Who among US skaters will get the pre-Olympics magazine covers?

[Frau Muller]

The last Worlds in an Olympic quadrennial is over and we’re chugging towards an Olympic Winter Games ten months from now!

Way back in the past - I mean WAY BACK - I used to eagerly await the publication of the Sports Illustrated Olympic preview issue, highlighting Team USA’s chances and showcasing (usually) a female American figure skater on the cover. I remember seeing beautiful covers with Peggy, Dorothy...Scott & Roz shared the one for 1984, I believe.

OK, so very few people buy hard-copy magazines now. Everything is online/virtual.

I honestly don’t recall if there were Sports Illus covers prior to the 2010, 2014 or 2018 OWG. Evan was World Champ leading into 2010 but I don’t recall seeing his photo on any preview magazine.

So what are your thoughts on:

Will a figure skater once again grace an SI cover (h/c or online)?

If so, who?

Is Nathan Chen the undisputed pre-Olympic 2022 OWG king for all USA media?

 

[museksk8r]

I don’t follow other Winter Olympic sports closely the way I do figure skating, but I would think Nathan is the undisputed king going into this Olympics and that no other American athlete has his competitive record. It’s mind blowing to think that he has not been defeated internationally or domestically since the 2018 Olympics, and even there, he won the long program convincingly to finish 5th overall. He has won 3 consecutive World titles, 5 consecutive National titles, 3 consecutive Grand Prix Final titles, and he’s the first skater to land 5 different types of quad jumps in competition (toe, Salchow, loop, flip and Lutz). That is incredible dominance in a very deep, competitive field of men! Plus, he’s everyone’s favorite alien to boot.

 

[Vash01]

Nathan Chen for sure.

The ladies will get something.

Pairs and ice dance are likely to be ignored.

 

[Lemonade20]

Definitely Nathan Chen, he is the strongest contender

 

[AxelAnnie]

Nathan for sure, for sure.
And I would think that Alysa (given her age, breakthroughs, and gorgeous smile she might be on something.

 

[Frau Muller]

Nathan for sure, for sure.
And I would think that Alysa (given her age, breakthroughs, and gorgeous smile she might be on something.

IMO, the US media will publicize Alysa if she delivers something miraculous between now and 2022 Nationals...such as winning the 2021 Sr G-P Final. Winning, say, Skate America alone - without Eteri Russians among the vanquished - won’t cut it.

 

[Simone411]

They also used to put skating contenders for the Olympics on the TV Guide magazines. I kept the whole copy of the TV Guide that Michelle Kwan was on because of the articles that led up to the 1998 Olympics.

I definitely feel like Nathan Chen, Bradie Tennell and even Jason Brown could possibly be on the covers of SI.

 

[Frau Muller]

They also used to put skating contenders for the Olympics on the TV Guide magazines. I kept the whole copy of the TV Guide that Michelle Kwan was on because of the articles that led up to the 1998 Olympics.

I definitely feel like Nathan Chen, Bradie Tennell and even Jason Brown could possibly be on the covers of SI.

Oh...Jason maybe...especially if the media runs with the angle of Men’s figure skating being THE marquee event of the next Winter Olympics. “The Skating Men of 2022!” (Imagine the calendar - LOL!) Maybe for once the US media will trumpet a skating discipline other than ladies. I think that the US public is ready for this new mindset, away from pweety pwincess.

 

[Impromptu]

I definitely feel like Nathan Chen, Bradie Tennell and even Jason Brown could possibly be on the covers of SI.

Noooooo. Don't put Jason Brown on the cover of SI.

 

[sk9tingfan]

IMO, the US media will publicize Alysa if she delivers something miraculous between now and 2022 Nationals...such as winning the 2021 Sr G-P Final. Winning, say, Skate America alone - without Eteri Russians among the vanquished - won’t cut it.

I agree. The only one who would most probably get one is Nathan. But even that is not assured given that the NY Times didn't even report on his dominant hat trick win at Worlds.

I just checked the Sports Illustrated website and the last time they reported on Nathan was January of 2019.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Noooooo. Don't put Jason Brown on the cover of SI.

I immediately thought of poor Jill Kinmont, a shoe-in for the Olympics if not gold, and the week she was on it, she fell during a race and became a quadriplegic. I'd tell my agent to deny all requests for the cover until AFTER I win the gold. Otherwise you look like a Sumners. And then whine the rest of your life that you were robbed of gold when no one even thinks that.

 

[Colonel Green]

IMO, the US media will publicize Alysa if she delivers something miraculous between now and 2022 Nationals...such as winning the 2021 Sr G-P Final. Winning, say, Skate America alone - without Eteri Russians among the vanquished - won’t cut it.

The US media publicized Alysa when she won her national titles, I don't think the bar to get more hype is as high as you're suggesting.

 

[Frau Muller]

The US media publicized Alysa when she won her national titles, I don't think the bar to get more hype is as high as you're suggesting.

But that was pre-puberty Alysa. So much has changed and even the good-ol’ US public can’t have the wool pulled over its eyes. So she’s back to proving that she’s in the physical shape of yesteryear. Even Toyota money can’t carry lies if she doesn’t re-prove herself. (Just like my dear Starr can’t keep going on hype...time to prove it on the ice.)

Nathan is 100% the Real Deal and ready for gold. He’s our cover guy/cover person until a US lady can truly prove herself, IMO. Not that I wouldn’t ADORE seeing Nathan all over major media in the run-up to Beijing!

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Nathan for sure. Barring injury he will be the US star of the Olympics. Karen could go mental like four years ago, Alysa has grown and who knows what she'll be skating like, and Bradie would just blend in with the ice and you wouldn't notice her or know her anyway.

 

[Firedancer]

Definitely Nathan. His record since his short program at the last Olympics is incredible and no other US skater has done anything close.

 

[yeslek]

They also used to put skating contenders for the Olympics on the TV Guide magazines. I kept the whole copy of the TV Guide that Michelle Kwan was on because of the articles that led up to the 1998 Olympics.

I definitely feel like Nathan Chen, Bradie Tennell and even Jason Brown could possibly be on the covers of SI.

I do not see Bradie on the cover of sports illustrated.

 

[Vagabond]

Ting Cui?

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Frankly, I can't see Bradie on the cover of even a figure skating magazine. Why?

 

[AxelAnnie]

Frankly, I can't see Bradie on the cover of even a figure skating magazine. Why?

I love Bradie. But she does not have the it factor or extraordinary accomplishments that would warrant that picture.
People who own magazines want to see them fly off the shelves. A magazine cover needs a compelling story or accomplishment to catch your interest while waiting in line at the checkout stand.

 

[Simone411]

I do not see Bradie on the cover of sports illustrated.

I'll put it like this. Stranger things have happened especially in the Figure Skating World; things like skaters ending up with Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals when we didn't even think it was possible of happening - Skaters like Laetitia Hubert 1992 Olympics placing 5th after her Original program, Sarah Hughes winning the Gold in 2002, Paul Wiley winning a Silver Medal at 1992 Olympics, Timothy Goebel winning Bronze in 2002.

Now it could happen after the figure skater that was not expected or favored to win gold ends up on Sports Illustrated just like Sarah Hughes:

Sarah Hughes Pulls a Stunning Upset to Win Gold

 

[Frau Muller]

I'll put it like this. Stranger things have happened especially in the Figure Skating World; things like skaters ending up with Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals when we didn't even think it was possible of happening - Skaters like Laetitia Hubert 1992 Olympics placing 5th after her Original program, Sarah Hughes winning the Gold in 2002, Paul Wiley winning a Silver Medal at 1992 Olympics, Timothy Goebel winning Bronze in 2002.

Now it could happen after the figure skater that was not expected or favored to win gold ends up on Sports Illustrated just like Sarah Hughes:

Sarah Hughes Pulls a Stunning Upset to Win Gold

Didn’t Sarah get the cover of Time Magazine before the games...their own preview issue? I think so.

UPDATE:

TIME Magazine Cover: Sarah Hughes - Feb. 11, 2002

TIME Magazine Cover: Sarah Hughes

content.time.com

Somebody at Time got it right.