Ah, to only return to the good old days when figure skaters competed for the opportunity of representing their country in international competition. Money, endorsements, and all that stuff just wasn't in the mix...Lysacek sounds as though he's in it for the money.
Yeah the good old days were great, when parents took out 2nd and 3rd mortgages on their homes, worked odd jobs, lived in separate places, practically bankrupted themselves an suffered poor health in some cases so their kid could pursue a dream just long long enough to become good before quitting for lack of funds. All warm fuzzy memories there. Money never came into the mix at all...Give me a break. This looking at the past through rose colored glasses is getting a little precious.
Lysacek seems to be the particular pet target of a fairly large number of people here for actions which are not exclusive to him. If he's guilty of anything, it's misjudging the financial landscape of skating and how he might partake in that. He's not some sort of criminal thug like Mike Tyson. Kwan's a virtual saint so she gets a pass despite the fact the she skipped the GP for years so she could make mountains of cash doing specials while still maintaining her eligibility. She was making more money than the actual declared pros at the time. Kurt Browning also made huge amounts of money as an "amateur". Most of your are probably too young to remember how absolutely HUGE he was 20 years ago. He was a national hero in Canada and pretty darn popular in the US also. Money was being thrown at him like it was nothing. But again, he's a saint and thus above criticism. Yu-Na is of course the second coming and Plushenko is some sort of invincible warrior, so we can't criticize them for making mad amounts of cash either. No, we can only direct all our sanctimonious ire at one person as an indirect outlet for the privately held belief among many that his signature accomplishment was undeserved.
In reality, any skater who makes it to the level of success Evan achieved has to take these financial factors into consideration. That post championship period is likely the peak of their individual earning potential. Everything is downhill from there once the next big name comes along. Every Olympic champ faces the same issues. Deep debt, loyalty to family who sacrificed for you, concern over long term financial security,
Carol Heiss made movies after retiring. Her dad was a baker, not exactly big money. She had to set a foundation for herself. Peggy Fleming made the first sustained big money off her success since Sonja Henie. She had to, her dad literally died to help give her the training she needed to succeed. She had a mother and sisters to help support and a husband in med school. Peggy was the breadwinner for her whole family for years after her OGM. It all looked glamorous, but she was on the road week after week, performing, shooting tv specials, doing press and promotional work. Her memoir details the amount of work she had to do and the strain she felt to honor her family for the sacrifices they made for her. Dorothy Hamill was in much the same boat when she retired, also at 19. They could have all continued competing and, at least in Peggy's case, had an interest in doing so. But money worries set their course. Who knows what Evan's financial motivations are. He may also be looking out family and not just himself.
Not every skater has the skill and talent to go on to become a surgeon like Albright or Thomas. For most, they have forgone enough formal education that it no longer seems like a viable option. Skating is their trade and they have every right to pursue it and make whatever living from it they can manage.
, the ISU has a lot of rules in place. I remember one Skate America in which the field was weak in terms of audience draw and Todd Eldredge volunteered to skate in the gala (for free) just to give the event a ratings boost. The ISU said no dice.
