I think you are missing the point. Talent should be and is always praised. But sometimes praises can go over-the-top for what has actually been achieved. Certainly Chan is an extremely talented skater and already wonderful the way he is, and I don't think many would disagree. But what some people (me included) are starting to find annoying are the exaggeration of his talents and overboard praises that make him sound like he's the best skater there ever has been or the ultimate that a skater could ever become, when in fact, there are still areas where he can definitely work on.
Exactly. If I'd seen Chan for the first time without hearing so much beforehand about how great he was, I'd probably think he was a good skater, with lots of potential, some things he needed to work on and some where he was already very strong. I doubt he would have been my favorite, but I imagine my reaction would have been mostly positive. Instead, I feel as if this skater is being held up as an example of all that's good in figure skating and presented as though he is the greatest hope for the sport, while others are dismissed as has-beens or having sub-par talent. That's what I meant when I wrote that the negative feeling is not a result of anything Patrick himself has done. But I can't help feeling that he is being overhyped, and that his marks are not always reflective of what he does on the ice. I would've said the same had it been an American, or a Chinese, or a Swedish skater.
I was one of the people who brought this up, so I'll try and explain. Certainly one or two articles aren't a lot of pressure. It's not one or two articles anymore, though: it's many articles that can be over the top in building up Patrick as superior to the other guys, and a sponsorship deal with McDonalds which will make him much more visible, plus huge marks in the last two events held in Canada (some say too huge), and the last world champion saying Chan's skills are way beyond anyone else's (which makes me wonder what Buttle is watching, exactly - but never mind that
). That's beyond a bit of excitement over a talented young skater.
Actually, if you do read that thread and not just look at it, you will see that the majority of the posters who were unhappy with the scoring focused their criticism on the judges. In fact, several people specifically noted that Chan himself had done nothing wrong and was a deserving winner - just not by the margin he had.
Sure one can gush away. But don't be shocked or even outraged when others find it exaggerated and speak their mind.
So what if that's exactly their feeling? It's one thing to not root for a skater and another to dislike them personally. And over-the-top fandom from one group of fans almost always generates a lukewarm reaction from another group of spectators who might have otherwise reacted more enthusiastically. I'm not sure why that is so ridiculously surprising to you.Oh, didn't someone say something like....I can't root for Chan because of all the hype he got etc? That to me is exactly what I find ridiculous. It's ok to like or dislike a skater, but to against a skater simply because he's popular is silly. I really don't care how people feel about Chan (cause everyone is entitled to like or dislike someone) but I just want to point out the silliness of some remarks were made to dislike someone.
And I don't understand why is it so difficult to see the difference between feeling turned off by excessive fandom in general and actually disliking a skater.
I don't mind the fandom - my guess is that all of us are fans of specific skaters, and obviously there are plenty of popular skaters out there. I just dislike having a specific skater held up as an example of all that's good and appealing, while others are dismissed as not up to said skater's standards. This does come across from some in the media and some fans regarding Chan, to a greater extent than for any other skater I can think of, except maybe Mao/Yu-Na - and at least there are two of them to share in it, and they have the results to back up that assessment. Chan is not "head and shoulders" above the others, and that kind of hyperbole is annoying. If I liked his skating more, maybe I could ignore it, but really he doesn't excite me or engage my interest as much as some of the others do.
