rhubroma said:This only demonstrated how stupid and ingenuous most Americans are when it comes to doping in sports and how easily they are given over to an access of sentimentality, when the athlete in question is one of their own.
If Landis had been say French, Belgian, Spanish, Dutch or Italian, there is absolutely no way he could have successfully hoodwinked the public for so long, at least not in terms of making them actually believing his innocence, like he was able to deceive and defraud the American public in this regard. Only in America could one have orchestated such a colossal plan of willful deceit and fraud, and have earned so much credit for it in setting up an organization that thousands and tens of thousands of thoroughly mindless and stupid Americans would have actually contributed to monetarily. So, as I see it, those Amercans are partly to blame for their ridiculous gulability and childish innocence first and for funding hims second.
After all, anything that happens in France is suspicious, and we must never trust the French, who are a thoroughly dishonest and depraved people as everybody knows, that are always up to no good and have got it in for America and the American people in general.
Landis wagered a bet in playing upon this anti-French sentiment that prevails among the American people, having been a pupil as he was of the greatest Frankish opportunist and US manipulator of them all, Lance Armstrong, and it was nearly a winning bet. Having learned from the Yankee pide piper Lance himself, Floyd appealed to the American people's deepest patriotic and jingoistic sentiments, and if it hadn't been for all the overbeaing scientific evidence, would have easily won his public cause by a landslide. This only demonstrates how easily the American people are given over to being defrauded by a carefully orchestrated and well played-up conspiracy in the media outlets against them, which is natually appalling.
Having said that, and not having been one that was hoodwinked by his ludicrous affirmations and scandalous comportment, I have to say the man seems to me today more the victim of a totally corrupt and depraved system, than of his own poor decisions, whereas Armstrong was the system personified and so will receive no forbearance. Because he paid the heavy price of his career, his credibility and his psychological wellbeing, I find it difficult now to dwell on the gross errors of his past. Especially since the guy has contributed significantly to finally exposing the greatest defrauder of them all, Armstrong, while things like his letter to Hein Verbruggen was just a sporting masterpiece for its witty rebutle, satire and caustic criticism of a system that doesn't just need to be reformed, but totally rebuilt from scratch.
characterizing all americans as naive overly-nationalistic imbeciles is mentally lazy on your part. the fairness fund was driven by donations from a few wealthy elite supporters. beer swilling 'mericans didn't flock to floyd's defense in the way that you claim. the average american cares about cycling, and only minimally so, for about 3 weeks a year. the more passionate fan base is a very complex cross section i wouldn't even pretend to be able to make generalizations about.
shamed athletes from all countries have and will continue to successfully exploit national pride when caught.
floyd's story is complex and although the system appears to be corrupt, he is not a victim. he's now establishing a pattern of more responsible behavior that most sensible people can appreciate. for some of the reasons you've mentioned i've mostly let him out of my dog house but each of us is free to do so when they feel like it.