How does a Charity sponsor a team?

[ImmaculateKadence]

I agree with your above statement - but the difficulty is that it is confusing trying to distinguish the brand (Livestrong) from the charity (LAF).

You even confused yourself in this post....

Most people associate Livestrong as a charity - when it is in fact a brand-name, from which Armstrong also profits.

How is it a brand name? What does this brand sell? And how does LA profit from it?

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

I agree with your above statement - but the difficulty is that it is confusing trying to distinguish the brand (Livestrong) from the charity (LAF).

You even confused yourself in this post....

Most people associate Livestrong as a charity - when it is in fact a brand-name, from which Armstrong also profits.

Are you referring to the Livestrong Brand fitness equipment? Because that equipment is manufactured by Johnson Health Tech North America and a large portion of the purchases go to LAF.

 

[Murray]

Were you able to find the bill for the truck with the loudspeaker?

Let it go. I've never seen anyone so obsessed about a truck rental and megaphone.

If people are excited about Lance and cheer for Lance and feel good about Lance they will give more $$ to the LAF and help some people.

 

[Race Radio]

Let it go. I've never seen anyone so obsessed about a truck rental and megaphone.

If people are excited about Lance and cheer for Lance and feel good about Lance they will give more $$ to the LAF and help some people.

It is a perfectly reasonable question to ask, especially considering confusing the message is common with Armstrong

If they are excited for Lance and cheer for Lance they buy more Nike, Trek, SRAM.....should LAF be paying for this?

 

[kurtinsc]

I agree with your above statement - but the difficulty is that it is confusing trying to distinguish the brand (Livestrong) from the charity (LAF).

You even confused yourself in this post....

Most people associate Livestrong as a charity - when it is in fact a brand-name, from which Armstrong also profits.

Lance does not profit from "livestrong". The LAF owns 100% of the rights for that.

Lance's ownership in Demand Media comes not from the livestrong brand, but the content he provides for the site and the advertising he does as a celebrity spokesman. The LAF's ownership comes from the name of the site (livestrong.com).

And livestrong is NOT a sponsor/partner of radioshack or the trek-livestrong team... the LAF is. In fact that's exactly what I stated... you took out part of the quote to make it sound like I was confused.

"To answer the original question, it doesn't look like the LAF gives the Trek-Livestrong team any financial assistance (or if they do, they burried it very well in their financial documents).

I would guess that technically they are NOT a sponsor, but rather a partner (like most charities involved with sports teams are)."

Clearly, the "THEY" being referenced was the LAF. I never even typed the words "livestrong" in that post.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Lance does not profit from "livestrong". The LAF owns 100% of the rights for that.

Lance's ownership in Demand Media comes not from the livestrong brand, but the content he provides for the site and the advertising he does as a celebrity spokesman. The LAF's ownership comes from the name of the site (livestrong.com).

And livestrong is NOT a sponsor/partner of radioshack or the trek-livestrong team... the LAF is. In fact that's exactly what I stated... you took out part of the quote to make it sound like I was confused.

"To answer the original question, it doesn't look like the LAF gives the Trek-Livestrong team any financial assistance (or if they do, they burried it very well in their financial documents).

I would guess that technically they are NOT a sponsor, but rather a partner (like most charities involved with sports teams are)."

Clearly, the "THEY" being referenced was the LAF. I never even typed the words "livestrong" in that post.

But this is the problem - "THEY", which you say is the LAF however...

Is the Livestrong Trek team called ....
A) LAF - Trek
B) Livestrong - Trek

What is on the Radio Shack jersey:
A) LAF
B) Livestrong

Lance has equity in Demand Media - which of the following do they earn their revenue through advertising from?
A) LAF
B) Livestrong.

Also in your post you now say the LAF sponsors the team? I dont actually beolieve they do (or can).
And you have said Lance is a 'celebrity spokesman" - is that an assumption? As I have not seen that stated anywhere.

 

[Rex Hunter]

The highly respected surgeon, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is on the LiveStrong charity board. He wouldn't be apart of something that he felt was in anyway cheating the cause.

 

[Murray]

It is a perfectly reasonable question to ask, especially considering confusing the message is common with Armstrong

If they are excited for Lance and cheer for Lance they buy more Nike, Trek, SRAM.....should LAF be paying for this?

I agree with you in principle. That is, charitable donations should not fund for-profit companies.

However, in practical terms, when you send a message out to thousands or millions of people how do you seperate which will donate and which will purchase and maybe some will do both.

I see this as being similar to Bono and his charities. Maybe some of his fans will donate to worthy causes and maybe some will just buy U2 t-shirts and cool-looking shades.

I don't think it's really possible to completely seperate the celeb from charity.

 

[Rex Hunter]

I agree with you in principle. That is, charitable donations should not fund for-profit companies.

However, in practical terms, when you send a message out to thousands or millions of people how do you seperate which will donate and which will purchase and maybe some will do both.

I see this as being similar to Bono and his charities. Maybe some of his fans will donate to worthy causes and maybe some will just buy U2 t-shirts and cool-looking shades.

I don't think it's really possible to completely seperate the celeb from charity.

Good points. I don't think people understand how big modern charities are run.

 

[Race Radio]

The highly respected surgeon, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is on the LiveStrong charity board. He wouldn't be apart of something that he felt was in anyway cheating the cause.

Why?

Gupta is a media person whose job is to promote himself. Aligning himself with Armstrong sounds like a great way to raise his profile.

 

[Race Radio]

I agree with you in principle. That is, charitable donations should not fund for-profit companies.

However, in practical terms, when you send a message out to thousands or millions of people how do you seperate which will donate and which will purchase and maybe some will do both.

I see this as being similar to Bono and his charities. Maybe some of his fans will donate to worthy causes and maybe some will just buy U2 t-shirts and cool-looking shades.

I don't think it's really possible to completely seperate the celeb from charity.

It is possible to separate promoting the celeb from promoting awareness. If it was about promoting awareness I would be all for it. If instead of imploring everyone to get ready to "Cheer for Lance" they were educating people about early detection and preventative measures I would be all for it. Even at the expo there was plenty of ways to buy Livestrong gear but little real information.

By now we all know that the comeback had nothing to do with raising awareness but at least he could try to fake it a little.

 

[Polish]

The highly respected surgeon, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is on the LiveStrong charity board. He wouldn't be apart of something that he felt was in anyway cheating the cause.

Maybe Lance bribed CNN $500,000?

 

[Rex Hunter]

Why?

Gupta is a media person whose job is to promote himself. Aligning himself with Armstrong sounds like a great way to raise his profile.

Obama wanted him to be U.S. surgeon general. He's highly regarded.

 

[kurtinsc]

But this is the problem - "THEY", which you say is the LAF however...

Is the Livestrong Trek team called ....
A) LAF - Trek
B) Livestrong - Trek

What is on the Radio Shack jersey:
A) LAF
B) Livestrong

Lance has equity in Demand Media - which of the following do they earn their revenue through advertising from?
A) LAF
B) Livestrong.

Also in your post you now say the LAF sponsors the team? I dont actually beolieve they do (or can).
And you have said Lance is a 'celebrity spokesman" - is that an assumption? As I have not seen that stated anywhere.

As I said... I believe they are a "charity partner" not a sponsor (at least that's how it appears, I could be proven wrong on that). Essentially that means that the team puts the livestrong brand on their jerseys for nothing... as a donation.

And all the marketing for the LAF is for the livestrong brand. It's how they get a lot of their funds to run their charity... those stupid "livestrong" bracelets.

It's marketing for the fundraising arm of the charity. It's like the muscular dystrophy association marketing the Jerry Lewis Telethon. That's how they get their money.

Honestly, I'm not sure what you're trying to prove. Do some people think the name of the charity is "livestrong"? I'm sure some do. But there simply isn't a way to mistakenly donate money to Demand Media rathre then the LAF. If you write a check, it will be to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. If you go on-line to donate... the only place connected to the "livestrong" name is the one through the LAF's website. If you buy a stupid bracelet, the money will be going to the LAF.

It seems people are trying to point to some sort of nefarious Lance Armstrong scheme to steal your money while pretending it's going to charity. That's just idiotic. The only confusion is the livestrong.com website... WHICH CONTAINS NO WAY TO MAKE A PURCHASE OR DONATE TO ANYTHING. The LAF got equity in Demand Media for them using the name as well.

Explain what the point is of all this?

 

[kurtinsc]

It is possible to separate promoting the celeb from promoting awareness. If it was about promoting awareness I would be all for it. If instead of imploring everyone to get ready to "Cheer for Lance" they were educating people about early detection and preventative measures I would be all for it. Even at the expo there was plenty of ways to buy Livestrong gear but little real information.

By now we all know that the comeback had nothing to do with raising awareness but at least he could try to fake it a little.

THE LAF HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CANCER AWARENESS.

Lance Armstrong said he was returning to cycling to help cancer awareness (which is complete bull by the way), but that is not a goal of the LAF. They provide aid to cancer survivors.

I can't find who paid for the "cheer for lance" car... or even a reference to it existing. But what I do find from the TOC shows that NIKE sponsored the chalk campaign... not the LAF. If I had to wager I'd bet the LAF didn't sponsor anything at the TOC, with the possible exception of selling some livestrong merchandise to make some money for the charity.

Nike doesn't care about the LAF. They care about selling product. And Lance is a spokesman for Nike... so they want him promoted... so they can sell more product.

Can you find any proof that the LAF had anything to do with that? Of all the stuff from the TOC mentioned I did take the time to find out at least some of it was paid for by Nike... unless you can prove otherwise I think it's safe to assume it all was.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

The highly respected surgeon, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is on the LiveStrong charity board. He wouldn't be apart of something that he felt was in anyway cheating the cause.

Who? The guy who said this?

"How many times can Lance Armstrong say it? He doesn't dope."

As Lance said "what do you call the guy who finishes last in Med school".....

 

[Race Radio]

THE LAF HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CANCER AWARENESS.

Lance Armstrong said he was returning to cycling to help cancer awareness (which is complete bull by the way), but that is not a goal of the LAF. They provide aid to cancer survivors.

I can't find who paid for the "cheer for lance" car... or even a reference to it existing. But what I do find from the TOC shows that NIKE sponsored the chalk campaign... not the LAF. If I had to wager I'd bet the LAF didn't sponsor anything at the TOC, with the possible exception of selling some livestrong merchandise to make some money for the charity.

Nike doesn't care about the LAF. They care about selling product. And Lance is a spokesman for Nike... so they want him promoted... so they can sell more product.

Can you find any proof that the LAF had anything to do with that? Of all the stuff from the TOC mentioned I did take the time to find out at least some of it was paid for by Nike... unless you can prove otherwise I think it's safe to assume it all was.

The fact that there is so much confusion about this should be a concern.

 

[Rex Hunter]

Who? The guy who said this?

"How many times can Lance Armstrong say it? He doesn't dope."

As Lance said "what do you call the guy who finishes last in Med school".....

Hardly, he's one of the best surgeons in America. He still finds time to operate every week despite his media duties. What a guy.

PS. From now on you are to be known as 'guy who's links never work".

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Hardly, he's one of the best surgeons in America. He still finds time to operate every week despite his media duties. What a guy.

PS. From now on you are to be known as 'guy who's links never work".

Thanks for mentioning the broken link - I have a habit of putting in too many "

I know little about the guy - but he is not objective.

From now on we will call you TheArbiter,or Great White or.......

 

[Dr. Maserati]

<Snipped for brevity>

Honestly, I'm not sure what you're trying to prove. Do some people think the name of the charity is "livestrong"? I'm sure some do. But there simply isn't a way to mistakenly donate money to Demand Media rathre then the LAF. If you write a check, it will be to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. If you go on-line to donate... the only place connected to the "livestrong" name is the one through the LAF's website. If you buy a stupid bracelet, the money will be going to the LAF.

It seems people are trying to point to some sort of nefarious Lance Armstrong scheme to steal your money while pretending it's going to charity. That's just idiotic. The only confusion is the livestrong.com website... WHICH CONTAINS NO WAY TO MAKE A PURCHASE OR DONATE TO ANYTHING. The LAF got equity in Demand Media for them using the name as well.

Explain what the point is of all this?

Calm down - you will break your keyboard.

I never said anything negative about the LAF. Reading the charity watchdogs they appear to give the LAF a good rating.

My point is that it is not the LAF or Livestrong.org that is on the jerseys or is being promoted as the brand - it is simply Livestrong.

Again I think launching the Livestrong.com site is a smart way for the LAF to earn revenue. However, I do not see why Lance has to have any equity in the arrangement with Demand Media - he has amassed a fortune that is probably over $100 million during his career - I do not see why he needs to profit in any way through Demand Media.
From my point of view any funds generated should all go to the LAF.

Because of the association with Demand Media it calls in to question how much Lance is promoting the charity or how much he is promoting an arrangement he ultimately profits from.

 

[Carboncrank]

I would not be so quick to dismiss the .com. It is one of the top 1,500 websites in the US and it's traffic is growing fast. The .org, not so much.

like he said... there are no substantial profit drivers on the site no matter what the traffic is.

lance is rich.. but it ain't from the website.

 

[Race Radio]

like he said... there are no substantial profit drivers on the site no matter what the traffic is.

lance is rich.. but it ain't from the website.

So Demand Media is the non-profit?

We will see next year if/when they try to go public

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Obama wanted him to be U.S. surgeon general. He's highly regarded.

Plus, he's really good at smearing people who are actually correct.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/the-trouble-with-sanjay-gupta/

 

[Race Radio]

Obama wanted him to be U.S. surgeon general. He's highly regarded.

There are some on this forum that would say an appointment by Obama is not something held in high regard. It is all a matter of perspective/spin

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Plus, being on CNN's payroll just means Gupta's got great training at spouting corporate propaganda anyway. Maybe he should be RadioShack's doctor.

Of course, I certainly don't mean to impugn his medical acumen one bit. This has nothing to do with that at all.