Sale and Pelletier aren't the only ones who could profit. ABC will broadcast the World Figure Skating Championships, slated for March 17-24--the first possible post-Olympic showdown between Sale-Pelletier and Berezhnaya-Sikharulidze. "The controversy can only help to boost the ratings," says an ABC Sports spokesman. "The buzz created...seems to have garnered as much attention as [the Kerrigan-Harding dustup] has, through no fault of the skaters themselves."
While ABC is enthusiastic about a potential spike in viewership--and ad revenues--others are more cautious. "I don't think any buyer in their right mind would accept a price that was inflated based on the potential for scandal," says Initiative Media analyst Stacey Lynn Koerner. Still, when it comes to marketing, scandal doesn't hurt. Just ask an expert. "The difference between the World Wrestling Federation and figure skating?" deadpans WWF chairman McMahon. "Nothing." (Additional reporting by Missy Schwartz)
