Good or Bad?

Good or Bad?

Originally published in the May/Jun 2014 PS Magazine

After the 2013 U.S. Championships in San Jose, I was highly critical of several incidences of poor etiquette and sportsmanship in the kiss and cry area. To be consistent, I felt it was right to refer to two more incidents that happened at the Olympics that were overshadowed by the results of the women’s event.

The first was the unfortunate use of “Bull S*%#” following the ladies team short program by Ashley Wagner. Caught on camera, it went viral, becoming the butt of many jokes. More importantly, this will be the ever lasting image for many fans and one that does not represent who Ashley is as a person.

The second was Jeremy Abbott’s statement saying, "I just want to put my middle finger in the air and say a big 'F you' to everyone who has ever said that to me because they've never stood in my shoes."  He was referring to critics who refer to him as a “choker.” Again, many in the non-skating media trashed him, mostly focusing on the out of context “F you.”

USA Today printed the whole quote, “I would just hold my middle finger in the air and say a big F you to everyone who has ever said that to me because they have never stood in my shoes…they’ve never had to do what I had to do. Nobody has to stand center ice before a million people and put an entire career on the line for eight minutes of their life when they’ve been doing it for 20-some years. And if you don’t think that that’s not hard, you’re a damn idiot…so some people can handle it better than others, but everyone has that mental struggle, everyone goes through the same doubts. I am not alone. They just come at different times and different moments. Some people have their moment at the Olympics, and some have theirs at the national championships… I’m proud to be standing here. I’m a four-time national champion and a two-time Olympian, and no one can take that away from me. So whatever people have to say about me, that’s their own problem because I’m freaking proud of what I’ve done and I’m not going to apologize for any of it.”

The whole quote still comes off whiney and most likely the writer’s desired result, but it shows his state of mind and the emotional frustration and stress he was feeling. “Some people can handle it better than others, but everyone has that mental struggle, everyone goes through the same doubts. I am not alone.” This should have been the quote. In some way, we have all been there.

Unfortunately, on a stage as big as the Olympics where a large number of viewers are casual figure skating fans, the perception of both instances is and will remain for the foreseeable future, negative. Obviously the skaters in question were dealing with highly emotional circumstances; Ashley’s, a heat of the moment, in-competition slip of the tongue and very difficult to control; Jeremy’s, a shot across his bow at a press conference that was surely to illicit the desired reaction. Even with all the media training our elite athletes receive, there will be times when frustration will rear its ugly head. While it’s probably unavoidable, I think it our responsibility to not condone it, but to encourage our athletes to think before they speak.  Obviously, journalists are very savvy when it comes to preparing questions for a press conference. A reporter will often attempt to spin the answers in a negative way.

After the Olympic men’s free skate, a reporter asked Jason Brown how he felt dropping from sixth to ninth place. Obviously the reporter was trying to get Jason to say how upset he was…but Jason turned the tables replying, “I was hoping for a top 10, and I did that, and I got a bronze in the team event.”

Another example of the right way to handle media scrutiny but still make your point was Mao Asada’s reaction to former Japanese Prime Minister Mori who accused Mao of “always falling at the most critical time.”

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan after the Olympics, Mao said, “I heard what he had said after I had already skated, and my reaction was: ‘Oh, he said something like that about me?’ I understand that human beings do make mistakes and it’s undeniable that I did fall, so I have to accept it.”

As a parent of a three skaters, I don’t believe an emotional reaction or the absence of one is really suggestive of someone’s core beliefs. I believe all of these athletes want to be good role models just as they looked up to role models when they were younger. As a parent, when I have to discipline one of my kids, I tell them that they are not a bad kid, but that they did a bad thing. It’s a teachable moment… try to do better next time.

As an industry leader, these are the moments that swing popularity forward or backward. They have consequences financially for rinks, clubs, coaches, and specifically, the entire industry. I don’t believe in the adage that any publicity is good publicity. Showing poor sportsmanship, no matter how defendable, does not put the sport in a favorable light.