Maybe they did a lot of talking offline, and ESPN personality Tony Kornheiser convinced Lance Armstrong just how sorry he was for urging motorists to run cyclists down with their cars.
And maybe Kornheiser truly is sorry. Maybe he meant it at the beginning of his broadcast when he reminded listeners not to take anything he says seriously.
Boys and girls, this is a comedy show. It is a often a show of outsize outrage, it is often a show of sarcasm, it is often a show of subversion. The only purpose in this show — and occasionally it’s even intellectual, occasionally, though that’s not the intent — the only reason this show exists is to entertain you and hopefully make you laugh.
But you’d think he would have enough sense to realize that some things just aren’t funny. And that some people take comments like that seriously — and I’m not talking about the reaction of the cycling community.
Especially since he says his own daughter sometimes rides a bike to work.
Personally, I think he needs a serious timeout, just like any other petulant child. And personally, I think Lance let him off way too easy.
But listen – and decide — for yourself.
I’d say this tool got what he wanted: publicity. He got Lance Armstrong on his show, pretty good dividends.
Yeah, I have to agree. I was reluctant to write about it for exactly that reason. I think the guy who wrote the link up above, under the “possibly related posts” got it right — Lance should had shunned him and insisted that ESPN do something about it.
Armstrong is a tough tweeter! If, and a big if, he goes on the show at all, he should have hammered him and stuck to the subject. A few minutes on cars/cyclist and the rest of the 15 minutes is a great sports interview. Talking about beer and when they are going to get together for a ride. And oh yes we all need to ride to the right and single file, blah, blah, blah. Yes it is the cyclist fault. The original rant was no joke. Thanks Armstrong, but tweeting the cycling community and then laying down when you have the op to speak to the non-cycling community on the subject was a letdown.
[…] I think Lance let Tony off way too […]