Weir-y Eyed
By Jake Duhaime
Feb 13, 2006, 17:01
 |
| Jazz hands, Johnny! Jazz hands! |
TURIN, Italy -- Johnny
Weir hasn’t failed a drug test, trashed a hotel room or called out
steroid use in cycling and baseball. Yet the man still finds himself as
one of the United States Olympic Committee’s biggest public relations
nightmares.
Weir is a fantastic skater who’s both outspoken
and flamboyant. His best asset as far as many are concerned here isn’t
his triple lutz, but his mouth. The quote a minute Weir has quickly
established himself as a media favorite here in Torino. But in doing so
he’s placed himself and his sport in hot water. Not only does the sport
have someone who’s getting himself into trouble with the media but
figure skating also has one of its premiere athletes backing up the
negative and sometimes very false stereotypes the public seems to
associate with its male competitors.
Like for instance stating that the Olympic Village isn’t “princessy” enough for him.
He
does have a point. For many, accommodations in Torino are quite sub
par. If you have hot water in your shower you’ve hit the jackpot. If
you have a comfortable bed that isn’t hard as a rock - give me a call
ASAP on my Italian cell phone. But “princessy”? Did Johnny really have
to use “princessy?”
This hasn’t been the only time Weir’s done
this. At last month’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis
when he described a competitor’s short program as “a vodka shot,
let’s-snort-coke kind of thing.” He also was particularly picky calling
out a USA Today reporter who criticized one of his trademark scarves at
the same event.
He also has named the glove he will wear in his short program “Camille.”
For
the sport of Figure Skating, it seems that any type of publicity
is good publicity. Nancy and Tonya in 1994 generated the largest
television ratings of any Olympic event in history. It also ranked as
the highest rated single television event of the 1990’s, even more
remarkable when you consider it was televised on tape delay. All
Michelle Kwan had to do is have one poor practice and drop out before
creating what might be looked upon as the biggest story of these games,
all of which took 36 hours.
And I didn’t even mention Brian Boitano’s musical legacy in “South Park - Bigger, Longer and Uncut.“
But
Johnny Weir? That just may be the sport’s PR stumbling block. In a
sport whose popularity is already dominated by the female and
homosexual demographic. The last thing the sport needs is someone who
will seemingly cater to them. Few male competitors have been able to
transcend stardom in the sport’s inner realm to the public celebrity
that many of the ladies seem to enjoy.
Take Tanith
Belbin for instance, who in the next two weeks will go from great
skater to household name. She’s a very talented skater and along with
partner Ben Agosto could win a gold medal in the ice dancing
competition. Belbin also is very, very attractive and has already
started to draw the male audience that will turn her into a
superstar.
Of course men love attractive women in
glorified lingerie, catfights and conspiracy theories and attractive
women in glorified lingerie. Jamie Sale, Tonya and Nancy and a corrupt
French judge are Examples A, B and C of that. Your average Joe Six-Pack
isn’t going to be intrigued by what Johnny Weir is wearing, nor will
they enjoy the fact that he’d likely rather shoot himself than be
spotted in public wearing a gray Champion sweatshirt with a week old
pizza stain on it.
The male demographic also likes someone
that they can relate too. I’ve spotted Scott Hamilton at a few Red Sox
games over the years. I think he’s a guy that would genuinely fit in at
your average Super Bowl party. I also believe that many would agree
that many men would agree with that sentiment. Also, the resilience and
fight that Hamilton’s shown through his own personal struggles
transcends any demographic.
There are more Scott Hamilton’s
out there. They might not have been able to achieve his dominance in
the sport, but there are guys out there that you wouldn’t mind crashing
a bar with. The problem is that they aren’t here in Torino.
Michael
Weiss who just missed the Olympics with a fourth place finish at U.S.
Championships is a prime example. A die-hard Redskins fan, Weiss is
often times criticized by some in the skating world for his overt
attempts to make it clear that he’s straight as a whistle. Garrett
Lucash was another U.S. Olympic hopeful who just missed making the U.S.
Olympic Team. The die-hard Red Sox fan was a former high-school pitcher
who gave up baseball to chase Olympic glory. Others played youth hockey
and translated their skating skills over to figure skating.
It
seems at this point that Johnny Weir and flamboyant will be thrown
together in nearly every article and television piece surrounding these
games. Who knows or who even cares if he “is” or “isn’t.” That isn’t an
issue here. The issue is that every time Weir opens his mouth he puts
the USOC, U.S. Figure Skating and himself at risk. In one press
appearance here in Torino Weir abandoned his U.S. Olympic Team gear for
a sweatshirt from the former Soviet Union, with CCCP spelled out in big
bold letters across the chest.
Those in the skating world are
able to forgive the fact that Weir has a strange love affair with
all-things Russia which seems to stem from his Russian coach. Those
same people will also be able to understand that Weir obtained said
sweatshirt from a friend on the Russian team. But those situated
outside the skating bubble might not be as forgiving.
Weir
will continue to provide good soundbytes over the next few weeks. But
don't expect to see him pitching Coca Cola or Wheaties anytime soon.
Companies would rather have Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, Sarah Hughes,
Emily Hughes, Kimmie Meissner, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, etc.
before touching Weir even if he happens to win a gold medal. Why would
such a company take a chance on someone who puts your reputation on the
line with every word that comes out of his mouth? He’s a fantastic
short term fix for an Olympics seemingly lacking a major storyline that
involves an actual competitor. But after these two weeks he’ll just be
“just another male figure skater” in the eyes of many. And that’s the
last thing the sport needs at this point.
Jake Duhaime is a contibuting columnist to Atomic Sports Media covering the Olympics in Torino, Italy. He can be reached at jake.duhaime@atomicsportsmedia.com.
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