Bonds Vs. Armstrong - Who's the potentially biggest fraud?

They would be equal frauds if they are both juicing.

But Armstrong testing positive would be a bigger traveshamockery because it would ruin the charity work he's doing now.

 

Most people who don't know the sport would be STUNNED to know how far pro cyclists will go to blood dope. Some of them are apparently gene doping now. It's sick. It's a dirty, dirty sport. Baseball turned and looked the other way for years, and in many ways it still does. You can't say that about cycling's governing bodies.

 

If they are both found guilty, Armstrong would be the biggest fraud out there. I believe he cheated, but theres no evidence. Also, if Barry left his family for Beyonce, I may like him a little better.

 

Offhand, I would say I believe Armstrong to be the bigger 'fraud,' in the sense that I believe he cheated for a larger portion of his career than did Bonds.

However, I really don't have a problem with either guy, because I think everybody in cycling cheats and a majority in MLB either cheats or cheated with PED the last 15 years or so until the new steroid testing came into practice.

 

I would say the governing bodies of both sports which allowed rampant cheating by its biggest stars for a decade, then decided to take a hard stance after stories broke about Bonds and Armstrong.

 

I think a lot of people would write the Armstrong story if they had enough ammo. The French media have tried EVERYTHING to get him and haven't.

 

I agree with both of you guys, Mizzou and hockeybeat. I'm so tired of the free pass Armstrong has gotten because 'America hates the French,' and all that crap. I mean, think about if Giambi implicated Bonds, how much of a commotion that would cause. You have people with signed affidavits saying they heard Lance talking to doctors about taking drugs, etc. There are people that have gone under oath with this stuff. Oh, they're haters, blah blah. It's a crock of sh*t. You have Armstrong, allegedly, repeatedly threatening Greg LeMond and others, and their families, etc.

You know who Lance reminds me of? Another Texan who likes to do whatever he likes.

And he's a 'hero,' with yellow bracelets and Barry is the scourge of the world.

Crap.

 

Armstrong. Bonds never pretended to be something he wasn't.
Armstrong has cast himself as an American hero and a leader in other causes as the result of his celebrity.
That would all be ruined if the truth came out, but no major American media is going to go after Armstrong the way they went after Bonds.

 

On a side note, why would the American media go after Armstrong when the French media has thrown every variety of mud at him and nothing has stuck?

Am I to gather that American journalists are intrinsically better than their French counterparts and would succeed where the French have failed?

 

Good point, GB. Armstrong has made it clear that he will come after you (a person chasing the story) with guns blazing if you try. When the LA Times wrote a few things last year the Armstrong PR response was immediate and swift. A lot of writers are probably like 'screw it, I don't need hate mail from tons of cancer survivors.'

JayFarrar - That is a great point. I was talking with a friend recently about how I dislike Kobe and like Bonds. They were like 'what?'

But Kobe (and the KobePhiles) are like Lance and the bracelet-wearers: Their guy is like some untouchable deity. And both guys play it to the hilt, any circumstantial or hard evidence to the contrary. To me, both are phony. Although I respect Lance more than I do Kobe, but that's another discussion.

Like you said, Bonds just flat-out doesn't give a f*ck. Yes, he's not marketable. So what? He's not crying about it. He knows he would get better press if he acted even 1/10th like a normal person, but he doesn't care.

At least he doesn't hide it. He's a surly, angry curmudgeon. And everyone knows it. And he doesn't care.

It's one of the reasons Kobe drives me nuts. "See, my jersey is #1! You see!! I'm 'back;' my image is rehabilitated! So what if anyone who switches jersey numbers gets a big spike in sales? You think that's why I did it? You probably think I took the most shots in the All-Star game so I would win the MVP, too, right?"

Bonds doesn't pretend. You have to respect that.

 

Didn't say it was the only factor. I think I listed like four or five reasons all told and that was just part of it.

 

exactly........if a journalist was able to uncover evidence that Armstrong doped, they'd be known throughout the world.

And cycling had many doping scandals before Armstrong came along.....they didn't turn a blind eye so an American could win their race, believe me.

I'm sure he doped at some point in his career, but not to the extent others some to believe.