Q: Should Michelle Kwan have been allowed on the U.S. figure skating team?
Phil Friend: There's no way Kwan should've been allowed on the team.
Sean Stevenson: She ended her Olympic career the right way. She was a nine-time U.S. champion and five-time world champion. The gold medal was the only thing left. She tried, she failed, but give her credit for going after the goal.
PF: The right way? She didn't even participate in the U.S. championships, which is used to determine the Olympic team, and she took the spot of someone deserving. If the Colts weren't able to play in the AFC championship, they would not receive a bye to the Super Bowl.
SS: The only thing Kwan and the Colts have in common is choking in the big game. You can't blame her for hanging on to a dream. She was figure skating's icon during the past decade, she deserved a final shot.
PF: I didn't realize there were lifetime achievement awards in the Olympics.
SS: This wasn't some 'gimme' award. She's made the right decision. to step down after a disappointing practice and Emily Hughes will compete.
PF: She couldn't make this decision before the Olympics? Instead, she made poor Hughes sweat it out for no reason.
The "special committee" that was held to determine whether or not she was ready to compete was a complete sham.
This was all financially based. There was too much money wrapped up in Kwan to not let her on the team initially, with the sponsorships from Visa and Coke.
SS: Don't forget NBC. Their ratings will slide without the cover girl of figure skating, but I hope that money didn't overweigh the story of her attempt at a gold medal when the committee allowed her to join the team. It was great for the Olympics that she had a final shot but it's time for Kwan to move on and put her gold dreams behind her.
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