Page 2 - OLN's Opinion

13-07.-2004, 05:24 AM	#16
homeycheese Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Downtown in the ATL Posts: 181	It's a business C'mon, it's a business and has been since the TDF started as a way to save a French newspaper. Now it's a French bank that leads the way. For all its grand and glorious competition, it's all about making money for the sponsors, which means getting us to watch, listen and buy the products. This includes Lance, the marketing of lance and the selling of all-things lance. It is a gravy train for those involved, Bob Roll and Chris Carmichael included, and they should all be free to make of it what they can. Nothing better could show the the extent to which the "sponsors" will go to make this an entertaining 3 week event then the tweaking of the TTT. Without those changes, USPS would blow away everyone, the race would be over and we would all "tune-out." In the end, OLN, Discovery and all the other "sponsors" have taken the risks and put up the money to produce this event and they should enjoy the financial rewards that come with it. How come ESPN took off "Playmakers?" They didn't want to offend the NFL. It's not news reporting, it's marketing and merchandising.

13-07.-2004, 05:46 AM

#17

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Quote:

Originally posted by tcklyde
Look, I wish OLN would pay a bit more attention to Ullrich, Heras, Mayo, the sprinters, all of it. But it's nonsense to think that an American network should do anything but hype Armstrong and his story. He is the guy to beat. He's turned thousands of Americans on to cycling. And this year's Tour is going to introduce thousands more to cycling. OLN wants to make money, and the single best way to do that is to do exactly what they're doing: hype Lance. And when you can't do that anymore, Hype Tyler. And if that get's old, hype Hincapie. Americans love Americans.

Jan Ullrich will never be a hero in the U.S. He's not American, and even though he's a stellar athelete, he's finished second five times, not first.

You know what you are talking about!! Excellent.

People, why are some of you so anti-LA? He has won the TdF 5 times! Only a few others have done so, and now he is going for number 6.

Whether you want to admit it or not, OLN is a business and they need to make money, so if you can't handle all the 'Lance glorification' don't watch it. Lance is an incredible cyclist and deserves the hype he is getting.

Quote:

Cam the Ram
[B] OLN will hopefully look a little stupid if Armstrong loses this year. The other teams in the Tour could probably gain money if they started complaining about the coverage in the US. Imagine how much more Ullrich could make in endorsements if he was a hero in the US. This is not going to happen if OLN keeps making Armstrong the messiah of cycling. I mean c'mon, "The Lance Chronicles"... what the hell...

What? Sorry, but Americans would not root for a foreigner as much as they would root for an American. Why would OLN glorify a 5 time second place finisher? The person who wins gets the spot light. May not be fair, but sometimes that is how it turns out.

Everyone, most of you need to get over your 'anti-LA' stage. LA has done amazing things for cycling in AMERICA, it wouldn't be as big if he hadn't won 5 times already. So get over all this 'overexposure' and focus on the race. Go log onto European sites if you want to hear about other cyclists.

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13-07.-2004, 09:18 AM	#18
gntlmn Registered User Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Anchorage, Alaska, USA Posts: 1,672	I chuckle as I read your post here, Trekdedicated, because it makes me think about what Bob Roll said in commentary on this year's Tour. He said that cycling is WAY bigger in Europe than it is here, and that is pretty evident by just watching the different Tours and noting that we don't have many here. But what he said is that the little kid fans often ask the American riders what their win record is and then they ask how much they are getting paid. He says they always laugh like it's a big hysterical joke when they compare the win record with what the Americans are getting paid. Bob didn't say whether this pay scale was either high or low compared to European riders, but it's pretty easy to fill in the blanks. Here's another interesting blank to fill in. I wonder if perhaps the oftentimes second place rider in the Tour is making nearly as much money getting second as he would have if he had many times gotten first simply because of all the rainmaking the number 1 man has brought to the sport including him. I suspect that he may be making more, not less. Last edited by gntlmn : 13-07.-2004 at 09:22 AM.

13-07.-2004, 03:54 PM	#19
Cam the Ram Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: USA Posts: 28	Re: OLN's Opinion There is no "anti-Lance" stage going on! Some people just don't like the guy, and that includes me. I am an American but there is a difference between an athlete with talent and an arrogant athlete. You think what Cheney said in the Senate was bad, listen to some of Armstrong's comments. I know plenty of Americans supporting Ullrich, so I think it would be possible for Ullrich to make a little cash in this country. __________________ "We improve ourselves by victories over ourself. There must be contests, and you must win." - Edward Gibbon (1737 - 1794)

13-07.-2004, 10:49 PM	#20
Frihed89 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 111	Re: OLN's Opinion It's an american thing. As others have pointed out, there's a lot of money involved and so it is only natural to focus on the US team and the US favourite. Rest assured that, while networks in other nations are indeed awed by USPS and Armstrong, there is plenty of coverage of other riders. And it is balanced toward their own teams. But in the end, I can understand how it might be frustrating to not get any other news.

14-07.-2004, 12:42 AM	#21
TrekDedicated Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Moving to the South, USA Posts: 1,104	Re: OLN's Opinion If anyone wants another cycling website (you probably have it), but, www.cyclingnews.com I don't think it is as focused on Lance, it may not be tv, but it is good __________________ TrekDedicated no more Orbea Orca Full Dura-Ace Mavic Ksyrium ES Wheels Wake Forest Cycling The Small Biz. Guru

14-07.-2004, 03:06 AM	#22
homeycheese Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Downtown in the ATL Posts: 181	Re: OLN's Opinion Sorry CAM, but Ulrich has very little opportunity to make some "cash" in the US, despite his many fans. He is too one-dimensional and not marketable outside of cycling, which in itself is not very marketable in the US. If you look at what Lance is doing, it's preparation for his next career as an "on-air" personality. Even Tyler is trying it out with his "pimping" of his MS Foundation in every interview he gives. Not even T-Mobile can get much out of Ulrichin Germany beyond the tour. In the US they have to resort to that Welsh tart, Catherine Zeta-Jones. Just consider how unmarketable Steffi Graf, Michael Schumacher, Boris Becker, Franz Beckenbauer have been in the US during their prime despite legions of fans. Even the Kaiser couldn't bail out the NASL. Ulrich would be a fool to give up the near deity-worship he has in Europe for any work in the US. OT BTW - I don't think what Cheney said was bad. It was done "man-to-man", totally in context during the Senate get-together and unlike the recent rants by the holly-wierd left at the Kerry/Edwards fundraiser, it was not a position statement endorsed by the Republican party. Leahy verbally attacked Cheney and deserved to be called to task for being the coward he is.

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