His competitors don’t seem the least bit jealous. “Shaun is fantastic for the sport,” said Canadian snowboarder Brad Martin after his own run at Cypress, in which he failed to qualify for the semifinals. “He’s done a lot for snowboarding and half-pipe in particular. He’s brought mainstream media attention to it, bigger than it has been ever before.” Well, maybe he’s jealous about one thing. “It would be great to have my own private halfpipe,” added Martin.
Not only has White done great things for the sport of snowboarding, he’s the key to the Olympics gaining traction with younger viewers. For those in the coveted 18-34 age demographic, cross-country skiing and traditional long-track speed skating simply can’t compete for their attention. The ratings say it all. For the first time since American Idol came to air, it was knocked out of first place by Olympic coverage on the evening of White’s stellar performance. NBC drew 30.1 million people versus 18.4 million for Idol, according to Nielsen Co. (It helped that both Lindsey Vonn in downhill skiing and Shani Davis in speed skating also took gold that day, giving America six medals in the span of a few hours.)
“There was a time when the younger crowd were saying the Olympics are so straight and boring, it’s all about the X Games,” says Dominick Gauthier, the coach of Canadian freestyle medal winners Alexandre Bilodeau and Jennifer Heil. “But you ask Shaun White which gold medal changed his life the most, and he’s going to tell you it was Torino in 2006. Having a guy like that, saying things like that, gives so much more credibility to the Olympic movement for people of a younger age. The reason White drives two Lamborghinis is because of the Olympics.”
Even before White’s latest victory, his superstar status was on full display at Cypress. He was the only athlete to require a police escort as he made his way to the chairlift, lest his fans mob him. And his wild ride is only going to get crazier with his second Olympic gold. The night after his victory he barely had time to down a cheeseburger and celebrate with friends before he had to trek up to the NBC broadcast centre on Grouse Mountain at 2 a.m. for an appearance on the Today Show. Immediately after picking up his gold medal at BC Place, he boarded a plane for Chicago for an appearance on Oprah. Before leaving, he told Maclean’s he’s had no time to brace for what’s to come. “Four years ago I was basically a kid and didn’t know what to expect,” he says. “I couldn’t even walk around the street, go to the grocery store without being recognized. I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like to go anywhere now.”
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