It’s official: Figure skating is entering a new boom period in the United States.
Alysa Liu, Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, and the rest of Team USA have brought excitement to figure skating in the country they represent after a wild, exciting two weeks at the Winter Olympic Games.
Liu herself has had the biggest two days ever for a figure skater on social media, gaining over 2 million Instagram followers since winning gold on Thursday.
The most-followed figure skater on the platform had 1.8 million before Liu broke the record, with her now over 3 million followers and rising by the minute.
Ratings are up on NBC and Peacock. Celebrities are watching and reacting to all the action. Liu is being courted by baseball teams to throw out the first pitch across the country following her 2025 spinning throw with the St. Louis Cardinals, which went viral after her Olympic glory.
But with all the momentum comes pressure for Team USA and its skating federation.
How will they capitalize on all this momentum?
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Figure skating fans are already worrying that they might not be able to maintain all the magic they’ve created over the past two weeks.
“I’m concerned US Figure Skating and NBC won’t be able to capitalize on the goodwill and interest Alysa (and Amber and Ilia) are bringing to the sport,” said user Lily628 on X. “Bring people in. Make it easy to watch. Make tickets cheaper. You have the golden ticket. Don’t waste it.”
Fans are already dismayed by the constant removal of clips from the Olympics, which have been instantly flagged on social media and YouTube.
Even fans who pay for NBC and Peacock are having trouble watching any replays of the Olympic competitions, as they’ve been allegedly taken off the streaming platform.
With the Figure Skating World Championships next month in Prague, Team USA has an opportunity to keep the fire burning amid the excitement around figure skating.
The only question is whether that fire will grow into a lasting celebration or be nothing but burnt wood when the Olympics come to an end on Sunday.
