In the late 1990s, figure skating was one of the most-watched sports in America.There were competing tours, made-for-TV specials and household names like Michelle Kwan. Then, the market for sports and entertainment got more crowded as cable TV and streaming took off. Figure skating lost its mainstream popularity.That might be about to change.Inside the Portland, Oregon, Memorial Coliseum, a sold-out crowd of figure-skating fans are on their feet for Stars on Ice. The skating tour is seeing record turnout that hasn’t happened for decades.After the figure-skating team won gold at the Olympics in Milan, interest in figure skating is at its peak in the United States. And that can turn into dollars. “The Olympic year is really an opportunity for athletes to get a lot of new eyes and perspectives on them and hopefully leverage that into financial opportunities,” said Olympic ice dancer Evan Bates. He has seen the surge in interest in his sport after the five Olympics he’s competed in, “this time feels different,” he said. “I think, of course, the success of Team USA is unprecedented and huge, and we have the names and the personalities to hopefully keep people coming back for more.” Bates took home two medals from Milan with his partner and wife, Madison Chock. “We want to just seize the opportunities that come around once every four years,” said Chock.But the window for big-name sponsorships is typically short in a niche sport like figure skating. Figure-skating analyst Jackie Wong says this Olympic cycle produced something the sport hasn’t seen: breakout mainstream appeal in Alysa Liu and Ilia Malinin (also known as the “Quad God”).Above, Ilia Malinin performs a backflip at the figure skating exhibition gala during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images“They both have a kind of star quality that American audiences really like,” Wong said.And they’re both cashing in. Malinin is sponsored by Coca-Cola, Samsung, and Google, among others. Alysa Liu won two gold medals in Milan and became the only figure skater signed with Nike.“Elite skaters in the U.S. are trying to figure out, ‘How do I finish wringing out the marketability of this short attention span period where they are known?’” Wong said.The skating world is hoping that this Olympics bounce lasts longer than just a few months.Stars on Ice producer Byron Allen said he’s optimistic that this is the boost the sport needs to bring it back to its 1990s heyday.“The more marketable talent you've got, the more marketable a show you have,” Allen said. “And we haven’t had this kind of star power in a long time.” Allen said that tours like this are also an investment in skating’s future. “My job is to create the next generation of stars.”Learn to Skate USA programs usually see about a 10% bump in enrollment after the Olympics. But United States Figure Skating estimates that’s closer to 30% this year.And maybe one of those athletes will be as marketable and likable as this generation.From February 2026: Becoming a Winter Olympian or Paralympian can costs tens of thousands of dollars a yearFrom January 2026: Make Me Smart about Olympic figure skatingFrom February 2022: How lucrative is ice skating?