I think if an elite athlete wants to maximize exposure, income, and at the same time produce results, good for them. After all, I have heard what a wonderful thing it is to cram all your senior skating into a few years and then go off to other ventures. I don’t agree with that philosophy, but if that’s the case, it shows strength of character, intelligence, and all those other good traits to maximize your other opportunities while you can:agree:
Fifty years ago the Supreme Court of the US abolished a professional team’s legal attempt to keep an athlete tied to them forever just because they “raised them up” in a farm team(
Flood v. Kuhn All types of arguments about “loyalty” and “investment” were presented, and were rejected. (Needless to say the decision was based on a particular US law, and an exemption to that law, but the “emotional” arguments rested on those feelings).
Likewise, for me, (and maybe many Americans who accept athletes changing teams and coaches as a fact of life. At least I think we do, 50 years later) those arguments simply are not applicable to an athlete who simply wants to change coaches, or teams. Will it work? Who knows. But fans of the athlete and the skater will of course wish them well and hope it does