This "editorial" appeared in the Newark (Ohio) Advocate. OK, it is my local paper, but don't hold it against me! If anyone else (aside from me) feels the need to let the reporter in on a different perspective, you can track him down at http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=CUSTOMERSERVICE03
Back Article published Jul 25, 2005
Lance, though great, not among greatest athletes
Bill Bender
I respect Lance Armstrong.
For someone to win the Tour de France seven straight times after beating three kinds of cancer is remarkable. It really is. I could never disrespect that.
That being said, now you're probably not going to like what I have to say.
Armstrong's exploits in the Tour de France are overrated. Not since "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" has one person received so much attention for riding a bike.
At least that bike could fly.
The fact of the matter is that if Armstrong were not racing, nobody here would care about the Tour de France. Cycling in itself is not that exciting to watch. Can you name five other American cyclists?
I didn't think so. That's why it's peculiar that they try to pass off the event as a team sport. Again, I don't think so. How many dates have George Hincapie and Sheryl Crow been on lately? Did Levi Leipheimer make a cameo on "Dodgeball?" Do the other riders on the so-called team get to wear the yellow jersey?
But people try to slap it on a Wheaties box and throw it on the Discovery Channel, and all of a sudden it's Hands Across America for a bunch of guys in lycra shorts.
I'm not buying it. Cycling is an individual sport aimed at individual achievement. And for his sport, Lance Armstrong is dominant. But he's not dominant in the NFL, NBA or NHL, where the competition is far more cut-throat then it is for one month in the mountains of France.
That's why it's hard for me to put Armstrong with whom I consider the greatest athletes. Tiger Woods plays in a more pressure-packed sport. Wayne Gretzky's career statistics are flat-out disgusting. Jerry Rice is still catching touchdowns, and he's 42. We're not even going to touch Michael Jordan.
I could put Armstrong in the same class with Barry Bonds, given that both are constantly dodging doping allegations. The public perception is still that Bonds is a liar, while Armstrong has been maliciously attacked. I don't think that's fair, and I'm not quite sure Armstrong could hit a ball into McCovey Cove, even if he was on the juice. I'm also not so sure how good a role model Armstrong is, especially if these allegations are true.
Finally, I'm not sure just how grueling the Tour de France really is. I had a close friend do the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure last month, and he spent all of two days preparing for that race.
Yes, the Tour de France is longer, and yes, the avid cyclist could be considered a good athlete. But if an overweight, out-of-shape kid who can't play two games of pick-up basketball can finish the GOBA, it makes you wonder.
After all, the saying doesn't go, "It's just like picking up yourself after getting hit on a blind-sided blitz on third-and-20 by a 300-pound defensive end late in the fourth quarter." That's not quite as easy as riding a bike.
Before you start calling me the spawn of Caligula, I will say that I realize that Armstrong's monopoly on the sport of cycling is impressive. I have no problem with him beating a bunch of French cyclists at their own game. And again, beating cancer is far more important than anything else he has done.
But there have been other great cyclists, such as Miguel Indurain and Greg LeMond, that have made their mark on the sport. With Armstrong gone, will you tune in to the Discovery Channel next year?
I won't. I'll probably be watching "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure."
John F. Martin, Jr.
+1 (614) 403-0567
jfm225@gmail.com
Back Article published Jul 25, 2005
Lance, though great, not among greatest athletes
Bill Bender
I respect Lance Armstrong.
For someone to win the Tour de France seven straight times after beating three kinds of cancer is remarkable. It really is. I could never disrespect that.
That being said, now you're probably not going to like what I have to say.
Armstrong's exploits in the Tour de France are overrated. Not since "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" has one person received so much attention for riding a bike.
At least that bike could fly.
The fact of the matter is that if Armstrong were not racing, nobody here would care about the Tour de France. Cycling in itself is not that exciting to watch. Can you name five other American cyclists?
I didn't think so. That's why it's peculiar that they try to pass off the event as a team sport. Again, I don't think so. How many dates have George Hincapie and Sheryl Crow been on lately? Did Levi Leipheimer make a cameo on "Dodgeball?" Do the other riders on the so-called team get to wear the yellow jersey?
But people try to slap it on a Wheaties box and throw it on the Discovery Channel, and all of a sudden it's Hands Across America for a bunch of guys in lycra shorts.
I'm not buying it. Cycling is an individual sport aimed at individual achievement. And for his sport, Lance Armstrong is dominant. But he's not dominant in the NFL, NBA or NHL, where the competition is far more cut-throat then it is for one month in the mountains of France.
That's why it's hard for me to put Armstrong with whom I consider the greatest athletes. Tiger Woods plays in a more pressure-packed sport. Wayne Gretzky's career statistics are flat-out disgusting. Jerry Rice is still catching touchdowns, and he's 42. We're not even going to touch Michael Jordan.
I could put Armstrong in the same class with Barry Bonds, given that both are constantly dodging doping allegations. The public perception is still that Bonds is a liar, while Armstrong has been maliciously attacked. I don't think that's fair, and I'm not quite sure Armstrong could hit a ball into McCovey Cove, even if he was on the juice. I'm also not so sure how good a role model Armstrong is, especially if these allegations are true.
Finally, I'm not sure just how grueling the Tour de France really is. I had a close friend do the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure last month, and he spent all of two days preparing for that race.
Yes, the Tour de France is longer, and yes, the avid cyclist could be considered a good athlete. But if an overweight, out-of-shape kid who can't play two games of pick-up basketball can finish the GOBA, it makes you wonder.
After all, the saying doesn't go, "It's just like picking up yourself after getting hit on a blind-sided blitz on third-and-20 by a 300-pound defensive end late in the fourth quarter." That's not quite as easy as riding a bike.
Before you start calling me the spawn of Caligula, I will say that I realize that Armstrong's monopoly on the sport of cycling is impressive. I have no problem with him beating a bunch of French cyclists at their own game. And again, beating cancer is far more important than anything else he has done.
But there have been other great cyclists, such as Miguel Indurain and Greg LeMond, that have made their mark on the sport. With Armstrong gone, will you tune in to the Discovery Channel next year?
I won't. I'll probably be watching "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure."
John F. Martin, Jr.
+1 (614) 403-0567
jfm225@gmail.com
