Feud’s Marketing Value: Priceless

Sorry, Shani Davis, but even though you’re right, you’re wrong, and even though Chad Hedrick is wrong, he’s got it right.

Like it or not, speed hating draws more attention than speedskating.

Davis would love for the quiet grace and power of his sport to work its way into America’s heart. Hedrick wants the deafening roar of his feud with Davis to lodge in the country’s head.

The feud’s growing, becoming the dominant story emanating from the Oval Lingotto. It has overshadowed Davis’ historic gold medal in the 1,000 meters, which made him the first black athlete to win an individual gold in the Winter Olympics. It has dwarfed Joey Cheek’s charitable donations with his bonus prize money.

Now you know why Hedrick first brought up his differences with Davis, why he wouldn’t let it go, why he’ll freely discuss it at any time and keep adding more logs to the fire when he already has had several opportunities to douse it -- all of which makes him more of a bad guy than the good teammate he has painted himself to be.

It started when Hedrick, who began this meet by winning the 5,000 meters, questioned Davis as a teammate and an American because Davis chose to skip the team pursuit event to concentrate on the 1,000 meters, his forte. It continued when Hedrick didn’t congratulate Davis for winning the 1,000. And it was all laid out for everyone to see after Davis and Hedrick won the silver and bronze in the 1,500 on Tuesday.

Two men wearing the same uniform who can’t get along. It’s a scenario that residents of Lakerland know all too well

“We’re not Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal,” Davis insisted.

Yeah, there is one difference.

“I think Shaq and Kobe probably said quite a lot more to each other than Shani and I do,” Hedrick said.

Just as Bryant and O’Neal needed each other, Hedrick knows that keeping the feud alive with Davis helps his cause. He admits it fuels his competitive urges. It also keeps him in the headlines. Hedrick wants his 15 minutes of fame, plus five good minutes on “Pardon the Interruption.” He understands that controversy sells.

Davis would rather just race.

“I think it’s ridiculous that people are trying to make the sport in America something that it’s not,” Davis said. “It’s going to be popular in America when people realize that it’s something Americans are good at.

“You try to put things in a negative twist and try to make things controversial to bring more attention.... It’s false, it’s not correct, and I don’t appreciate it at all.”

Hedrick leaned into the microphone and said, “Once again, we have a difference of opinion. I think it’s great that they’re trying to make this sport -- it’s Shani and I battling each other. That’s what this sport needs.”

In an ideal place, Davis would be right. In America 2006, Hedrick is on target.

By now Americans should already have realized it’s something we’re good at. We produced Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair, two of the greatest. Yet, the only speedskaters you could name before these Olympics were Heiden and Blair. (Oh, and Dan Jansen, because he fell.)

You don’t think the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan feud wasn’t the best thing to happen to the Winter Olympics? Are you really going to tell me you weren’t one of the 126 million people who watched them in 1994?

Even do-good speedskater Cheek, a two-time medalist in these Games and an adept analyst of the media monster, sees the benefits of the rivalry.

“If it draws people into the sport and they watch it and they can enjoy it, then it’s a great thing for us,” Cheek said.

The most important thing is, it’s not manufactured. It’s media fed, but not media created.

If it’s phony, why didn’t Davis and Hedrick acknowledge each other on the medal stand or anywhere else in public view when the races were finished Tuesday?

If it’s phony, why would a Dutch friend of Davis’ greet him after the race by saying “You beat Chad,” when technically the story of the day was that they both lost to Italian Enrico Fabris?

If it’s phony, why would a reporter’s request for a public reconciliation between the two cause them to fire their strongest shots of the day at each other?

Hedrick said they weren’t going to get all lovey-dovey just for people’s sake.

“We’re competitors, we come out here, race each other, we want to beat everybody out there,” Hedrick said. “And if we don’t feel that way, we’re never going to win. Michael Jordan doesn’t go onto the court unless he’s confident he’s going to win.”

Uh-oh. Hedrick should not have evoked the name of Davis’ idol. That set him off.

“Speaking of Michael Jordan, since I’m from Chicago, a big Michael Jordan fan, I’ve never seen him act in an unprofessional manner when it came to losing,” Davis said.

Unlike, well, you know who.

“I think the media, they want to bring attention to the sport of speedskating, they want to draw in new fans and stuff like that. That’s what they want to do, but I think they’re going about it the wrong way.

“I’m not a phony person. There is no way I would ever be a Hollywood actor.”

This was minutes after Hedrick said he’d like to become a Hollywood actor.

Then Davis dropped this: “It would have been nice if after the 1,000 meters he could have been a good teammate and shook my hand, just like I shook his hand, or hugged him, after he won the 5,000 meters.”

With that, Davis got up and left.

“Just like Shani,” Hedrick muttered.

Officially, that was the end of the news conference. But there was no way the pack of media wolves was going to let this end without one last word from Hedrick.

“We’re all part of Team USA here,” Hedrick said. “I went to the opening ceremonies [unlike Davis]. I felt it was really important to me to get the Olympic spirit. We had a great opportunity to win the team pursuit race. I felt betrayed in a way. Not only did Shani not participate in it, he didn’t even discuss it with me as the leader of this team. I felt like we passed up a medal, and it has nothing to do with me winning five gold medals.... I just felt betrayed.”

Betrayal, phoniness, drama.

You want straight-up competition?

Stick to figure skating.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com. To read more by Adande, go to latimes.com/adandeblog.