Originally Posted by
GV27
Hi all,
I keep looking on cycling web sites and keep seeing the Cannondale/Basso ads and it seems so wrong to me. I don't get it - with Armstrong back there are so many people who say he's bad for the sport's image because he's a doper, etc. etc. This for a guy who's never been popped for it (PLEASE don't turn this into yet another Lance the doper thread we have PLENTY of those.) Tyler Hamilton is basically persona non grata as is Floyd Landis. But here's Basso with ad campaigns built around him, a favorite for the Giro and people treating him as if he's the returning hero back from injury or illness or something. I don't get it - I believe that he has served his time and the past is the past but I just don't get why he's treated so differently from these other guys? It's like the doping never happened (just like he claims!).
Yeah, from the post I just posted you might say it's an American vs. European thing but there are plenty of Europeans who come off doping suspensions and aren't treated that way.
Chris
By choosing Basso, an obviously ironical decision by Cannondale given his tainted past paired with their righteous tagline "The Good Fight," they're betting redemption is a powerful selling tool. I don't think they're trying to make us forget or forgive his past. They've incorporated it into a more complex narrative. And who knows, it's a risk that may pay off. We've noticed it. They already had him raffle off his Japan Cup bike for charity. It's an interesting campaign.