Which skater's performance at Sochi 2014 is most likely to boost the sports popularity? | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Which skater's performance at Sochi 2014 is most likely to boost the sports popularity?

Joined
Jun 21, 2003
"Pretty" is the basic, not the only one, for one's popularity. Not just the face. As a figure skater, I think the body proportion and shape is quite important for viewers when they feel whether they would love her more or less. Of course, one never knows what is the standard of modern "beauty". It is too closely associated with the word "sexy".

I don't know. All skaters move beautifully. Scott Hamilton is not handsome. Michelle Kwan is not sexy. There is just something about them that engages the viewer.
 

wallylutz

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
weren't we talking here about ethnic background :confused:

uh...nope:

This is typical given when Ang Lee (Taiwan) won the Oscar or Jeremy Lin (USA) became a household name, Chinese media immediately co-opted them as being "Chinese" notwithstanding there needs to be several * besides the use of word Chinese in those situations.

Jeremy Lin's nationality was intentionally indicated with USA in ( ).
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
... being Chinese-born, Chan ...

CORRECTION:

Even USA doesn't recognize Taiwan as a country. ....

Yikes, I would love to reply to this comment, but then this thread would have to be moved to the Politics forum. :eek:hwell:

... In any event, the only discipline that matters in the U.S. is the ladies, anything else is mere details.

Jason Brown has completely nullified this conventional "wisdom," thank goodness. :yes:

... Today, women who are distinctive get much more attention. ...

:cool: :agree: I am only one beholder, but they get much more attention from me.

I think pretty is overrated. There are lots of pretty skaters.

Conversely, the skaters of the past who achieved popularity -- they were OK, but no prettier than thousands of others who never made it big. The same is true of singers, actors, etc.

:agree:
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Boosing the sports popularity. From an analytical perspective I am not sure Jason Bronw's riverdance is the answer. Why? ONe he is unlikely to medal. Two I am not sure he would bring a new or additional audience but just encoruage the diehards or current fans . His performance may be too "effeminate" for poor choice of politically improper words to garner new fans and he isn't likely to be strong enough to win a medal. He is no Katarina Witt or Candelero yet so his personality doesn't shine thrugh a lot yet. Likewise Osmond other than bubbly hasn't distinguished herself yet techincally or artistically. Davis and White have no Bolero or even Mahler and they are not magic on ice like Usova and Zhulin even without OGM or Klimova and Pomarenko. A clean Yuna whiole beautiful to watch is merely a rendition of 2010. Hanyu and chan may skate well but not really to wow more fans. There are no Duchaseneys, Ito's or even Bonaly's Gracie and Wagner are pretty princeses and Gold though good may be relying on her GOld looks! That is not performance though if we read the thread. Carolina has gone back to an old program; not sure really who could boost the popularity of the sport - who has the technical elements and personality and that stands out Lots of pretty princesses but who has something "special" that stands out like pu re power in skating or charisma. At least Plushy has his campiness and reputation to pull in viewers - an amazing performance by Plushy might help. A heart warming story like Rochette or a wardrobe malfunction sadly might boost the sports popularity.
 

wallylutz

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Jason Brown has completely nullified this conventional "wisdom," thank goodness. :yes: :yay:

I understand the excitement surrounding Jason Brown and feel it is justified. He is a special and unique skater.

However, I am not convinced he has saved Figure Skating as a sport in the U.S. quite yet. I hope he will though, just not today.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
I understand the excitement surrounding Jason Brown and feel it is justified. He is a special and unique skater.

However, I am not convinced he has saved Figure Skating as a sport in the U.S. quite yet. I hope he will though, just not today.

For now, he is certainly helping the sport gain more exposure for the time being. It remains to be seen whether this will be sustainable long-term, but I agree with golden411 that he is at least defying the conventional wisdom in the short-term. Gracie Gold, who?
 

wallylutz

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Gracie and Wagner are pretty princeses and Gold though good may be relying on her GOld looks!

For the nth time, there is nothing "Gold" about Gracie's look. This girl has some real challenges in not knowing how to dress. From the Icenetwork pic where she looked a lot older than she really is and not in a good way, to the much ridicule grandma' pearls when she did TV interview after the U.S. Nationals - you are one of the very few aside from somebody with sky in the handle who thinks Gracie has "Gold" look. As pointed out already, somebody like Gracie wouldn't even make the Vogue magazine today. Wanna see a real blonde beauty? Try Kirra Korpi instead here : Kiira Korpi
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
It a bit naive to think a skater or skaters will save skating. The sport itself needs to somehow become more appealing to the masses, but it will never be seen as compelling or worth watching as pro sports, even though we think it is. I think people are still impressed by figure skaters, just like they are gymnasts, but it's one of those once-in-a-while sports for them.
 

louisa05

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
I think pretty is overrated. There are lots of pretty skaters.

Conversely, the skaters of the past who achieved popularity -- they were OK, but no prettier than thousands of others who never made it big. The same is true of singers, actors, etc.

Hollywood also has a habit of making people who are not conventionally attractive beautiful by their association with success. Tara is not a conventionally attractive girl, but she was in People's 50 Most Beautiful People issue after winning the Olympics. Winning will make any American lady "beautiful".
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
For now, he is certainly helping the sport gain more exposure for the time being. It remains to be seen whether this will be sustainable long-term, but I agree with golden411 that he is at least defying the conventional wisdom in the short-term. Gracie Gold, who?

With regard to conventional wisdom, Americans celebrated the successes of ice princesses Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill. But I bet just as many people today recognize Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano. I don't remember a popular song titled, "What would Janet Lynn do." ;)

Maybe the Jason Brown ponytail will be the new Dorothy Hamill wedge cut. :)

Hollywood also has a habit of making people who are not conventionally attractive beautiful by their association with success. Tara is not a conventionally attractive girl, but she was in People's 50 Most Beautiful People issue after winning the Olympics. Winning will make any American lady "beautiful".

:clap: Plus, Hollywood can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. (At least they could in the past. Every girl they recruited from the soda counter in Des Moines went though the shop and came out glamorous. Nowadays they don't seem to bother. ;) )

Figure skating is the same, to me. Skaters are like anyone else in real life, but scrub them up and teach them to match graceful movement to beautiful music, and they are all gorgeous.
 
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CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
I feel weird about propping up a skater because she's beautiful anyways. Beauty is subjective anyways, and it should be based on talented. Otherwise Korpi would be a multiple world champ! :bow:
 

louisa05

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
It doesn't matter who People's magazine puts in its 50 Most Beautiful. If they are not beautiful, they are not beautiful. I used to buy the 50 Most editions, not anymore. Not that I do not value the beauty of their heart and/or their accomplishment. I just don't feel like I want to look at them anymore.:biggrin:

I have never bought them. And I don't think they are the arbiter of what or who is beautiful. You completely missed the point which is this: the media is not going to latch on to Gracie and thus save the sport because of how she looks. They are going to latch on to an Olympian (in any sport) who wins gold medals and declare her beautiful no matter how she looks. (And, yes, "her" is the appropriate pro-noun because no one seems to be debating if Plush or Chan or Fernandez or whoever is "pretty" enough to save skating--go figure).
 

Big Deal

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
Nobody knows PRIOR the event.
It can be a CERTAIN MOMENT when quality, flawlessness, poetry and emotion comes together with the helping great response from the audience in the arena.
Yes, also pretty face helps like a catching personality does which not necessarily has anything to do with the real personality of the athlete.
Or a "kid-like" appearance which creates a natural "parent-like" support , or timeless ethernal perfection.
There are quite many candidate who CAN reach all these moments at once in a perfect moment.
They are:
Chan,
Hanyu,
Takahashi
Fernandez
Brown

Lipnitskaya,
Gold,
Kim,
Asada,
Suzuki


Virtue/Moir (if they will have "it" and they are perfect)
(Davis/White can rightfully win but their perfection is not touching somehow)

None of the pairs except (maybe) Pang/Tong if they bring the ceiling down.


So, quite many options, I'm looking forward to!!!!
 

yuki90

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 8, 2014
http://www.insidethegames.biz/blogs/...-2014For RobinCousins, Olympic figure skating gold medalist in 1980, the personality he thinks will captivate the TV viewers will be the defending  women's champion Yuna Kim, of South Korea. "She is the grand dame of skating, a beautiful woman on and off the ice. She  has such a graceful, classic style."There are some other excellent skaters, notably the Russians, but they are mainly kids. This contest is a woman versus girls and I take the woman  to win and become the world's skating sweetheart."
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
http://www.insidethegames.biz/blogs/...-2014For RobinCousins, Olympic figure skating gold medalist in 1980, the personality he thinks will captivate the TV viewers will be the defending  women's champion Yuna Kim, of South Korea. "She is the grand dame of skating, a beautiful woman on and off the ice. She  has such a graceful, classic style."There are some other excellent skaters, notably the Russians, but they are mainly kids. This contest is a woman versus girls and I take the woman  to win and become the world's skating sweetheart."

While most of the other skaters are not as refined as Yuna, it is a bit insulting to say it is a "woman versus girls," particularly with Mao, Akiko, and Caro in the field.
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Besides looks and a few other variables the most important thing is that people have to love and adore their actual skating and it helps to already have a big following. I don’t think Gracie or Ashley has that but they both are beautiful girls.

Love Mao, Dai and Yuna but they are already popular in their own country. However, I never see anything on them here in the U.S. advertising wise...like for products.
 

desertskates

Medalist
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
Gracie is not the most beautiful girl in figure skating. However, in whole, she is a lot easier to look at than Ashley Wagner, especially when they skate on ice.

I think if any American lady does well in these Olympics, they can help boost popularity here. And Gracie is a beautiful girl, but so is Ashley. This is not exactly a picture of a woofer here:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/542261611354985037/
 

treeloving

Medalist
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
One word - Li Zijun. If she can land on the podium or became top contender in next quad, she will be big in China (and mat be Asia). She has big potential to be marketable (the same way as Son Yeon Jae), I would bet on her much more than Patrick Chan regarding market in China.
 
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