LA x 7
Last year, I was in Paris about 3 weeks before the beginning of the Tour. One morning, every newspaper kiosk in the city was suddenly plastered with a horrible picture of Lance - it showed him gaunt and dark. "Photoshop" I thought. The photo was emblazoned with the word DOPAGE; this was an advertisement for an edition of a Le Monde magazine featuring the recently released (at that time) LA Confidential by Pierre Ballester and David Walsh. Neither of them will say that Lance is definitely guilt of doping, only that the facts are there for you to draw your own conclusions (in other words, they don't want to face libel charges).
Today's Le Monde coverage shows that the French haven't matured since then. The coverage of Armstrong's seventh and final victory starts out with a loving description of how tour officials are relieved that he's leaving because uncertainty will return to the Tour. Then it devolves into a discussion of the code of silence that Lance enforces (?) about doping.
Every time he wins a stage ... into the doping control trailer.
Every day he stays in Yellow ... into the doping control trailer.
Random tests throughout the year.
He donates money to doping test research.
He gives tips to the doping control officials.
Also, we have this bit of snark, in which our intrepid reporter doesn't like the fact that Nike is basing a campaign on Lance's recovery from cancer. I recently read that Trek signed with him in 1998 because they thought they might get some exposure for their relationship with a "human interest story". Oh, what a story, eh? Someone in marketing gets a raise. But if anyone should be able to cash in on such a story, it's Lance Armstrong ... who signed the deal with Nike (the ad campaign included hiring an artist who turned Lance's icons into literal icons). Nike continues to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Livestrong campaign. So who loses? Apparently, anyone who hates Nike and has to watch their commercials.
Do what you would tell any Nanny who thinks that you are being unduly influenced by TV: Just turn it off. Or maybe that retort only works on Jerry Falwell and not Nike haters like Peter Karasotis?
Incidentally, while I was on that trip, my father passed away after a protracted struggle with cancer. During his last year, my sister started working with Team in Training, an organization that raises money for leukemia and lymphoma research at the same time it provides endurance sports training to participants. Stephanie completed a marathon in San Francisco. Specifically, she completed the Nike Women's Marathon, which raised over $10 million for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
N-I-K-E Women's Marathon. $10,000,000. How much did you raise, Mr. Kerasotis?
Yeah, I thought so.
Today's Le Monde coverage shows that the French haven't matured since then. The coverage of Armstrong's seventh and final victory starts out with a loving description of how tour officials are relieved that he's leaving because uncertainty will return to the Tour. Then it devolves into a discussion of the code of silence that Lance enforces (?) about doping.
Every time he wins a stage ... into the doping control trailer.
Every day he stays in Yellow ... into the doping control trailer.
Random tests throughout the year.
He donates money to doping test research.
He gives tips to the doping control officials.
Also, we have this bit of snark, in which our intrepid reporter doesn't like the fact that Nike is basing a campaign on Lance's recovery from cancer. I recently read that Trek signed with him in 1998 because they thought they might get some exposure for their relationship with a "human interest story". Oh, what a story, eh? Someone in marketing gets a raise. But if anyone should be able to cash in on such a story, it's Lance Armstrong ... who signed the deal with Nike (the ad campaign included hiring an artist who turned Lance's icons into literal icons). Nike continues to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Livestrong campaign. So who loses? Apparently, anyone who hates Nike and has to watch their commercials.
Do what you would tell any Nanny who thinks that you are being unduly influenced by TV: Just turn it off. Or maybe that retort only works on Jerry Falwell and not Nike haters like Peter Karasotis?
Incidentally, while I was on that trip, my father passed away after a protracted struggle with cancer. During his last year, my sister started working with Team in Training, an organization that raises money for leukemia and lymphoma research at the same time it provides endurance sports training to participants. Stephanie completed a marathon in San Francisco. Specifically, she completed the Nike Women's Marathon, which raised over $10 million for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
N-I-K-E Women's Marathon. $10,000,000. How much did you raise, Mr. Kerasotis?
Yeah, I thought so.
Labels: culture
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