Cyclist on a fund-raising mission
at Seattle Livestrong Challenge
Whether Floyd Landis's accusations are true or not, this federal investigation of Lance Armstrong is going to get plenty ugly before it's resolved.
As that ugliness may tarnish Armstrong's image, what will be the effect on his crusade to fight cancer and help survivors — the Lance Armstrong Foundation? Devastating, says one expert.
The feds are looking for proof of the Landis claims that Armstrong and his teammates doped during his amazing string of 7 Tour de France victories.
And if the team did use banned performance enhancing drugs and techniques, the feds also will want to prove that it amounted to fraud against the sponsors — US Postal Services — who rewarded them with more money for winning races.
Hired counsel
Armstrong has hired a defense attorney recently to represent him in the probe. The attorney has said the US Anti Doping Agency is looking for teammates who are willing to give testimony against Armstrong in return for favorable treatment in their own doping cases.
Through all this, I've been wondering about the effect on Armstrong's biggest legacy outside the record books — his establishment of the LiveStrong Foundation.
The Los Angeles Times apparently has been wondering the same thing. Experts they contacted have concluded that the foundation is at risk of losing donations. Ken Berger, CEO of Charity Navigator told the LATimes:
“They are not going to be able to thrive if the person who is the spirit behind it is in trouble. It is just going to devastate them.”
Zeta Interactive, which tracks the online popularity of products, people and issues, reports that positive sentiments about Armstrong remain above 58%, according to the LA Times, but that's down from 86% at the beginning of July. Zeta exec Al DiGuido told the Times:
“Anyone or anything associated with Lance Armstrong should be very worried right now. He has faced these kinds of allegations before, but the fuel really seems to be kicking in this time.”
Livestrong Foundation
Founded as Armstrong battled his way out of cancer in 1997, the Lance Armstrong Foundation has grown into the nation's 10th largest cancer foundation, raising some $325 million since it was formed.
The yellow LiveStrong bracelets are still worn by many; 130,000 were sold at this year's Tour de France. Thousands ride the LiveStrong Challenge century bike rides in Seattle, San Jose, Philadelphia and Austin every year.
However this turns out for Armstrong, let's hope the Livestrong Foundation will continue to thrive and be able to fulfill its mission of inspiring and empowering the 28 million people worldwide diagnosed with cancer.
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