H-Bear

They should incorporate the press conference with new commercials. Such raw emotion and foresight.

patentcad

My friend Viki watched that and had tears in her eyes at the end. I really can't remember a more powerful TV spot. The one minute version of that from the website is just amazing. There's a 30 second version they're showing more on TV now.

merckx_rider

great spot, all things considered he's one of the greats

admcptch

That album is great. If you like that stuff pcad I can recommend you some more music like it. I listen to that sort of stuff at night or early in the morning. Relaxing but also it can be pretty intense.

Awesome. Are they comfortable? I have a pair of older Nikes that look similar to them and they are pretty comfortable.

patentcad

That video reminded me of why I'm on my bike too, and how much static there can be surrounding this sport. I'm not on the bike for any of that. Very powerful message on a number of levels for me in that video. I really like it.

You don't like Lance? That's fine. No Lance for you.

Go Lance.

Drag

I hate Lance haters.

patentcad

Don't burn the calories dude.

Not worth it.

Drag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIl5RxhLZ5U&NR=1

Banzai

That spot made me want to register for the Austin Livestrong challenge ride right now.

I feel obligated to, at this point. How can I not?

Of course, I'm already committed to a group for the MS150 in Oct...how will I raise all the funds?

pabuck

While part of our charity money usually goes to the Jimmy V Foundation or Komen, I'm an Lance fan.

Mainly because my dad, a three-time cancer survivor, is a Lance fan as well.

Razorhoof

I'm disgusted by the cancer cult as a whole and completely confused about supporting it.
I raced in a 24 hour event that mostly benefited the local cancer center, and wondered why. It seems all the cancer stories are either about the death of someone due to cancer, or those that have survived. What we never hear about are all the people in between that have been disabled due to it. They are ignored after a while because they cost the medical industry lots of money and the taxpayers as well. Not to mention their story is not at all inspiring.
That being said I am 28 years old with a mother who, in 2000 was diagnosed with breast cancer. We bought into all the whoo-haa over hair loss grief, the Race for the Cure, yadda yadda yadda. 4 years after she was declared in remission, she started having more problems. It was skin cancer but it wasn't in say, a place like her arm or a mole on her back. It was in her rectum. The radiation burned her beyond repair, and it was never officially cured. A year later, her breast cancer metastasized into her bones and, while small, has wreaked havoc on her spine and hips. Add to that, the other cancer and treatment resulted in a recto-vaginal fistula. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectovaginal_fistula
It's one of the most horrifying things I've watched any person have to go through. It has been an extremely rough road. Watching her get dissed by doctors and arrogant, snotty, indifferent nurses has made me extremely bitter toward healthcare professionals at large and especially answering the legions of people who have no idea what it's like that constantly ask me "Why doesn't she......" and "Why don't she get a doctor to fix it?" And I've lost count of how many have worn the pink ribbon or yellow wristband.

But back to the lecture at hand.

I support Lance. His attitude and resolve clears the confusion, even if it is putting on a show. It's good to see some sort of resistance in a sea of negative people that don't know. Not only does he bring about awareness, and eventually research but he raises the issue of "I never thought it would happen to me." And made me realize that it's not about support in the form of short fun runs with free t-shirts or disposable trinkets, but wearing the weight in your head that it has/will/COULD/is happening to me.

/end rant.

Tulex

I'm not sure I actually followed your post. But as to why we hear mostly about death and survival is because those are the 2 extremes that represent the bad and good. Death is the extreme that cancer can do to you, survival is the hope that we have. Any awareness, be it cult or what ever, leads toward hope.

shapelike

You sound like you and your family have been through a lot, which is really awful. I think your perception of the video is a bit skewed though and you may have missed some details that show not everyone who beats cancers gets to walk away from it un-scarred. Given the constraints of a 60 second spot I think that ad did a great job of conveying the message of why everyone must keep fighting cancer. You're jaded from your experiences and rightfully so, but there are so many people out there who are hurting and need all the motivation they an get. This ad will help them.

... my eyes are wide open when it comes to Nike and their business practices, but that's a conversation for another time. That 60 second ad did a good thing and I can leave it at that.

Dick Rhee

You should check out another Mogwai song, "Christmas Steps." Sadly, a lot of their other stuff just isn't as dynamic as those two tunes. Nothing beats a good build-up.

slickjolly

Loved the ad...Makes me want to hop on my bike and ride like a demon all day!

phillypino215

great ad.

duckbill

Critics have no accountability. When they are inaccurate they suffer no ill effects. Unfortunately they have the power to complicate people’s lives. Too bad we can’t change theirs.

Dantebfd

I was ten years old and remembering standing in the hall outside the bathroom where my father stood as he washed his face in the bathroom mirror, he was shirtless and I could still see what I guess were the fading ink markings on his lower back- to this day I have no idea what their purpose was. My dad had testicular cancer and ten years old is way too young to see your father as looking less than immortal.
He survived, I credited it to the hot fudge sundaes I made him every night. He is 74 years old now and still loves hot fudge sundaes.

That commercial moved me and brought me back to that day in the hall and I am going to call my dad and then go for a long bike ride.

mugatu

"I Know You Are But What Am I" is as dynamic I'd say
"We're No Here" is far and away the most powerful


I'd never expect to look to Nike to put together something so meaningful, but I'm glad they did.

efranko

And in your post lies the answer to why every critic needs to shut the f up. If, as a result of 60 second commercial, people are driven onto the roads to improve their physical and mental health, if people are driven to pick up the phone to call family members and friends, if people are driven to make contributions, whether monetary or not, then there is nothing negative that can or should be said.

Kurt Erlenbach

I passed 10,000 miles on my bike two weeks ago, measured from July 19, 2006, the day of my last chemo session for stage 4 colon cancer. I have five large scars on my chest and abdomen, one from the surgery to remove the cancer in my colon, one from the temporary colostomy I had after that surgery, one huge one from the liver surgery when the cancer came back, and two from the chemo ports, one on each side of my chest, one for each time I went through chemo. I have significant bathroom difficulties every day as a result of my surgery.

I read "It's Not About the Bike" when I first got sick, and it scared me to death because I was just about to begin chemo. I wear a Livestrong bracelet every day now, and I change it when I leave the old one on the casket of a friend who died from cancer. I'm on my fourth bracelet now. This one will soon, I'm afraid, be left on the casket of my father-in-law.

I beat cancer because of those medical professionals you talk about. I had as good an experience as one could expect with my doctors, nurses, and others.

I am weak and slow on the bike. But it, along with strong medicine and good doctors, have saved my life. I cannot begin to tell you how inspiring Lance Armstrong has been to me.

kwrides

It's nice to know that you live in a world where everyone agrees with you 100% of the time or the "correctness" police will tell them what they can or can not say.

I live in the USA, where we're actually all allowed to have our own opinions.

Dick Rhee

Well, here's why. On Vivalavinyl:

FYI, TDOA was an old screamo band from Columbus, OH.

admcptch

Another great song by them. I agree I wish more of the songs had the buildup that exists in a few of their songs.

Those are two great ones.

SpongeDad

It is impossible to be excellent without being self absorbed. Some of the greats put a better gloss on it (Michael Jordan), some worse (TO). LA is somewhere in the middle.

There was some poll where an F1 driver was vote the most hated athlete of all time that LA used to point to - the guys crime was being the best and apparently not being cuddly.