our sport is in a positive limelight and people are interested again. As for being a GenZ icon, Good Lord in Heaven - there are so many podcasters and performers of dubious content that I wouldn't want my children to look up to. Alysa is a breath of fresh air.

 

[Anna K.]

I still don't understand all the negativity around Alysa in this thread. Did she beat your favorites or something?

Actually, she did.

 

[noskates]

Well, sorry about that. The ice is slippery. Truth be told it would have been a wonderful fairy tale for Kaori to win the OGM but I'm from the USA and will always celebrate any medal our team wins. At the same time, I would never detract from another country's success. There's always another competition!

 

[Mathman]

To me, it's all part of the Alysa magic. No, she is not the first one to say, "I don't care about medals, I just want to put out a performance that I can be proud of."

But it might be the first time anyone believed it.

 

[Magill]

To me, it's all part of the Alysa magic. No, she is not the first one to say, "I don't care about medals, I just want to put out a performance that I can be proud of."

But it might be the first time anyone believed it.

No, she's not.

 

[el henry]

To me, it's all part of the Alysa magic. No, she is not the first one to say, "I don't care about medals, I just want to put out a performance that I can be proud of."

But it might be the first time anyone believed it.

This may be the first time that the skater herself believed it. And so we believe her. Or at least to the extent that it has captured the general public in the US which since I am the OP, I must point out again, was my query.

The too cool for school kids can always make up some reason why it's not really her mindset. But I've never been too cool for school.

 

[frompolandwithlove]

To check if Alyssa already had an impact on figure skating popularity itself, we should probably just check the number of viewers on upcoming worlds without Alyssa. If the numbers stay pretty much the same as ever, then we could tell she didn't make skating that much more popular yet . But then again, bigger numbers could be caused by general post-olympic interest. Consequently, if any future competitions with Alyssa will have significantly bigger audience than without Alyssa, then can we talk about sport popularity or is it just skater popularity?
Either way, no point in talking about it now, it's still brewing, only time can give us answers, maybe we should come back to talk about it in a couple of months or so.

 

[Magill]

To check if Alyssa already had an impact on figure skating popularity itself, we should probably just check the number of viewers on upcoming worlds without Alyssa. If the numbers stay pretty much the same as ever, then we could tell she didn't make skating that much more popular yet . But then again, bigger numbers could be caused by general post-olympic interest. Consequently, if any future competitions with Alyssa will have significantly bigger audience than without Alyssa, then can we talk about sport popularity or is it just skater popularity?
Either way, no point in talking about it now, it's still brewing, only time can give us answers, maybe we should come back to talk about it in a couple of months or so.

I guess we'll know more next season.