Wages of Weir

I admit it. I haven't been watching the Olympics. I know, I know. This has been one of the worst rated Olympics ever. No one is watching the Olympics.

Except I'm the kind of person who likes to watch the Olympics. If I had nothing much to do, I'd be watching it. But these days, I don't watch that much television, and so I don't watch that much Olympics.

What information I am getting on the Olympics, I get either through the radio, mostly listening to Sportstalk 980, or through surfing the web, and visiting sports websites.

Lately, Tony Kornheiser has been gushing on about Johnny Weir. Of course, since the men's event is already gone, he's done saying how wondrous Weir is. You see, the Olympics isn't necessarily about Olympic achievement. It's about personalities. That's why people wanted to watch the radiant Michelle Kwan, even though her groin injuries meant she couldn't qualify the usual way, i.e., place in the top 3 in the women's national championships.

Now I admit, I used to follow figure skating, at least, to some degree where I was familiar with many of the top American skaters. However, it's been years since I've done that. I was mostly following the skaters back in the early 90s, when people like Brian Boitano, Paul Wylie, and Christopher Bowman were considered American hopefuls.

Although Johnny Weir has won the national championship, what, 2 or 3 times, I had never seen him skate, and barely knew who he was. Sure, I had heard the recent controversy, if you could call it that, where reporters were confronting Weir and asking if he were gay, charges which he says he doesn't need to answer, even if most everyone thinks he's the flamiest closeted gay skater alive.

I mean, be serious, people already think that figure skaters, in particular, male figure skaters are gay, or at least, very metrosexual. I mean, who doesn't think both Brians (Brian Boitano and Brian Orser) aren't gay? Only Rudy Galindo has openly announced he's gay. Longtime skating announcer, Dick Button, is known to be gay, though he never raises the issue.

It says something, however, that reporters, who are generally moved by the masculinity of sports, have been enchanted by Johnny Weir. I suspect it's a trend that reflects the mentality of the winter sports in general. Many people reporting at the Olympics normally report on basketball or football, where athletes are trained to be either as bland as possible, or showboating, of the Terrell Owens variety.

No athlete in a major American team sport would ever talk like Weir, who named his costume Camille, who talks about his aura being dark, and who says he feels princess-y. Weir basically says f-you to the Republican like establishment, and says he doesn't care if folks think he's a threat. He's a Russophile who thinks the Russians are gods of skating, and with Plushenko's recent gold, who's to disagree?

After a solid short program, where Weir landed a triple axel, and a triple lutz, triple toe, and had exotic spins (even if he tended to drift as he spun), he was in good position to medal as he stood in second, behind heavy favorite, Plushenko.

Weir, however, ended fifth, in a relatively poor performance. Once upon a time, I'd actually find out what time the figure skating competition was on and watch. I don't know why I don't do it anymore. I still think it would be enjoyable to watch.

But back to Weir. I think the acceptance of Weir has as much to do with modern society's attitudes towards gays, and the general liberalish lean for reporters, even sports reporters. A football or basketball player might feel uneasy about someone so decidedly flamboyant as Weir, but reporters want personalities, and Weir is confident, even if his routine might wear thin if you hung around him long enough.

Oddly enough, I think straight America wants gays to be as flamboyant as Weir, only because it's so different, so fun, much like how white America embraced some of the mannerisms of black America. I'd imagine that if someone had trouble with Weir, it would be black America, which I sense is far more homophobic than white America.

Now that the Olympics are pretty much half over, I'd like to have the coverage put on several DVDs so I could watch. I don't particularly need the tension that most sports induce by being live, where uncertainty of outcome, and hopeful wishes, drive ratings up (and makes reruns nearly meaningless). I just want to see sports that I don't see all that often.

Heck, I'd like to see what's new in figure skating. Are people landing the quad? I guess that Japanese girl who landed the triple axel was not able to qualify (she was two months too young). It says something that nearly 15 years after Midori Ito was able to land triple axels that most women don't even attempt it (Michelle Kwan certainly never mastered it), and it has rarely been landed with any degree of consistency.

Remember Tonya Harding? At one point in her career, she could land the triple axel. But her life and coaching went to pieces, even before the Nancy Kerrigan beatdown. Since then, there's been hardly anyone else who could hit it.

I'll have to check the dates. I still enjoy ice dance even if it's not exactly the crisp movements of ballroom dance competition (which, yes, does exist).

So, Johnny, we know it's no business but your own. You ain't queer, but you sure is princess-y.