Did you see the photo Lance Armstrong posted on Twitter? The great man lounging in his trophy room with a collection of yellow jerseys, quite possibly the closest things he has to friends right now.
This gesture was guaranteed to evoke all manner of reactions, depending on your point of view, traversing treacherous precipices between steadfast deviance and outrageous arrogance.
One emotion emphatically absent from this picture was regret. A man on the verge of a tear stained mea culpa does not post a photo like this.
If Lance is being slowly crushed by the weight of deceit he’s doing an exceptionally good job concealing it. No doubt he’s tough enough to bear the pain.
Yet, given the chutzpah of his latest gesture, another explanation appears more likely.
He just doesn’t care.
All of which may pose an interesting challenge to Lance’s public relations advisers. What strategies is Team Lance currently considering?
Presumably New York’s Madison Avenue is being paid a fortune to re-brand the unbrandable. He’s not just going to slip into the sunset is he?
Proceeding from the assumption that an emotional heartfelt apology ain’t going to happen, we draw on history to speculate as to some possible approaches.
Tiger Style
This is the apology you make when you’re not making an apology. It’s utilised for brands caught red handed.
The brand is forced to apologise for acts it can no longer feasibly deny and does not really regret.
The brand wears intentionally ill-fitting clothes in an effort to appear humble and contrite.
The brand invites its mother to a globally televised apology.
Like idiots we all watch.
Ultimately the apology is perfunctory and unsatisfactory. The brand looks like it would rather be somewhere else doing whatever it did to become red handed.
The OJ
This brand defence, rarely used, requires the brand to put its fingers into its ears and hum very loudly for a very long time, on a deserted golf course somewhere in Florida.
The idea is that the brand will live long enough for the rest of the world to forget and will then make a glorious re-entry into mainstream society.
The Diego
The brand melts down over a decade.
It courts the media by shooting at it from its garden. It ventures into politics, forms unlikely alliances with South American dictators and blames the CIA for nearly everything. It survives several alcohol induced near death experiences.
Eventually, it becomes a parody of itself. Somehow, albeit flabby and loose, the brand endures and flourishes.
The Tomic
When the brand has its head well and truly wedged in its digestive passages the PR masters unveils the last resort.
This is the painfully drafted lawyer’s statement recited verbatim by a clearly disinterested brand. The PR master knows nobody is going to buy it but at least he or she can blame it on the lawyer.
“Wherever you stand on Lance Armstrong you will find More Than Just a Game’s interview with Dr. Michael Ashenden (from the Science and Industry Against Blood Doping Research Consortium) fascinating. Hear it and more fascinating analysis of game of the park right here: http://blogs.abc.net.au/grandstand/more-than-just-a-game/”
Neuen
Roar Rookie
If only.....
Neuen
Roar Rookie
He deserves his medals. Anyone that can cheat that good deserves to get away with it. But he should not have go and chase that bloke down for fun. Its like growing weet in your back yard. The best security is DO NOT TELL ANYONE WHAT YOU ARE DOING! Mind you the CIA sells the best blow in South America btw......
Paul jones
Guest
I'm so glad you used to be a fan of lance Armstrong and you gladly acknowledge you now no without doubt he cheated and was a fraud/ creep and horrible to everyone who accused him. Takes a big person to admit they were wrong well done
beyond the stump
Guest
I'm not sure Christophe Bassons would feel the same about that.
FrancisC
Guest
wow! the Lance Apologetics has reared its ugly head again. nuff said!!!
NickF
Guest
Cheating in school exams, taking a dive in soccer/football, eye gouging in rugby, high tackles in league, grunting in tennis, bastardisation in the Army, St. Johns college initiations, these are all "traditions" in sport and life. We can add some new ones as well, like pointing lasers at goalkickers eyes, or digital insertion in Manly rugby league players. Doesn't make them right.
NickF
Guest
I used to be a fan of LA. I did not want to believe that he cheated, I found reasons to argue against all the comments. I read the USADA report and the Tyler Hamilton book. I now totally believe, without a doubt, that Lance Armstrong was a doper. A doper to a huge degree. Not only that but I lost all respect in him as a human being. the way he used and abused friends, discarding and trying to destroy other riders reputation, just to elevate his own. How he saw other friends or team mates as a threat when they rode well, and despensed with them. In another thread someone called Lance Armstrong a sociopath, I think this is a true description of him. Ben, open you eyes.
NickF
Guest
In Tyler Hamilton's book "The Secret Race" he states "The winning time up Alpe d'Huez in the 2011 Tour was 41:21; back in 2001, a rider with that time would have finished 40th" Then later "The UCI's internal testing numbers reflect this change. In 2001, 13 percent of riders were classified as having abnormally high or low levels of reticulocytes, or newly formed red blood cells (signs of EPO use and/or transfusion). By 2011, that number had dropped to 2 percent" I don't believe all or even most of the rider now in the Tour de France ore doped.
jameswm
Guest
Catching cheats has also been a tradition.
jameswm
Guest
You're like all the fanboys. First you say he didn't dope. Now you say I don't care if he did because everyone else was too. And then you contradict yourself and say " he did not break the rules". Say what" So doping was always legal? I actually think disciple is a better word than fanboy. That religious element of faith despite lack of evidence rings true.
Ben Dixon
Guest
If he had broken the rules, we wouldn't be discussing it and he would not have finished the 1999 TdF. The rule makers are at fault for not catching him at source. You cannot say he is guilty as he did not break the rules. If the only way to catch him out is to go back and break all sorts of rules to do it, everyone else needs to look out - Merckx, Indurain, Carl Lewis, etc. Ben
Neuen
Roar Rookie
Cheating in the TdF have been a tradition since 1904. Just some cases people got caught actually doing it. If you don't believe me google 1804 TdF and have a look at what they did in it.
Paul jones
Guest
What do you mean just within the rules ?? Your obviously trying to pull people's chain messing around. He broke all the rules by taking performance drugs and is the biggest sporting fraud in history. He will be destroyed in litigation for next 5 years and you Ben son want to watch him under oath lying in 2005. I for one am loving the fact he's been caught and is well and truly f&£,!?)d
Ben Dixon
Guest
All sports have rules, some very technical, some very basic. To win you have to play the game just within the rules and then be first over the line or quickest overall - all agreed so far? If you can play to the game to the absolute limit without actually breaking the rules, is that cheating? Isn't that what F1 is all about? I personnally do not care if LA doped or not - no one died or got physically injured and they were all adults who played the game with their eyes open. He just played the game better than the rest - isn't that what the game is about? Ben
jameswm
Guest
Scott free! Most of them have been done. And no, the whole race was not dirty. Many? Probably. But certainly not all. Indeed, some were let go because they refused to dope. And the "everyone else was cheating so I can" defence doesn't actually work, morally or legally. And we don't need to go into who had the most sophisiticated doping regime...
jameswm
Guest
Ben - Lance turned down his right to a fair trial. Seriously - you're taking delusion to the extreme here. There's a lot more to happen, and I can't see any of it being good news for Lance.
jameswm
Guest
This is the funniest thing I've read for a while, Ben - you think Lance never doped and it's all made up?!?! Too funny.
sittingbison
Guest
sigh. Ben, I'm not sure if you are a paid LA intern who posted because your searchbot picked up "Lance Armstrong" in the title of this article, or truly deluded. I'll give you the benefit and presume you are an intern. I didnt think there were many left, its become impossible to troll every article now the mainstream media and general public have turned against him and google reports 24m hits for "Lance Armstrong Doping". If I am wrong and you are deluded, here are some simple "LA for dummies". If you want more concise responses do a search, they have all been discussed at length even on this forum. 500 tests - debunked (236 max) most tested athlete in world - debunked (haha even Kristen Armstrongs had more tests lol) never tested positive - debunked (1999 corticosteroids) #unconstitutional - debunked (Federal Judge Sparks) witch hunt - debunked (Hog, Ferrari et al included on charge letter) level playing field - debunked (outspends, out responds, out doctors, out dopes) French conspiracy - debunked (US ADA nailed him) jealous bitter losers - debunked (Big George testified) All the dopers getting off scot free? Zulle, Escartin,Dufaux, Casero, Olano, VIrenque, Pantani, Ullrich, Beloki, Julich, Noreau, Heras, Botero, Mancebo, Gonzalez, Sevilla, Serrano, Boogerd, Rumsas, Leipheimer, Vinokourov, Hamilton, Mayo, Basso, Kloden, Totschnig, Pereiro, Rasmussen, Landis, Contador, Frank Schleck, CVV, Valverde, Popovych, Astarloza. Kohl, Valjevec, Danielson, and finally Big George himself might disagree.
Lamby
Roar Rookie
Ben, There are sworn statements from a number of eye witnesses - some of whom have also implicated themselves for no gain (White) . That is not circumstantial evidence. That is 'real' evidence.
gabby
Guest
I just love the guy,he put all and every one in the shades when it comes to cycling.These days sveryone is doping,so why dont make it legal, and the best man wins