Sort of Related: Nike Dumps Lance Armstrong

[TexasAg]

[quote name='psd' timestamp='1350498503' post='5807451']
[quote name='HoosierMizuno' timestamp='1350495718' post='5807195']
i think a lot of people have known how dirty of a sport cycling was. I wonder if there was anyone riding that wasn't taking ped's at some point.

I'm not excusing this, but i think Lance has lost his reputation as the best cyclist ever, but he'll be remembered for surviving cancer to ride again and the unbelievable amount of good work with his charity LIVESTRONG. not too many athletes that have used ped's that have that kind of positive effect on the world outside of their sport to focus on.
[/quote]

He was never, ever recognized as the best cyclist ever. That's a U.S.-centric viewpoint. Eddie Merckx's record far surpasses Lance's in every respect except number of TdF titles won. and now Eddie has him beat in that as well.
[/quote]

Eddie Merckx tested positive for doping at least 3 times in his career...

[bmaas03]

[quote name='Vindog' timestamp='1350502814' post='5807887']
[quote name='bmaas03' timestamp='1350495735' post='5807197']
[quote name='Shrapnac' timestamp='1350494568' post='5807067']
Yes. Lets celebrate the man for being a better cheater than the guys he beat.

Nobody is clean in cycling, the whole sport is a farce.
[/quote]

If that's the case, then no one in cycling can be celebrated.
[/quote]

True. so we have 2 choices.

1) Vacate everyone's wins and call them all the losers and cheats that they actually are.

2) Re-instate the wins and celebrate the competition as it was, deeming the best use of PEDs as included in the "competition"

Not much of a choice if you ask me
[/quote]

The choices suck, but what can be done about it?
I'm not sure what "Justice" is being done if only a select few cyclers are punished here.
If Lance Armstrong weren't an arrogant punk, I'm not convinced this most recent iteration of the investigation would have taken place, frankly.

[danimal]

Pride goeth before the fall...

[danimal]

[quote name='avgjoe' timestamp='1350483457' post='5806053']
why would nike have a contract w him when his career has been over for some time now? but nike needs to step away as they are getting pulled into coverup allegations... btw, la himself has stepped down from livestrong
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nike-terminate-armstrongs-contract
[/quote]

When I'd MJ last play a game? Nike will be making Air Jordan's after the he left the living.

[imakaveli]

How could have he cheated without the Belly Bike?

[Ajit]

[quote name='Vindog' timestamp='1350502814' post='5807887']
[quote name='bmaas03' timestamp='1350495735' post='5807197']
[quote name='Shrapnac' timestamp='1350494568' post='5807067']
Yes. Lets celebrate the man for being a better cheater than the guys he beat.

Nobody is clean in cycling, the whole sport is a farce.
[/quote]

If that's the case, then no one in cycling can be celebrated.
[/quote]

True. so we have 2 choices.

1) Vacate everyone's wins and call them all the losers and cheats that they actually are.

2) Re-instate the wins and celebrate the competition as it was, deeming the best use of PEDs as included in the "competition"

Not much of a choice if you ask me
[/quote]

Cycling is a lot cleaner than it used to be. You can tell because everyone is a lot slower. Some estimates suggest that in this year's TDF, cyclists were producing only one quarter of the power that guys were producing in Armstrong's heyday.

[monkeynaut]

I'm currently in negotiations with Lance to be the spokesperson for my LIVES WRONG foundation.

[mukster]

I read a great book a few weeks ago called "The Secret Race" , cowritten by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle. It is an amazing read and a great look into the life of a professional cyclist at the time of the heavy doping era.

[FLOGMR]

[quote name='deasy55' timestamp='1350495946' post='5807217']
[quote name='FLOGMR' timestamp='1350492501' post='5806899']
......His legacy is [b]0[/b] Tour de France victories and........
[/quote]

Fixed that for you
[/quote]

No you didn't...you just installed your point of view....mine has not changed and you have no position to try to change it.

[Hawkeye77]

[quote name='FLOGMR' timestamp='1350492501' post='5806899']
Wouldn't it be nice if there was just a shred of actual evidence that he ever used PIDs....every sample they ever took tested negative....in later years with "Better" testing the same old samples still tested negative......they have now exhausted the supply of old samples from when he was actually racing and still no "Positive" tests .
Maybe he did and maybe he didn't.....I doubt we will ever know for sure......one thing we do know for sure is that the good that Livestrong has done for cancer awareness and research far surpasses any harm that might have been done if he actually cheated along with all the other cheaters in pro sports.

His legacy is 7 Tour de France victories and 500 million dollars to cancer research........if you believe the accusers then he beat the rest of the admitted cheaters. Saying he didn't achieve these things is like saying Pete Rose never played MLB .
[/quote]

There is no analogy to Rose, that's silly. You won't convince me you've read any of the findings against Armstrong.

Coincidentally, I was reading the report today. Haven't finished it yet. I used to believe him, unfortunately for him, the FACTS have destroyed him.

He's a lying, vindictive SOB, and I think that's sugar coating it.

[rockinar]

[quote name='herdman' timestamp='1350481283' post='5805907']
Nike terminates contract with Lance Armstrong. Also removing his name from a building with his name on it. Reports are it is only the second athlete that they have ever "terminated" a contract with. Michael Vick was the other. They have not renewed contacts, but have only ever terminated two.
[/quote]


Nike is such bandwagon hypocrites. They gave Vick another contract. They have no issue giving a man who tortured and abused animals a new contract, but don't want to associate with Armstrong who only took some PEDs.

I personally could care less what Armstrong did. They ALL take PEDs, blood dope, etc. Watch the news the weeks before the Tour De France. It funny how many teams get busted with blood transfusion machines in their hotel rooms, etc. It's every year.

You don't win 7 Tour De France just because you took some PEDs. It just does not work like that. I know a guy who's a pro cyclist. He said "You can tell who the clean guys are, they are in last place"

None of this changes my favorable opinions of Armstrong. He has done a lot as a human with his foundation.

[rockinar]

If they banned every TDF racer for using PEDs, 98% of the field would be banned for life and the TDF would be shut down. Looks what witch hunts did to baseball. It's boring as hell to watch. You can walk up to the gate at any game and get tickets 3 rows back from the dugout. Nobody wants to watch.

[rockinar]

The French are loving all of this. The USA witch hunted and prosecuted their own people. Not one single other country did this. Not even the French, who would take enough PEDs to kill a horse if it meant a TDF win. Adios Americans. You will never even smell another peloton, let alone see or be in one. You can't compete in the TDF unless your doped.

[MarkFromTheUK]

What a load of ill-informed, moronic nonsense. I can't believe I just wasted 30 seconds bothering to read the last 3 posts.

[matthewsiv]

Good riddance.

A cheat.

[hebron1427]

glad nike is standing up and saying "you can't cheat and still be on our payroll." well, unless you cheated on your wife (tiger)

[laguna79]

Nike took way too long !

[Shrapnac]

[quote name='hebron1427' timestamp='1350567817' post='5811071']
glad nike is standing up and saying "you can't cheat and still be on our payroll." well, unless you cheated on your wife (tiger)
[/quote]

Ignoring that Kobe and Big Ben were accused of rape and Nike didn't bat an eye.

At least Tiger didn't go out rapin'.

[scotee]

[attachment=1388417:Livestrong.jpg]

What we gonna do with all these?

[avgjoe]

What we gonna do with all these?

 

 

trade 'em in for these

[Mike Divot]

[quote name='rockinar' timestamp='1350543029' post='5810437']
If they banned every TDF racer for using PEDs, 98% of the field would be banned for life and the TDF would be shut down. [b]Looks what witch hunts did to baseball.[/b] It's boring as hell to watch. You can walk up to the gate at any game and get tickets 3 rows back from the dugout. Nobody wants to watch.
[/quote]

That's what cheating ball players have done to baseball.

Now clean ball seems boring. Thanks, drug cheats.

[Mike Divot]

[quote name='FLOGMR' timestamp='1350492501' post='5806899']
Wouldn't it be nice if there was just a shred of actual evidence that he ever used PIDs....every sample they ever took tested negative....in later years with "Better" testing the same old samples still tested negative......they have now exhausted the supply of old samples from when he was actually racing and still no "Positive" tests .
[/quote]

They tested the old samples and found EPO in the 1999 samples. Also near certainty of blood doping in the 2009 and 2010 samples.

[quote name='FLOGMR' timestamp='1350492501' post='5806899']
His legacy is ... 500 million dollars to cancer research
[/quote]

He hasn't given anything to cancer research. It's for "cancer awareness", which coincidentally has a lot to do with "Lance Armstrong awareness".

[tembolo1284]

Poor dude. Guilty until proven innocent in this case it seems.

Still don't get why a retired cyclist has 8 or so sponsors. For doing what?

He does have one ball though and still does all that. So he should get credit.

[HackerVance]

Irregardless of what you think of Lance Armstrong, he has done a lot of good for a lot people. It may be true that he is a bad guy, but, it would be interesting to know the basis of the haters opinions. Do they know him personally? Do they know people who know him personally? Unsubstantiated statements are not very persuasive. I have a friend that met him and spent time with him at a restaurant in Sun Valley who thought he was a great guy. I dont know him and my opinion would not be based on direct knowledge that I have either. Blanket statements that have little or no basis are bothersome. I dont agree with Jim Rome when he says "If you arent cheating you arent trying" but as alluded to above, lets do the same to all cheaters in all sports,except golf what would we have left?

[Frankie Lob Wedge]

[quote name='Gone Right' timestamp='1350489058' post='5806635']
He seems to be a particularly nasty and vindictive character. Two of the journalists, Paul Kimmage and David Walsh, who have pursued this story for the beginning are Irish, and reading their accounts of their experiences gives an amazing insight into Armstrongs complete lack of morals or integrity. One of the people who spoke up early on against Armstrong, Emma O'Reilly, a senior member of his team, was branded publicly by him as an alcoholic prostitute, and he bullied and defamed her for years. He really is a vile human being, and its good to see him finally being exposed for what he is.
[/quote]

+1
He is a thug. This is a prime example of [b]karma[/b] really coming back on someone. I read what he did to that lady and to others. He is a creep.

It always seems the very top people in sports are PED users. It is good thing golf never had that problem. (sic)

[Frankie Lob Wedge]

[quote name='rockinar' timestamp='1350533794' post='5810183']
[quote name='herdman' timestamp='1350481283' post='5805907']
Nike terminates contract with Lance Armstrong. Also removing his name from a building with his name on it. Reports are it is only the second athlete that they have ever "terminated" a contract with. Michael Vick was the other. They have not renewed contacts, but have only ever terminated two.
[/quote]


Nike is such bandwagon hypocrites. They gave Vick another contract. They have no issue giving a man who tortured and abused animals a new contract, but don't want to associate with Armstrong who only took some PEDs.

I personally could care less what Armstrong did. They ALL take PEDs, blood dope, etc. Watch the news the weeks before the Tour De France. It funny how many teams get busted with blood transfusion machines in their hotel rooms, etc. It's every year.

You don't win 7 Tour De France just because you took some PEDs. It just does not work like that. I know a guy who's a pro cyclist. He said "You can tell who the clean guys are, they are in last place"

None of this changes my favorable opinions of Armstrong. He has done a lot as a human with his foundation.
[/quote]

Vick is a POS and it seems like Nike and sports fans support a lot of [i]Vicks[/i]. The NFL should have banned Vick.

Armstrong is a thug. Foundations are generally set up as tax dodges. This is one thing we learned about the Madoff scandal. There were loads of phony foundations who invested with madoff. A few actually give money away to help. Others not so much.

[Truman]

Based on the witness testimony, this is the worst case of cheating in sports history. It's much worse than the PED use. He paid bribes to competitors to allow him to win.

[Frankie Lob Wedge]

[quote name='Truman' timestamp='1350868040' post='5825623']
Based on the witness testimony, this is the worst case of cheating in sports history. It's much worse than the PED use. He paid bribes to competitors to allow him to win.
[/quote]

What?!? He bribed competitors?

I saw that picture agin when he and his team rode in to paris on the last day holding American flags. It makes me sick along with the US Postal Service sponsorship. Helping to sponsor cheating with taxpayer dollars. Sick.

[BENNYSUPREME]

I'm trying to think how much longer they wood have held off if he keep paying the lawyer fees to fight it. If he keep paying the money I think they would have never said anything.

As for my oppion the seven are still good.

Alot of bad mouthing going on but good still can come out of bad. The money he raised for cancer research, how many others have raised as much as he has.

Most people post and don't know the hole story, Just what they hear on the TV or read in the papers. I guess I can't blame you because its the only information you have. CNN FOX etc etc etc.

****I don't claim to know anything just spouting out like everyone else.

[H.A. Kerr]

For anyone still somehow on the fence about whether Lance is lying or not, read the new Sports Illustrated (Oct 22).