Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski have been called out for apparently trying to reenact the Hunger Games at the Winter Olympics. I can definitely see some of Caesar Flickerman in Weir but Lipinski looks pretty nice and not at all overdone. Twitter about blew up with people chiming in about the Hunger Games however when it came to Weir and to be honest I really don’t blame them. Give Weir points for having his own style but apart from that one has to wonder what he was thinking when he was getting dressed, especially if he was thinking that he needed to be the center of attention rather than the skaters.
That seemed to be the just the start of it though as they would go into verbally brutalizing the efforts of the male skaters as they absolutely lambasted each man for his performance or lack thereof on the ice. Let’s get it straight, when you’ve been on the ice and you’ve excelled in ways that most other people can’t then it’s very easy to demand excellence from those that follow after, especially if you happen to love the sport. One thing that both Weir and Lipinski seem to need to remember though is that at one point and time they weren’t perfect. They likely had Olympian jitters as well and have fallen more than once in their lives while attempting to get things right.
So yes, their criticisms, while kind of brutal and not altogether needed at times were kind of harsh, but again, it’s easy to be critical when you’ve been in that spot and know that everything you do is on you and no one else. If you’re in the Olympics it means you’re at the top of your game and need to be on point at all times. If not then it’s time to pack it up and go home since this isn’t the moment to be mediocre. In the meantime it might behoove Weir to tone the wardrobe down just a smidge so that people can focus on the event and not be looking to the Flickerman clone every so often to see if he’s ready to announce the next contestant for the Hunger Games.
It’s very easy to state that both commentators are used to getting attention and might revel in it, but there is a line that kind of needs to be toed when one is commentating versus when they are competing. On the ice it’s great to stand out and be counted as an individual, but in the commentator’s section it’s time to let the others on the ice shine and dim it down just a bit. It would also be nice to find commentators that know how to give praise along with criticism rather than just tear people down. Lipinski and Weir both know how to do this and have no trouble dispensing compliments when they feel it’s due. But their commentary was kind of brutal no matter that the male skaters were kind of clumsy and lackluster.
Not sure if Johnny Weir is a commentator for #Olympics figure skating or the next Hunger Games movie. Lookout Caesar Flickman, he's gunning for your job. pic.twitter.com/ttiee1uVAV
— Garrett Doss (@GeesTweets) February 9, 2018
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