Escher: Saying that 2x2 should no longer be an official event is an opinion not only held by myself, but by Tyson Mao himself. I don't see how it is an ignorant statement. It is a statement of the viability of the event, which is strongly lacking. It is an event based on luck. 2x2 single WR has already shown that. 2x2 average WR will eventually be the same.
So "the past year" is relevant to this thread?
It's relevant to your statement that nobody cares about 2x2. Before Rowe (and Edouard to some extent), Lukasz was synonymous with 2x2 solving. All these people who have recently taken interest in 2x2 would do well to know that. If 5x5BLD becomes extremely popular in the future, would you say that there is no reason to mention Chris Hardwick?
I think it would be an insult to Mr. Hardwick to compare 2x2 to 5x5BLD.
You say "all these people" who have taken an interest in 2x2, yet you only name one, and another possible. Naturally there are some more, such as yourself. But most people who do 2x2 only do it because it is an official event and because they want a decent ranking at it. Very few people have any strong interest in 2x2. Even those people that do have a large interest in it, such as yourself, have other events that they consider to be more important to themselves. I'm pretty sure that no one cubes essentially solely for 2x2, in the way that you "cubed" essentially only for clock a year ago. (Sure you did other things, but clock was the only thing you determinedly focussed on). Perhaps Rowe does consider 2x2 to be his die-hard event. But that is only one person.
Oh and before you say "well one person is more than no-one", I think you ought to look up the word hyperbole.