Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France are nothing more than a corporate media scheme

Bob on 07 13, 2009

I can’t be the only one who is annoyed with all the Tour de France/Lance Armstrong coverage. After each and every stage, in depth coverage and analysis follows. What position is Lance Armstrong in? What teams are doing well? Who won the stage? Why did a certain rider do well in that stage?

At this point, the riders have completed 9 stages, that means we’ve got 12 more stages to hear about. Great. Aside from all the wannabe Lance Armstrongs in this world (you know these types of people; the assholes in spandex who avoid sidewalks and bike in the middle of the road, which in turn slows down traffic and poses a greater chance for automobile accidents), who the hell cares?

Since when did bicycling become a sport anyways? People ride bicycles to get from point A to point B or to get exercise. As far as I’m concerned, riding a toy competitively does not justify the act of bicycling being labeled a ‘sport,’ but in a world where climbing, chess, ballooning etc. are considered sports, it makes sense that bicycling would fall into this category.

And why is the Tour de France the only bicycling Tour that receives such a great deal of media attention? Because golden boy Lance Armstrong participates in it? I’m no expert on cycling, but going off what I’ve heard from avid cyclists, Armstrong is far from the best. Since when did the Tour de France become the pinnacle of the sport? If Lance Armstrong is as great as the media makes him out to be, he should be dominating every Tour. Tiger Woods doesn’t just win on one specific course, he is dominant on any golf course. Shouldn’t the same go for Lance?

The Tour de France and its excessive coverage is a bunch of corporate media bullshit. Lance Armstrong is not the best cyclist; he is a mega money machine. He happens to have success at the Tour de France, which is why the media is all over it. If his particular skills worked best for him at the Tour de Flanders, would that be the Tour receiving all this attention? Would we be hearing so much about the Tour de France if Lance Armstrong and his personal story did not exist? Not a chance!

Don’t buy into it! Who cares about cycling anyways? I don’t want my ESPN highlights to contain a bunch of dudes biking up a hill or around a bend; I want to see traditional sports! The only circumstance in which bicycling ought to receive media attention should be because of a massive pile up!

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  • Dolemite
    @sportsman haha, I drink loads of Schlitz's to keep this ass that tight.
  • jimmy
    @sportsman - know how I know you're gay?
  • sportsman
    @dolemite : Bend over. I'll give real sports. Take it like a champ.
  • Dolemite
    All this cycling talk is making me hungry for real sports.
  • Dolemite
    "Pay a visit to the public library sometime" = Epic Nerd FAIL
  • Ron
    Get on a bike, race with someone, then you'll know why its a sport. Long ago, I wondered why the heck tennis was labelled as a hard sport. Not until I actually held a racquet in my hand and played with someone good did I realize that there's more to this than I thought when I was an armchair sports analyst. I'm not a lance fanboy but your ignorance about the history of bicycle racing and the significance (both culturally and athletically) of the Tour de France sure takes the cake. Pay a visit to the public library sometime.
  • John Jones
    You sir, are an ass.
  • Bob
    Wow, that's genius Eddie. I was going to include racing, but decided not to in order to try to keep the focus on the topic at hand, bicycling. Furthermore, driving cars deserves it's own article. I was just making an observation about how ridiculous some of the things we consider sports are. Pretty soon we will be athletes engaging in an internet duel. Christ, competitive eating is a sport!
  • Eddie
    Since when did driving a car become a sport anyways? People drive cars to get from point A to point B or to not even get exercise. As far as I’m concerned, driving a toy competitively does not justify the act of car racing being labeled a ‘sport,’ but in a world where climbing, chess, ballooning etc. are considered sports, it makes sense that car racing would fall into this category.

    Wow, that was pretty easy. Maybe I should make my own blog and spout dumb ass theories about what constitutes sport or not.
  • Bob
    @John

    From what I can remember, the Tour de France, or cycling in general for that matter, didn't receive nearly as much media attention as it does now until Lance arrived on the scene. Bicycling was not nearly as popular a decade ago compared to nowadays. I wasn't dodging so many bright spandex suits and aerodynamic helmets 8 years ago, practically none actually. I understand the importance and prestige of the Tour de France in the cycling world, but it is not the the measuring stick used to determine the best riders, nor should it be the only Tour to receive such attention if cycling is indeed a sport. We don't just go off the Masters or the US Open in golf when determining who the best golfer is. It's collective. There are numerous other Tours, but they seem to get left in the dark. Do you really think the Tour de France will be so puffed up once Armstrong hangs his bike up? I'd be willing to bet the majority of casual observers wouldn't be able to name another cyclist other than Armstrong.
  • Dolemite
    Cycling is truly a green sport, zero carbon emissions and zero entertainment emissions.
  • brian
    why so much hupla for the Indy 500 and that winner ther are alot more races than that one ,why so much attention for the Kentucky Derby, no one is much for cancer research there, god is great , beer is cold , people are crazy
  • The Tour de France is the most famous and historic cycling competition in the world; it was a major international event with coverage on ESPN long before Lance Armstrong began dominating it, and it will be long after he is gone. I'm not a fan of Armstrong myself, but to deride the importance of the Tour is almost insultingly ignorant.
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