It seems it’s all over but the crying.
Lance Armstrong is officially being tried in the court of public opinion, and casting judgement on the trial–Lance’s endorsers, e.g. Nike and Oakley.
All of the evidence against Lance has been provided by word of mouth, but it has led the USADA toward believing that Armstrong is the most gifted cheater in the history of professional sports. If their judgment is correct, it will most likely never be proven by testing.
Either Armstrong is the king of doping, or the USADA is the crown jewel of the a-holes and d-bags who have sold him up the river.
Following suit, Nike has chosen to end its relationship with Lance Armstrong, but will still continue to be a part of the Livestrong charity and funding campaign.
Along those lines, Lance Armstrong stepped down as the chairman of Livestrong today, citing that his reputation shouldn’t tarnish the good that the charity foundation is responsible for.
Is Armstrong guilty? Based on the opinions of several very seedy individuals, yes. According to testing, no. In reality? Possibly. Probably? That having been said–where does Nike get off?
This is the same company that stood by Michael Vick, Alex Rodriguez and Tiger Woods following their transgressions. And they were all proven guilty. And yes, I think Nike was right to stand by their product endorsers, and continue in those endorsement relationships. Most people are interested in the performance capability of footwear and clothing, not the transgressions and faults of humanity.
