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Oakley ready to punt LA

Oakley are now owned by an Italian company so less inclined, one would imagine, to stick with him.

Let due process finish and then see who sticks with him. He seems to be becoming a pretty toxic brand right now.
 
Oct 8, 2012
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Well, that disgraceful Oakley rep Stephanie McIlvain looks like she perjured herself now in her testimony. Is it possible that Oakley knew and coached her what to say to investigators? Was the truth compromised because of Oakley's communications with Armstrong's legal team? Oakley probably doesn't want the media to uncover McIlvain's conflicting statements as well as their relationship with Armstrong.
 
Jan 27, 2010
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Fortyninefourteen said:


And so it begins. One of Lance's historically unilateral financial supporters are moving towards protecting 'their own interests'. That is completely discordant with a company as blind and collusional as Nike. Oakley will leave.

Like grains of sand passing through his fingers Lance will lose his castle. The more they leave the faster his demise will be.

Contrary to Andy Schleck stating procycling needs to move forward, it really needs to be aware of, and correct, the past in order to plan for a healthier tomorrow. As we all know that means tearing down that LA, JB, MFerrari...built up.

This is another great day for cycling. Despite the troubling facts of a rotten past, there have been a lot of positive days lately. Sorry Lance you'll need more than a pair of Oakley sunglasses to stop the radiation from burning you.
 
Oct 8, 2012
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alanshearer said:
Hopefully, Oakley will drop him in a few weeks, once the UCI decide not to appeal.

Nike is another matter. I suspect Nike will only drop him if he becomes a pariah.

http://www.businessinsider.com/lance-armstrong-michael-vick-for-nike-2012-10



This one is different. Yes, Nike stuck with Vick as the article showed. I think though. Or maybe it's just a feeling. Nike is eventually gonna say no to Lance's pandering. Maybe not now.
 
Oct 8, 2012
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TheEnoculator said:
I doubt Nike will drop Armstrong. They have proven themselves to be immoral under the child labour issues.


You are right. This time something feels different. I don't think they terminate Armstrong / Livestrong, although I think they are more than entitled to. And their funding for a lawsuit would crush anything that Armstrong has. Just a hunch, but I don't think they will renew when it's time.
 
Mar 26, 2010
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I suspect that for Nike, it's solely a business decision, nothing more and nothing less. So long as they thinik it's in their best interests (i.e., bottom line) to support Armstrong and Livestrong, whey will continue to do it. They'll drop the sponsorship when and if that is no longer the case. My impression is that people are abandoning Lance left and right, that even his most die-hard fans are having a tough time with the Reasoned Decision. If the tide trully turns against Lance, Nike will abandon him. Just as it's decision to continue supporting him has nothing to do with morality, a decision to drop him will have nothing to do with loyalty. It may take them a while to do it -- since they've invested so much into him, they'll be careful about walking away from that investment.
 
Forgot the old school sponsors. Nike will always sponsor Lance. Oakley may drop in time. It’s all the other companies which are startups and use other athletes or means to gain their publicity. Slowly in time he will fade away.
 
Aug 7, 2010
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alanshearer said:
I suspect that for Nike, it's solely a business decision, nothing more and nothing less. So long as they thinik it's in their best interests (i.e., bottom line) to support Armstrong and Livestrong, whey will continue to do it. They'll drop the sponsorship when and if that is no longer the case. My impression is that people are abandoning Lance left and right, that even his most die-hard fans are having a tough time with the Reasoned Decision. If the tide trully turns against Lance, Nike will abandon him. Just as it's decision to continue supporting him has nothing to do with morality, a decision to drop him will have nothing to do with loyalty. It may take them a while to do it -- since they've invested so much into him, they'll be careful about walking away from that investment.

This is exactly it. They will distinguish between Livestrong and Armstrong so they can keep the good, offload the bad....and it will be a road they cross soon as this will be a discussion topic at a very high level.
Their board members, many of whom hold high visibility posts in corporate, community and charitable organizations, will be very uncomfortable and very vocal about their ongoing association with LA as the level of detail becomes too unsavory. They will not be able to be comfortable as active board members, to allow the association with LA to continue. Livestrong might survive, but there are also plenty of other deserving charities that have no toxic legacies.
 
Aug 18, 2012
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Neworld said:
And so it begins. One of Lance's historically unilateral financial supporters are moving towards protecting 'their own interests'. That is completely discordant with a company as blind and collusional as Nike. Oakley will leave.

Like grains of sand passing through his fingers Lance will lose his castle. The more they leave the faster his demise will be.

Contrary to Andy Schleck stating procycling needs to move forward, it really needs to be aware of, and correct, the past in order to plan for a healthier tomorrow. As we all know that means tearing down that LA, JB, MFerrari...built up.

This is another great day for cycling. Despite the troubling facts of a rotten past, there have been a lot of positive days lately. Sorry Lance you'll need more than a pair of Oakley sunglasses to stop the radiation from burning you.

Personally I wouldn't really describe Nike as collusional, I think they turned a blind eye more than colluded with Lance.
 
Oct 8, 2012
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Briant_Gumble said:
Personally I wouldn't really describe Nike as collusional, I think they turned a blind eye more than colluded with Lance.



I agree. Oakley, Trek, those guys have directly colluded with Armstrong. Nike did not. They were in business with Armstrong because of his story transcending sports. They really weren't in business with him because they really wanted a foothold in the cycling industry. Now that Armstrong is viewed as basically a liar, cheater, and worst of all deceptive con artist, Nike will see that for what it is eventually. Somebody that is not good for sports. Nike knows they can sell way more on the image of a retired Michael Jordan than on Armstrong. It will happen.
 
May 9, 2009
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The major Lance sponsors:

Nike
Oakley
Trek
Giro

Anyone else?

What is their status?

Nike - Currently supporting him; no hint of dropping him.
Oakley - Currently supporting him; may drop him after UCI decision.
Trek - ?
Giro - ?
 
Aug 7, 2010
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trailrunner said:
The major Lance sponsors:

Nike
Oakley
Trek
Giro

Anyone else?

What is their status?

Nike - Currently supporting him; no hint of dropping him.
Oakley - Currently supporting him; may drop him after UCI decision.
Trek - ?
Giro - ?

Lance is a Trek shareholder. Also SRAM.
Terry Lee, former CEO of Bell Sports....Shareholder in Tailwind.
 
Oct 14, 2012
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trailrunner said:
The major Lance sponsors:

Nike
Oakley
Trek
Giro

Anyone else?

What is their status?

Nike - Currently supporting him; no hint of dropping him.
Oakley - Currently supporting him; may drop him after UCI decision.
Trek - ?
Giro - ?

Giro - Presumably knew all along. In the O'Reilly affidavit she does a drug run to Spain and takes her boyfriend along. Simon Lillistone. Ex-GB Olympian and by then Giro's European rider rep, responsible for attending the races and doling out Giro products to sponsored teams and riders. Would he have kept that secret from his employer?
 
Mar 22, 2010
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MarkvW said:
Do you think Nike thinks Lance is going to make Nike money?

Lance wasn't probably going to make much money for Nike win lose or draw (and thankfully it has been LOSE LOSE LOSE) His brand has been fading for years. His last hurrah was to podium in tdf and that really isn't much in their world. So this just hastens the inevitable. He was headed out to pasture, now he is skipping the pasture and going straight to the glue factory.
 
Oct 8, 2012
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Dear Wiggo said:
Cancer research LIE again. Sickening sycophants.


Yeah, just saw that. What a inch of idiots. All the Armstrongers have left is to sit Ina circle and pretend that everything is ok. Don't let anyone in who has read a whiff of the USADA report.