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

[Mathman]

I don't think you can increase the popularity of the sport if the narrative is "Figure skating has always been about putting little girls into pretty boxes and that continues to be the case. The sport always was and continues to be very conservative, anti-feminist, and uncool.

Very, very timidly I have come to the conclusion that figure skating has always been neither more nor less conservative, anti-feminist, etc., than American society as a whole. Everything that we object to in the "girls in pretty boxes" mentality applies much more broadly and harmfully, in my opinion. Janet Lynn is not responsible for women being paid less than men for comparable work, for instance.

Similarly with respect to gay issues, I do not regard figure skating as either an active leader or a meek follower in the attitudinal shifts that have overtaken public awareness, slowly at first, then gathering speed in the last decade or so. Yes, there are many gay people involved in the sport in one way or another (gay men have always been well represented in every artistic field of endeavor -- I hope that's not an offensive generalization) but the trickle of figure skaters, starting with Rudy Galindo in 1996, who put themselves on the firing line -- I don't know that I would say that they were more -- or less -- influential in terms of public consciousness -- than pioneers in all walks of life.

If Alysa Liu represents, reflects, or leads a new definition of what's cool, I'm all for it. If she does, I hope that "what's cool" will be related to our perception of female athletes, rather than what color we paint our toenails.

 

[yfan1]

If the goal is to increase interest in the sport as a whole, what could work better would be something more along the lines of "Figure skating has traditionally been a very socially conservative sport emphasizing beauty and femininity in its female athletes. But there has always been a tension between image and athleticism. Skating's preferred images for female athletes may have been slow to change with the times, but nevertheless they have evolved, with ice princesses and mold-breakers often trading titles across the years. (Examples of world champions/Olympic non-gold medalists like Debi Thomas and Midori Ito, through Kaori Sakamoto.) In the current judging system, building up points on technical skills can be undeniable regardless of the skater's chosen image. So the sport now offers more room for than ever for skaters to find their own style, their own brand of artistry, while delivery the technical content needed to win. No one personifies that freedom of expression more than Alysa Liu..."
(And then show a variety of successful/moderately successful recent competitors with a variety of images not all of which fit the traditional molds.)

Exactly.

Not just is Liu nowhere close to being the first, the idea that she is somehow breaking the mold because she is "skilled" enough to do so is silly. Midori Ito was better, and she's one of the most well-known athletes of the sport and certainly not some "typical princess"... At the other end of the stick, "typical ice princess" Asada was certainly also a better skater than Liu, and it belies belief that she chose the persona she did because she wasn't brave or skilled enough to break the mold. Fact is, that style of skating takes skill, inherent strength of the body to skate to perfection, as Asada (and Kwan, and any number of others) used to. The article shows very little understanding of the kind of training that goes into skating, so how is it not harmful?

Imagine going to a ballet and saying "oh they're all so cowardly to not be able to break the mold". You simply haven't comprehended what you watched if that's what you think.

 

[Arigato]

That is what makes me hold back in terms of my natural giddy optimism. I think that the "powerful forces" are mainly the irresistible tide of cultural drift, a thousand-headed monster with a will of its own. Activities and entertainment get more popular over time, or less, for many reasons, or for none.

What if Americans were only allowed to listen to The Beatles for 24-48 hours? Man, would they have been popular.

 

[Mathman]

What if Americans were only allowed to listen to The Beatles for 24-48 hours? Man, would they have been popular.

Well... in the case of figure skating I think that this sort of thing is one factor -- among many. In general. I am not all aboard with pundits who say,that if only those idiots in charge would do this one thing the world would be paradise.

 

[Mathman]

Not just is Liu nowhere close to being the first, the idea that she is somehow breaking the mold because she is "skilled" enough to do so is silly.

I think we are giving too much credit to these random op ed things. In the case of the Teen Vogue article the author says flat out that she doesn't know or care anything about figure skating. I am pretty sure that she has never heard of Midori Ito. So why publish articles by people who don't know what they are talking about? Who knows -- the way of the world, I guess.

At the other end of the scale are pontifications by people who ARE experts in the field and who look down their noses at people who aren't. That kind of makes me smile, too. I guesss I'm just perverse that way.

 

[rabidline]

Meanwhile the 8M Insta followers of Alysa Liu: googling "a death drop into a twist"

That Alysa now has the same number of Instagram followers as Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie combined tickles me - a headcanon of her being the Hollanov figure skating daughter got around before the Olympics and it was cute especially her NHL draft insta caption back in 2024... so fitting.

 

[Anna K.]

That Alysa now has the same number of Instagram followers as Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie combined tickles me - a headcanon of her being the Hollanov figure skating daughter got around before the Olympics and it was cute especially her NHL draft insta caption back in 2024... so fitting.

What tickles me is HypeAuditor that puts her in the "Sports with a ball (United States)" category

 

[Anna K.]

On a more serious note and for the purpose of answering the question of this thread, here is some brain food.
This is how Moburst (Moburst is a premier, award-winning digital-first marketing agency for brands and startups) describes the influencer class Alysa is currently in:

Mega influencers have more than one million followers and are usually celebrities with a large online following. Due to their celebrity status and huge following, they tend to be expensive to work with.
What’s more, their audience is too large to be operating within one single niche, so their audience will be broad and span numerous demographics and interests. As such, their value for your brand may not be as high as micro-influencers, for example.
It’s generally accepted that mega influencers’ fame outweighs their genuine influence. People follow them because they are famous, not necessarily because they have fostered a close relationship with them and trust their opinion. Their volume of followers makes it hard to develop these close relationships and a higher level of engagement.
For example, the Kardashian / Jenner family would be considered mega influencers as all their follower counts are in the tens of millions. However, they rose to fame from their family’s hit reality TV show rather than from posting content on social media, which came secondary to their TV fame.
Mega influencers have a huge reach, garnering tens of millions of likes and views. While their massive reach may sound like a great selling point, it may be hard to determine how much of it will come from your target users or how many people are actually influenced to make a purchase.
Brands should choose mega influencers when aiming for wide-reaching brand awareness, launching new products, or targeting mainstream markets.
These influencers, with their extensive follower base, are ideal for creating buzz, elevating brand positioning, and highlighting special events or launches.
However, these collaborations are best pursued when the budget allows for high-profile endorsements and when there’s a strategic alignment between the influencer’s image and the brand’s values to ensure authenticity and resonance with the target audience.

So, we have a mega influencer who is a figure skater... How does it look like in the perspective of promoting a sport or a sports event?

 

[Mathman]

^ I could make a joke about what really propelled Kim Kardashian into the public consciousness, but I won't.

 

[Anna K.]

^You won't find a picture in the post that he's pointing to.

Just saying.

 

[Arigato]

I find the number 999.6K amusing. Oops, now it's 999.7. It won't stop. Fine . . . 999.8
999.9 and you know it's about to hit 1 million in a second. It did.

刘美贤 on Instagram: "Loveee a death drop into a twist"

1M likes, 4,554 comments - alysaxliu on March 20, 2026: "Loveee a death drop into a twist".

www.instagram.com

 

[Mathman]

I'm still feeling conflicted about the whole thing. Alysa has 999 thousand followers, soon to be 999 million. I hope she'll soon have 999 million dollars in the bank. Yay!

Does this benefit the sport of figure skating? Well, that's the question under speculative debate here.

 

[Anna K.]

I'm still feeling conflicted about the whole thing. Alysa has 999 thousand followers, soon to be 999 million. I hope she'll soon have 999 million dollars in the bank. Yay!

Does this benefit the sport of figure skating? Well, that's the question under speculative debate here.

Hey, can you pay attention just for change?

Alysa has 8M followers.
The 1M is the number of likes that a figure skating content post got in her feed - and it's the first time after Olympics when her figure skating content reaches this benchmark. Well, it actually took three days to get there (and I can see that I was not the only one who waited ) but still.

Now, ye all long term fans, bring up your memories: when did a figure skating content post get 1M or more likes on social media?

Come on, 1M is not that many. And didn't Taylor Swift post about figure skating somehow?

 

[Arigato]

^

Taylor did the narrative intro for Blade Angels on NBC Sports. But she might be miffed Alysa passed Travis.

Alysa Liu overtakes Travis Kelce after Olympics social media surge

Alysa Liu is putting up social media numbers never before seen from a figure skater—and she just surpassed Travis Kelce.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Mathman]

Hey, can you pay attention just for change?

You got me there. I confess that I don't pay sufficient attention to how many millions of views "influencers" get. Maybe that's what the US Figure Skating Association needs to do. Hire some influencers to plug figure skating.

 

[yfan1]

I was a bit more invested in the quality of choreography, performance and technique, than views and likes, as a long term fan...

 

[Mathman]

Alysa passed Travis.

Oh oh. Bad news for the popularity of football in the U.S.

 

[Mathman]

I was a bit more invested in the quality of choreography, performance and technique, than views and likes, as a long term fan...

Actually, I think that is the main thrust of this thread. Long term skating fans are already skating fans. But what about prospective new fans? What are they interested in?

 

[Arigato]

Wait for it . . .

Fernando Mendoza on Instagram: "Team foundation or team ice 𝗄̶𝗂̶𝗇̶𝗀̶ queen? #Fortnite #EpicPartner"

306K likes, 1,449 comments - fernandomendoza on March 22, 2026: "Team foundation or team ice 𝗄̶𝗂̶𝗇̶𝗀̶ queen? #Fortnite #EpicPartner".

www.instagram.com

 

[yfan1]

Actually, I think that is the main thrust of this thread. Long term skating fans are already skating fans. But what about prospective new fans? What are they interested in?

I have already answered with my opinion - if new fans are interested in fashion, hairstyles, looks, personalities, and what your anime taste is, then we haven't really achieved anything groundbreaking with the sport. The celebrity of that person is getting boosted. That's it.

And sure some may go watch her, but what's the guarantee any of those people will be retained even after one competition let alone after retirement? For me, that retention can only happen if the sport as a whole introspects and fixes several of its issues.