February 15, 2006
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I dunno, maybe Italians aren't interested in figure skating, and that's why the Olympic competitors have been skating before a depressing number of empty seats?
Last night when watching the men's short program it was difficult to overlook the sea of shiny chair backs, indicative of empty seats. Right up front, too!
Isn't that a trifle dispiriting for the skaters? Such visible evidence of "Actually, we don't care who wins"?
OTOH, it might be the price of the tickets put them out of the reach of the ordinary Joe (or Guiseppe). From what the commentators have said, Torino is a town that's akin to our Detroit in its reliance upon the auto industry, and times have been hard in recent years. The city is anxious to put its best foot forward, hoping to spur new industries to move there.
Wouldn't be surprised to discover the women's skating draws larger crowds, though I'd be hardpressed to figure out why. Personally, I like men's figure skating even more than I like women's, seeing as how their jumps are higher, etc.
Comments (2)
I don't know if this is still true, but it used to be my impression that the men's skating was all about them going splat on their patoots, because they were always trying to hit the next level with the hard jumps. I think the year that Paul Wylie won the silver (I know, that was a LONG time ago now) he wasn't anywhere near being best overall, but he was the only one who didn't go splat.
The women, while also occasionally trying for the brass rings, are more likely to do a really clean, pretty program. So maybe from the point of view of a spectator who isn't a competitive skater, it's more fun for them to watch.
But I think you're right -- the tickets to those things are really pricey.
It must be a real trick, trying to price tickets to Olympic events with an eye on the checkbooks of both the foreign visitor (who, if he's making the trek, is doubtless assumed to be both expecting and willing to pop big bucks for event tickets) and the local citizen (who probably gripes about the inflated price of movie tickets along with the rest of us).
Do you price the tickets down to what the local Guiseppe is willing and able to pay, or up to take advantage of Olympic enthusiasts with more money than sense (or who are related to one of the competitors, so willing to pay whatever it takes)?
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