Trash talk

[vettecat]

Has anyone else noticed that the ice-skating commentators at the Olympics are being particularly nasty and snarky this year? (Scott Hamilton is being a gentleman, as usual - I'm referring to the other two, who do most of the talking.) It's one thing to say, e.g., "oh, he did a double instead of a triple, that's going to cost him points." It's quite another to say someone's costume reminds you of your dining-room drapes (yes, they really said that), or to say a competitor's choreography is "trite," or to make sweeping less-than-complimentary comments about the competitors from a particular nation. These are the best skaters in the world, trying their hardest to perform extremely difficult moves under intense pressure; the least they deserve is a little respect. There were points both last night and tonight when I was so disgusted by their insults that I was seriously tempted to hit the mute button, but it's hard to fully appreciate the beauty of a skating routine when you can't hear the music. Is this making anyone else's Olympic-watching experience unpleasant, or is it just me?

Comments

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

Actually, I've welcomed the critiques. Yes, occasionally it'll get out of hand, like the stuff about the drapes, but there is usually so much glorification of whatever will look snazzy to the audience that it's really nice to hear someone actually discuss stuff like how low one is supposed to get in a sit-spin, or methods of getting into a death spiral without looking like you're trying to sit down in the process, or whether someone's footwork is so simple as to be, however pleasant to watch, useless from a technical figure-skating point of view. It makes it clear that there *are* technical differences beyond whether people fall down when they jump. Most years, that doesn't come across at all.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

The technical commentary is fine, what bothers me is when they start to complain about things other than the actual skating - there's a difference between critique and mockery.

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

Granted. I'm seeing more of both than in previous years, and while I don't care for the mockery, I'm glad to see the critique getting harsh enough to be informative.

Yes and no

[introverte.livejournal.com]

I appreciate it when they go into some depth on explaining technical points. But I think you're right that they are getting a bit cruel this time. Particularly, I wish they would keep commentary to a minimum during the actual performance - I want to hear the music and concentrate on watching so I can form my own opinion. If they want to deconstruct, they can do it afterwards in replay.

Re: Yes and no

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

I was thinking that, too. The constant babble can be very distracting.

[pandorahunter.livejournal.com]

I like to here more critiques but only informative and
not insulting.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Exactly what I was saying.

[thirdworld.livejournal.com]

I had not really noticed. I only peripherally pay attention to them anyway. Sometimes I think they are just plain wrong, so I just ignore much of it. But the skating won out for me, as it always does. Yevgeny Plushenko is simply incredible!

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Very true - unfortunately I missed the beginning of his program, I didn't turn on the TV right away b/c usually they don't start with the skating. I'll have to make sure to watch tomorrow night.

[thirdworld.livejournal.com]

For those of us living in the USA, you can go to NBC's Yevgeny Plushenko page (http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5072363/detail.html) and click on the video tab to find a high-quality video of his entire short program and his kiss-and-cry wait for marks, there online for free viewing. It is well worth watching (even with the commentary ;) ).

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link! Unfortunately I couldn't get it to work - I'll have to try again later.

[cogitationitis.livejournal.com]

You can always try to see if the Olympics are on the Spanish/French channel or some such.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

There's an idea... not sure what we get, but maybe I'll flip around.

[lucretia-borgia.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that the couple of times I've caught the skating -- usually when I'm looking for something else -- I've made snarky comments about costuming (particularly back when they were in the "not quite naked" phase of costume design) and about the astounding waste (IMO) that this man/woman has been getting up every morning at 4 am to go skate for a few hours before kindergarten, elementary school, high school, etc. and since starting HS probably spent more time on the ice than in school or doing anything else with their lives. I appreciate their accomplishments, but think it's a bit sad; and I am appalled at the fact that this sport (like most of the winter Olympic sports) are really for the well-off. At least most of the summer Olympic sports can be done by anyone with feet! (As some of the Kenyans demonstrate, shoes are optional.)

But snarky comments by someone who's supposed to be an expert and actually interested in the scene on the ice -- that's rude, and pandering to the lowest part of the TV crowd.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

So you're not among the 70% of American women who watch skating, eh? (One of my few ventures into the majority.) I see your point about spending more time on practice than on schoolwork, but you could say that about many extracurricular activities. I generally feel that most sports (professional team sports in particular) are a waste of time and resources. But in this instance I am impressed by their skill, and admire their determination. And I would think that dedicating oneself to improving until they reach the level of world-class competition is at least as worthwhile as working at McDonald's. I don't agree that it's just for the well-off either, a pair of skates aren't really more than a pair of sneakers these days. It's more a matter of coming from a supportive home and having a family that will stand behind you - which may be more common among the well-off, but I don't think it's an absolute. Most of the American champions have been middle-class.

I do agree about the pandering, though - and I don't like what that says about societal trends.