Christine Brennan, Blinded By The

Christine Brennan, Blinded By The Light: Late last night, USA Today columnist Christine Brennan told ESPN.com that a backroom deal between a French and Russian judge helped throw the pairs figure skating gold medal to Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze(thank God for cut and paste).

Brennan, known in the business as one of the foremost authorities on figure skating probably has it right, but what makes me wonder is why she and others who follow the sport didn't see this coming.

Brennan, who for years worked for the Washington Post(a stint during which she was the Redskins beat reporter), is more than just an authority on figure skating, she's an absolute champion of the sport. She's makes irregular appearances on Washington's sports talk radio station, WTEM, and usually spends at least a few minutes of her time jousting with other guests (always male) over the merits of whether or not figure skating is an actual sport (she also manages to throw in a perfunctory defense of Title IX law as well, but we'll deal with that another time).

Now, I'm sure Brennan gets tired of that old argument, but after the events of the past few days, it seems clear that many of the old arguments against figure skating are absolutely true. Yes my friends, we hate figure skating, and it isn't because of latent homophobia, it's because the sport and the people who run it are absolutely corrupt.

Now you'd think Brennan, who has covered the sport for years, would have picked up on this. But for all her years on the figure skating beat, it seems as if she's gone from disinterested observer to highly-paid press agent. Don't believe me? Well, here's some snippets from a smart-alecky column Brennan wrote for USA Today earlier this week on why guys need to get over their hatred of figure skating:

"Stop saying it's not a sport. It is a sport. The old complaint that it's too subjective just doesn't wash anymore, not with the way the Bowl Championship Series picks its teams, or with the replay decision that changed the outcome of the New England-Oakland playoff game. Every sport is subjective, even your beloved college and pro football."

Sure, there are subjective aspects to all sports, but the case with figure skating is entirely different. And, as Christine says:

"Appreciate the unparalleled drama of a skating competition. No sport has a more non-negotiable moment of decision. (I'm not counting boxing.) In basketball, there's a second free throw. In baseball, a third strike. In football, a fourth down. But in figure skating, when a skater goes up for a jump, it's a make-or-break moment unlike any other, with no second chance built in."

And that perfect moment of decision is entirely in the hands of the judges, an aspect that figure skating shares with a whole bunch of so-called "sports" (diving, snowboard half-pipe) that neanderthals like me loath.

Indeed, a few weeks ago up in Foxboro, the refs called a fumble an incomplete pass, helping to decide the outcome of the game. The difference there, however, was that Oakland still had a chance after that play to stop New England on defense and prevent them from tying the game. Then, in overtime, Oakland had another chance to stop them on defense, and failed again. With the game still in their hands they just couldn't get it done.

The outcome of the game was still in doubt, despite the ref's call. Contrast that with Monday night's travesty on the ice in Salt Lake City. The Russian pair, as is now clear from press reports, made a number of mistakes that created an opening for Canadian pair of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. And, according to all the reports, they capitalized on those mistakes by skating a flawless program -- only to have the judges wipe it out in a back room deal.

Consider this: when an NFL referee like Ed Hochuli steps up to make a call, fans might questions his judgement, his eyesight, or his sanity. But one thing they never question is his integrity. Can we say the same thing about judges in figure skating? And when the integrity of the judges is in question, you have to question the validity of the entire competition itself.

If something akin to this ever happened in a major professional sport anywhere around the world, the people who perpetrated this would wind up in jail.

As for Brennan, I think it's time for us to question her judgement as a reporter when it comes to figure skating. Don't believe me? Well how about this line from a report Brennan filed for USA Today the morning of the pairs long program:

"Officially, and for the record, the judges haven't been talking. But, trust me, they're doing nothing but. That's not so terrible; this doesn't mean they're cheating, not at all. They're talking about the merits of jumps and edges and spins and presentation.

No, no cheating going on here, none at all. Just talking about triple toe loops and axels. Hey Christine, I think it's time to go back to covering football.

Eric 11:43 AM

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Posted by: at January 2, 2004 07:06 PM

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