Armstrong's podium speech....

whiteboytrash

Luke will win 8 Tours breaking his father record !

whiteboytrash

ie Ullrich

rejobako

Which is the only way you can support your thesis, by adding your own bias to suit your purpose.

Read between these lines:

You
(don't)
persuade.

rejobako

Your opinion is noted. I believe that if a celebrity can make more money for his/her charitable cause by attaching his/her name to it, then what you have is "true charity" and a hell of a lot more money.

As usual, Lance gets results, while the more anonymous donors have your respect. Which do you think the beneficiaries of the Livestrong project would prefer?

whiteboytrash

You love her....

Lonnie Utah

I'm not lambasting, but I will offer a question. Isn't there a type of critical mass that can be achieved by using ones notoriety to promote a greater good?

I guess what I'm getting at is impact vs. intent, which again I guess is the whole point(lessness) of this thread anyway. I think my hypothesis would be which is the greater act, Doing a small (or multiple) acts that were truly from the heart with nothing expected in return vs. raising the awareness of hundreds, thousand or even millions of people spurring them to action? I'll let you folks answer, because I don't know. Geeze, I feel like a budhist today (I'm not).

L

__________________
Cheap, Strong and Light.
Pick any Two.

rejobako

It's a good question, and the answer may depend upon whether you are judging the philanthropist or the results of his/her work. I disagree with the suggestion that "true charity" must necessarily involve muted tones or anonymity. To me, "true charity" is a person maximizing their effort to raise money for a good cause. Basic marketing theory will tell you that Lance Armstrong can do far greater good by using his image and his success as a cancer survivor to personalize the sales pitch than he ever could by being more modest about his involvement. Consider the impact on a potential donor of the phrase "Foundation for Cancer Research" as compared with "Lance Armstrong Foundation for Cancer Research". The Livestrong bracelet was an inspired gimmick, but it works primarily because of the word "Livestrong". A simple yellow bracelet campaign would likely have flopped.

This reminds me in a way of the arguments from those who suggest that watching him race is "boring" because he takes few risks and always rides sensibly. Perhaps, but on the last day of the Tour, the results speak for themselves. The same logic can be applied to the issue at hand. What is "true charity"? Raising money anonymously, or raising a lot of money with "fanfare". I suspect the answer will be different if you're asking some people idly discussing the issue on an internet message board, or people fighting cancer and hoping for every single cent of money available to conduct the research to improve the odds of survival.

roundsquare1

of course I haven't read all your posts,,,there are over 1,300 of them.

I agree that doping is wrong. I agree that one should not have to dope to get into the sport. I agree that it should be a level playing field.

but with the bad there is also a lot of good and enjoyment that comes from the sport.

anyone screaming the sky is falling usually gets tuned out.

wilmar13

You only need to read 2 to recognize the pattern

mareblu

Hi Rejobako, just wante to say good morning

__________________

tinks

There is a point to be made about celebrity promoting awareness of a cause. However, it irks me no end when the point is lost behind the fanfare of a celebrity. My point being, sometimes the message or ideal can be lost in all the glitz and glamour and as soon as a celebrity goes out of fashion, so does the cause. It's also impossible to escape the question of motive; is someone involved because they truly believe in it or because it'll get them some good publicity?

It's not what you say, but how you say it. It's the difference between John Lennon singing Imagine and the Backstreet Boys singing it.

Any truly worthy cause will speak for itself, it shouldn't need a famous mouthpiece. Definitely promote awareness and get involved, but don't make it about you.

tinks

Exactly.

Be like Jan!

Hypnospin

wboy,
saw some stages but missed the speech. lack of interest in tour politics. just need racing to free the soul and fire the imagination...