This is absolutely despicable:
http://msn.foxsports.com/id/2593080
That is probably the most horrific example of poor sportsmanship (spectatorship?) that I can recall. It's absolutely unbelievable.
Never mind the fact that Lance is the greatest cyclist in the history of the sport. Never mind his life-changing experience with cancer and his incredible comeback. Never mind that if there was an athelete who deserved to be spit on, it would be anybody but Mellow Johnny.
What really bothers me is the lengths that Lance has gone to in order to appease the Europeans (in particular the French). He was not well-liked when he began dominating the sport of cycling. The French press hounded him, the organization targeted him ridiculously for countless doping tests (including one instance while his wife was in labor and they were on the way to the hospital). His life was made extremely difficult because of his success.
His response? Class.
He learned French. Now Lance gives his interviews with the French press in their native tongue. He lives in Girona for part of the year. He did everything possible to adapt to the European perceptions related to the sport so that he gained respect, while remaining a singularly unique champion.
Lance has said all along that Jan Ullrich is the most dangerous competition he has. He is the only cyclist that Lance fears. Each year that Ullrich has participated, with the possible exception of this year, Armstrong has been proven right. Ullrich is a caliber of cyclist above nearly all others. Armstrong understands this and has always accorded him the corresponding respect and admiration.
And then, on the slopes of l'Alpe d'Huez, the incomparable showcase of cycling glory, German fans actually spit on him. I have seen photos of one fan (of nationality unknown to me) actually extending his middle finger at Lance as he storms up the mountain.
Is this an anti-American sentiment? Is it a political response? Is it simply sour grapes, the reaction of fans whose favorites have been broken by Armstrong's unstoppable power?
Whatever it is, it is disgusting. I hope I never see it again.
Anti-American sentiment is Sour Grapes on the American way of life. I am also surprised that people go down to that level... and I know I should not be. I am so proud of him, I have never been a fan, but this makes me one... because like you said he shows class.
Posted by: logtar at July 23, 2004 02:59 PM"Is this an anti-American sentiment? Is it a political response? Is it simply sour grapes, the reaction of fans whose favorites have been broken by Armstrong's unstoppable power?"
Wahrscheinlich ist von allem etwas dabei. Letzte Gewissheit hätte man aber erst, wenn man die Leute mal direkt fragen würde. Aber wer will das schon.
Da kann Lance Armstrong noch so sehr Appeasement-Politik in Richtung Europa betreiben - einen letzten Rest von unsportlichen Idioten wird es IMMER geben.
Mit "unstoppable power" können viele Leute halt nicht umgehen. Dazu muss man selber schon eine gewisse Souveränität und Gelassenheit mitbringen.
Wo gerade die Rede von Anti-Amerikanismus ist. Ich bin ja sonst nicht sehr missionarisch veranlagt, was Büchertipps angeht, aber das hier muss ich mal wärmstens empfehlen: Ian Buruma & Avishai Margalit, "Occidentalism - The West in the Eyes of its Enemies". Vielleicht kann man damit sogar die Ereignisse rund um die Tour de France besser einordnen... :-)
Posted by: Almut at July 24, 2004 07:42 AMThere was a good article in the Independent yesterday explaining why the French don't like Armstrong, and I think, from reading French sports mags, it's got it right. I don't think it's because he's foreign or because he's suspected of having taken drugs: Frenchman Virenque was found guilty of taking drugs and nobody cares, and no Frenchman has won the Tour in 30 years.
I think the main problem is that he's "killed" the Tour. There's no competition, nobody can beat him, and that has made the whole thing quite boring to watch for the last 6 years in a row. The French love a bit of drama and most of all, underdogs: one of the most popular cyclists ever was Raymond Poulidor, who was a fighter and had a great personality but never even wore the yellow shirt.
The other major problem is that he is quite aloof. The French love the fact that this sport is characterised by its accessibility and although he has made efforts to make himself likeable, it doesn't quite add up: he professes to love France but lives in Spain. He's learnt French but no one can approach him, with his bodyguards and his bus with darkened windows.
I think he has earned tremendous respect as an amazing athlete, but unfortunately, I don't think he'll ever be loved by the French public. He's too much of a professional and too much of a winner!
Posted by: céline at July 25, 2004 11:55 AMAs I live in Germany I'd like to add that the Tour de France and cycling in general are not so popular over here. Although Jan Ullrich is German, the group of supporters in Germany is still rather small (compared to other forms of sport). However, I think that Céline made a good point, and although I can't say anything about Lance Armstrong, I can definitely say a few words about Michael Schumacher, racing driver and last year's winner of the Formula 1. He also won the Formula the year before, and the year before that year, etc. In fact, he won 3 or 4 times in row, I think. Although he is German and very popular, his popularity is sinking. The number of people watching the Formula 1 races is decreasing, mostly because the outcome is predictable. Anti-Schumacher voices get louder demanding that he finishes his career to make way for those who are trying to catch up with him time and time again.
Posted by: Sonja Tomaskovic at July 25, 2004 06:04 PMAlmut - "einen letzten Rest von unsportlichen Idioten wird es IMMER geben" Da hast Du ja voellig Recht. Aus meiner eigenen Erfahrung kenne ich das auch. Ich meine uebrigens auf keinen Fall, dass alle deutsche Fans so eingestellt sind. Und das Buch klingt interessant, muss ich auch mal lesen...
Celine - I think that you are right, in part. Virenque is wildly popular because he's got such panache - he's incredibly fun to watch. About killing the Tour: I think that is true only to a limited degree. The 2003 Tour was the greatest Tour in history, in my opinion. The drama just didn't stop. Other years have been less exciting, though, it is true. As far as how he is unapproachable: I think that a lot of that is done to protect himself. Keep in mind, too, that in 1999, USPS was not yet the biggest team in cycling and couldn't afford the same seclusion and protection. Yet Lance still dominated. Your comments ring with truth from another perspective, though - thanks.
Sonja - Cycling isn't that popular here, (USA) either. Lance has revolutionized the sport and essentially ushered in a new era, where Americans actually pay attention. LeMond was a great champion but he lacked the ability (whether it was charisma, business sense, or whatever) to do that. That's why Lance is so important, regardless of whether he keeps winning.
I think it's a good point about the winner losing popularity over time. It takes a singular kind of personality to maintain the public's approval. After all, the thrill of sport is in seeing the unexpected happen and the underdog triumph. In 99, that underdog was Lance. Now it's Lance no longer, so perhaps people are tiring of him, just like Schumacher.
I don't follow cycling at all (not even the Tour de France). But I can only imagine any protest must be against Armstrong in particular - it would strike me as rather peculiar to spit at an American cyclist as a way of protesting against Amercan government foreign policy. But then again, there are plenty of very peculiar people out there.
Re: your first commenter. All anti-American sentiment in Europe is specifically directed at the current administration, and the pResident in particular. It certainly is disgusting and abhorrent for that sentiment to manifest itself in an act as described in this post. I just don't understand it when I've spoken out against Bush in various political website discussions, some people seem to equate that with speaking out against America as a country, which is certainly not the case. I don't like Blair either, but that doesn't make me anti-British.
Posted by: Jez at July 27, 2004 11:57 AMBTW, just found this article on Yahoo.de.
http://de.sports.yahoo.com/040728/14/1dao.html
Posted by: Sonja Tomaskovic at July 28, 2004 06:53 AMIt was disgusting but Lance wasn't the only one the crowd was after. One of the Germans also was attacked for not helping Ullrich, of course he was not on the same team which the crowd did not get. Then again, Lance is an American, riding for an American team. I'm not sure he "owes" anything to the French. Do any of the other top riders try to make friends with the French? Not necessarily any reason to.
Posted by: b at July 28, 2004 07:11 AMA footnote - I never thought about this until Lance brought it up in one of his post-race interviews but a lot of these people were camping and partying for several days - a little, or a lot of alcohol can go a long ways toward explaining some of the behavior. Not an excuse but we all know people who behaved like jerks when under the influence.
Posted by: b at July 28, 2004 08:20 AM