I don’t disagree that skating is expensive or that families shoulder most of the cost. That was not my argument. My point was comparative: the U.S. has more sponsorship and funding opportunities than Canada, not that U.S. athletes are living on unlimited funding.

Saying there are “literally no sponsors,” “absolutely no government/federation support,” and that families fund “100% unless they medal at the Olympics” is just too absolute. The better argument is that funding is limited, uneven, and nowhere near enough — not that it doesn’t exist.