From Athletic Business Review by Jauan Latney in SRM 334 (section 1)
The big story that has recently come out about Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o is only behind Lance Armstrong’s admissions to Oprah Winfrey in the sports world. There have always been plenty of people coming after Lance Armstrong accusing him of doping, but no one ever had the proof to set it in stone. This always left doubt in the sports world on how “legit” his seven Tour de France titles were. All of that doubt has now been erased with certainty after Lance came out on the Oprah Winfrey show, admitting to doping in all contests.
A week before the interview was to be released on to the public, there had been plenty of advertising and talk to build it up. People took to twitter to put in their opinions as well as making headlines on sports channels and the news, without even airing on TV yet. When this interview finally aired it was split into two separate shows where Oprah got into the issues that everyone wanted to hear the answers to. He admitted to using drugs and said about the whole thing “I view this situation as one big lie” and felt that while he was living the lie it didn’t feel wrong at all. This all flows directly into class because of how the media is now running with the story as well as regular people on social networks. Shows the connection certain media people have with athletes and how the word of something can spread like wildfire from a tweet.
I think the way he went to a popular talk show host to admit to his wrongs was good for him in a way to get the apology out to many. He still had a very negative affect on many people’s lives which will be hard to fix but at least he is trying to right his wrongs. The way the information spread throughout the world shows how much media has changed and can shed light on any event, anywhere in the world. I personally hope Lance is forgiven after the struggle of cancer in his life to even return to cycling. I can understand taking back the medals but there is no need to bash him. --- Review by Brandon Lee in SRM 334 (section 1) During the past few weeks we’ve seen a good amount of big stories in sports world. From the national championship game and the controversy with Manti Te’o to Ray Lewis’ retirement and his Super Bowl run, the excitement has been there. However one story that has trumped them all would undoubtedly be Lance Armstrong and his long awaited admission to using performance enhancing drugs.
Lance has won 7 Tour de France titles and speculations have rose before yet there was never concrete evidence of him “doping”. However after many years of these speculations, Lance agreed to have an interview with Oprah Winfrey and speak on the subject. A week before the interview was to be help, the media began to advertise this event and did a great job of getting people excited to hear the details of the story. Oprah and Lance explicitly agreed that the interview was to be “no holds barred” during it and she would ask questions that may be uncomfortable to speak about but had to be done. In this interview Lance Armstrong admitted to not only doping, but doing it during all 7 of his titles. He apologizes to all the people he hurt by not admitting earlier and seemed very sincere with his the apology. I feel that these apologies are from the heart however the fact that he’s trying to race again may have pushed him to say what he said to get in good standing with the public, media, and the cycling committee. I do feel however that the committee did what they should have by stripping him of his titles. This story is extremely relevant to our class because it shows how that media connects with the athletes and how they can shape the way some may view them. It also connects to our class because how they get the word out about the event (i.e TV, internet, social media).
From the Los Angeles Times and Tampa Bay Times Review by Eric Stodd in SRM 334 (section 2) Lance Armstrong very well could have been one of the greatest athletes to ever live, and over the past few years his career has turned into a stream of lies and deceit. He won, a record, seven straight Tour de France titles while racing for the United States Postal Service Team, which was unheard of. In the sports world today, the mass audience will undoubtedly question anyone who completes a feat of this magnitude. The L.A. Times article we are focusing on quotes Armstrong’s perception of winning just his first title, “This is a new guy in the tour. It can’t be. He must be doped.” When it comes to a sport like cycling, we have now found out that almost half the competitors were doping up in some way, shape, or form.
This article pertains directly to this class in many ways, because the heart of this story is based around media relations. The media, teammates, and the USADA had all come after Armstrong and were searching for the truth. From the beginning, Lance kept with his “deny, deny, deny” way of handling things. This would lead him into the deepest hole I have ever seen an athlete delve into, and he probably will not climb out of it. Armstrong destroyed journalists’ and teammates’ careers by suing them for claiming he used PED’s. In the end, after the lawsuits and his realization of everyone knowing the truth he decided to finally stop lying. It is rather jaw dropping now that he would finally come out with the truth after he fought to destroy his accusers’ lives. Lance Armstrong’s career will surely become one of the most stained and diminished in sports history. --- Review by Cara Yaworske in SRM 334 (section 2) For this current event assignment, we decided to discuss the Lance Armstrong scandal.
As everyone knows, Armstrong won the Tour de France seven consecutive times after being diagnosed with cancer. With many athletes who have such success, there are doping allegations, which was definitely the case for Armstrong. Even though this story can be talked about for days, we are focusing on one aspect: his denial through the years.
One of the articles we used discusses all of Lance Armstrong’s public denials. There were many press conferences, interviews, and even books asking if he has doped. These accusations began in the 1990’s and he denied every single one, including in his “nonfiction” memoir. The second article is about every person Armstrong sued. He sued people such as book reviewers, his masseuse, and previous employees. He went to the extremes to ruin people’s jobs and lives to deny what is now known to be true.
The reason this is such a big deal is because Armstrong went more than ten years denying doping and then all of a sudden he decides to come out with a public apology on Oprah. Nobody really knows the reasoning behind his sudden admittance, but it has caused hatred towards him and the causes he supports. Do these people accept his apology? I know I am very curious to find out.
Doping is a very important topic in sports because it’s illegal and unfair, and yet so many athletes do it, and eventually, get caught. So what can be done to avoid this from happening? Drug testing clearly is not cutting it, because Armstrong still managed to pass every test. This story is related to our class in particular because it’s been in the media for years. First, the media accused him of possible doping, and now it is talking about his public admittance. Doping and how the media reacts to it is an issue that definitely needs to be fixed.
USA Today’s article titled, “Tattoos but a fraction of Colin Kaepernick’s story” explains his life from adoption all the way up until his time as an NFL starter on the way to the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback is a player to admire. I absolutely believe that there are media sources in sports that are trying to tarnish Kaepernick’s image. This particular article written by USA Today portrays Kaepernick in a good light.
Kaepernick was adopted at five weeks old and grew up in Milwaukee, WI. He attended and played football for the Nevada Wolf Pack and became the only FBS player to throw for 10,000 yards and rush for 4,000 yards in a career. This ultimately led to the 49ers selecting Kaepernick 36th overall in the 2011 NFL draft. Kaepernick was also selected in the 43rd round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs as a right-handed pitcher.
The media has brought up personal information about Kaepernick including his family and tattoos. I personally believe this is not the place for sports media to get involved and believe that those things are to be left alone. This particular article allows fans to see how great of an athlete and person Colin Kaepernick is. The tattoos on his body and his family background should not hinder the perception of a fan because social media says it should. Sports media rules our society and it is refreshing to see an article promote a successful athlete and show his path to the Super Bowl. --- Review by Brad Burgess in SRM 334 (section 2) Colin Kaepernick is the current starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. A player picked in the 2011 NFL Draft 36th overall. After veteran quarterback Alex Smith suffered a concussion in week 10 Colin had an opening. The buzz around the 49ers was whether or not Smith would play in their next week’s game. When Monday came it was Kaepernick who got the start. He shocked the world and displayed his ability with a big win over the Bears 32-7. Kaepernick would be the new starter.
However, with Kaepernick’s rapid rise to fame came the media frenzy finding out who this guy was under the helmet. Reports started pumping out articles on this kid. He is a half white, half African American, who was adopted by the Kaepernick’s, a white family from Wisconsin. The only college to offer him a football scholarship was the University of Nevada. He went on to be the only FBS quarterback to throw for more than 10,000 yards and rush for more than 4,000. One of the biggest controversy’s that has been discussed in articles has been his tattoos. He is tatted up all over his upper body. In one article it was said that Kaepernick looks like a thug out of prison. Colin doesn’t listen to the media and says that he loves his tattoos, and he gets them because he wants to and no other reason.
The way this relates to this class is the question of how the media can shape a fans opinion on an athlete. Before Colin was the starter there was little talk about him. Now he is a household name and is taking his team to the Super Bowl. There are reports arguing his tattoos, talking about him being adopted, and asking him about how he got to this point. If you read some articles you end up loving Colin’s story and become a big fan. Other articles you perceive him as a thug with a lot of swagger. Without the media we would not know about this stud from the University of Nevada. The media controls athlete’s fame. They control the emotions of a fan. The media today has changed the way we look at players and their backgrounds.
