Media Spin

While I’m on my box, I was appalled, but not surprised to find the French Sports Media attacking Lance Armstrong. The allegations are not new when ever you have an athlete that dominates the sport like Lance did you get suspicion. They French are just miffed that he wasn’t like Lancé Armstrong from Paris rather than from Texas. Le Tour is a part of the French identity the fact that a Frenchmen hasn’t won for a long time is hard for them to stomach. The fact that the guy that came and dominated the Tour was American does go down well in France. One French commentator suggests that it was appalling “used” cancer as an excuse to take drugs and win the tour is absolutely ridiculously. He suggested that Lance’s comments that it was cancer that gave him motivation to win the tour were a cover up for the drugs. Lance said that cancer was the reason he competed because he wanted to prove that cancer is not a life sentence that only can you survive cancer but it can make you stronger. So how did Lance win then without the drugs? Well I think it is a mixture of two things determination and freaky genetics. Since Lance was young he was into endurance sports and the Tour was the natural place for him, he was determined to win and looked a world-beater before the cancer. Cancer only made Lance more determined and more convinced that he need to win the Tour. He lives and breathes the Tour; trains for it like no other cyclist in the world. It helps that he was born with a heart 10% bigger than most babies that size certainly helped. Having a huge lung capacity also won’t do an endurance athlete any harm; his body can process oxygen and pump blood way more efficiently than other athletes. The French can’t prove that the samples are Lance’s and Lance can’t prove they are not. They waited till after he retired, despite the samples are from the 1999 tour and have been frozen since. Lance can’t go out and clear his name by winning the race an eighth time, so he has to fight these claims in court. The French have no gratitude for the fact the fact that Lance and the international viewers that followed him saved the Tour. Before Lance the Tour was a race raced by Europeans and not much viewership outside of Europe, the last tour saw 4 or 5 Americans in the top 20 and 1 French men, along with a record number of Aussies. Lance has made the tour worth watching and now he (not that the attacks are new) is being accused of bring the sport into disrepute

There it is!

Oh there it is …my soap-box. That’s right it is media bashing time. I was not impressed with the leaders “debate” and the spin attached to it. Media experts seem to think that Helen “won” the debate because she could yell with more rancor and cackle louder than Don. Apparently this is a desirable attribute in a politician where as respect, integrity, and being well-spoken aren’t, go figure. I was amused by the question about character when the leaders were asked to comment on the others character, both made glowing remarks. Guess this is like rugby where two teams brutalise each other for 80 minutes and then shake hands and give “full credit” to each other at the end.

Lost: Steve's Soap Box

Has anyone seen my soap box?

To the Victor the spoils

I have decided to end my “Evil Ploy” and repent, which there is a winner as off 11am 20 August 2005 Micelle “Middle Name” Walker is the winner congratualations Michelle your prize will be delievered tonight. I shall now delete the post (on advice of NATO of the Van Rij kind not the North Atlantic Trade Agreement). Thank you for the support I would like to thank the wonderful group of people that made this ploy possible (ie fell for it :) ). Shell, Baby Ruth, Christina, AJ and J-Rod.

Weirded out man

*Eh Steve looks puzzled and a little confused.* Um my “evil ploy” backfired horribly – I think people must have some way of searching for posts with lots of comments, assume they have lots of “eye traffic” (like foot traffic except with your eyes) and then post ads for random products. Now I’m concerned these people ARE reading my blog I have no idea who they are this is way weird. When you start blogging you think sure it is on the internet but people won’t actually read the rambling of a semi-deranged twenty something Christian boy from the wops will they? They are and now I’m worried.

Chi Chi Chi !!!

Yes I watched “Bend It like Beckham” and being an avid (and at times rabid) Liverpool fan I had to watch it with scepticism. As a sociologist their portrayal of female sport was not the best they were portrayed primarily as sex symbols secondly as athletes. This is shown in the fact that the practice with no shirts on, in sports bras and play in the sprinklers. It reminds of Sep Blater’s (head of FIFA) comments when asked how to promote woman’s soccer – his response “wear shorter shorts” was not helpful. I mean do people really watch woman’ tennis because of the level of competition or is it the tall, blonde teenage Russian super-models?
Anyway the movie on the whole is pretty cool init. I like the “so the offside rule is when the mustard is between the sea-salt and the French dressing?”
I can relate to Jezz, not because I am Indian but because I played Hockey and never felt that my family supported me. I was in about standard 3 when I was playing hockey but I had to bike to my own games and the only time my dad came to games was when they were at Hagley Park and James was playing soccer at the same time. I remember coming home from a game where I had done really well i had scorred a couple of goals. My dad was in the garage working on the car I excited spurted the details of the games and he didn’t even say anything. I went inside and mum - having limited knowledge of any sport - asked me all about the game. It got worse when my brother and sister started doing athletics not only did dad go every Saturday, but he trained as an athletics official. He went with them to national and provincials. We even took a holiday to Invers’ to support them at an event. I felt very dejected, and I try to convince myself I got over it but it was for me just the icing on the cake in trying to get my dad’s attention a battle I was pursing for 15 years before I gave up.
LATERS