Lance's TdU fee causing political rumbings in Oz

Anonymous

lucybears wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

The same people also seem to think Livestrong has something do with cancer research..

are you a mind reader ? or do you just assume that people seem to think Livestrong has something do with cancer research.

Sorry fellas, whatever you think of Lance and the foundation, if 1 person with cancer has been helped then it is worth it.

David Campbell.
I have been in remission from Testicular cancer for 3 years. I have blood tests, CT scans and chest X rays every 6 months.

bomberharris72

I know Armstrong carries the 'Wow Factor!' but I thought he raced in a team to which he is contracted to and paid accordingly to his status and ability? Most sports team don't have individual members who receive more than anyone else just for turning up.

True, the people holding the event stand to gain more by having a big star show up but it just goes to prove that some people consider themselves to be above and better than the sport and all the people who have contributed to their success. Without these races the competitors wouldn't be anywhere. Maybe a bit naive of me to think this way but surely just taking part is what matters. Ask the finance people to pay that big fat cheque in its entirety to charity.

Art Vandelay

Payment for big names to attend races has gone on for donkey's years. Alfredo Binda was even paid not to compete in the 1930 Giro as he was so dominant.

cougie

You pay for lance to appear and the publicity comes with it. Its value for money - otherwise they wouldnt pay it.

blazing_saddles

cougie wrote:

You pay for lance to appear and the publicity comes with it. Its value for money - otherwise they wouldnt pay it.

Rann is certainly getting value for the tax payer's dollar, for his campaign.
Not sure about the TDU, though.
A decent hill would be worth more than a couple of million dollars to have Lance complete a training ride in the warm.

afx237vi

I just took a look at Mike Rann's Twitter feed... there's more name-dropping than in a 12 month subscription to Heat magazine!

flattythehurdler

Art Vandelay wrote:

Payment for big names to attend races has gone on for donkey's years. Alfredo Binda was even paid not to compete in the 1930 Giro as he was so dominant.

Now THAT is a class act.

iainf72

afx237vi wrote:

I just took a look at Mike Rann's Twitter feed... there's more name-dropping than in a 12 month subscription to Heat magazine!

Premier Mike Rann, if you please

BikingBernie

dmclite wrote:

whatever you think of Lance and the foundation, if 1 person with cancer has been helped then it is worth it.

As long as you don't bother to think about how much 'alternative' good could have been done with all that money... One's thing for sure, the publicity the LAF generates is good for Armstrong. It's also interesting that one of the biggest outlays for the LAF is lawyer's fees. I wonder if much of the expense of defending the name of Armstrong is actually funded by the LAF? After all protecting his name is also to their benefit.

Of the 270 million dollars it has raised, a whopping 45% has gone on promoting the LAF. (And so, of course, Lance Armstrong). Given this it would seem to be as reasonable to call the LAF a PR exercise as it is to call it a charity. See http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/cancer.html

frenchfighter

Does some go to the running of his private jet:

http://player.video.news.com.au/adelaid ... lXpfOW6Wt6

frenchfighter

Been tight with Clinton for ages:

frenchfighter

LOFL

“I am essentially racing for free. No salary. No bonus. Nothing on the line.… This one’s on the house. And you know what? At the end of the day, I don’t need money.… Not only will I be fine, my kids will be fine, my grandkids will be fine.”
- Armstrong, Sept 2008

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/featu ... rong200809

frenchfighter

For infio:

AU$3 million (US$2.7 million) in taxpayer money was what he collected last year.

http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/02/12/lan ... -the-rann/

Note: …did not specify the amount of his fee but said Saturday that, contrary to what had been reported here last week, he was not donating the fee to his foundation but treating it as income, the same way he has his other speaking and appearance fees since retirement.

frenchfighter

He also picked up fees for Ireland and Cali.

For Giro, according to Tuttosport he pockets 2m euros.

Lance denied the rumours:

"Uh [long silence...] I wouldn't say nothing at all, but (it's not 2 million). We got $500 to start the Tour of Gila…."

Doobz

does anyone have a link to the press conference video where Lance mentions team sky etc?

paulcuthbert

lucybears wrote:

teagar wrote:

Are people honestly complaining about money going to Haiti?

Words fail me.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/201 ... ke-updates

No, they are complaining about money that they donated to a cancer charity is going to Haiti. . If those people had wanted their money to go to Haiti they would have donated to one of the many Haiti relief funds.

But Lance is the biggest donor to Livestrong (something like $7million dollars of his own money)- so maybe the $250,000 could be seen as a personal donation from Lance- but under the masquerade of coming from a "charity"

BikingBernie

paulcuthbert wrote:

But Lance is the biggest donor to Livestrong (something like $7million dollars of his own money)- so maybe the $250,000 could be seen as a personal donation from Lance- but under the masquerade of coming from a "charity"

The sports philanthropy project says the following of foundations created in the names of sports stars:

`Foundations... serve two immediate purposes: They can provide a hefty and long-term tax deduction on windfall signing bonuses and salaries. And they can supply positive public relations, if they flourish.

...On its own Web site, the National Heritage Foundation lists several reasons why agents should encourage their clients to start foundations. For one thing, agents may continue to be paid from the foundation after the athletes' retirement. Also listed: Community prestige, lower taxable income and the Pester Factor.

"Athletes are besieged with requests for funds by almost everyone they see," the site offers. "They would be able to say, 'All these matters are handled by my foundation.'"

On the 990 tax forms, charity for the wrong reason still counts as a write-off.`

http://www.sportsphilanthropyproject.co ... php?id=426

deal

Many of these foundations are dodgy, Ikea is owned by a charity foundation dedicated to the advancement of interior design...but apparently its a charity that doesn't seem to spend much money doing this.

http://www.economist.com/businessfinanc ... id=6919139

BikingBernie

deal wrote:

Many of these foundations are dodgy...

They are certainly a standard part of many US cyclists PR / Tax management strategies. Other examples include the Fraud Landis Osteoarthritis foundation and the The Tyler Hamilton Twins Foundation which is 'dedicated to promoting health and personal empowerment through cycling, and supporting efforts to discover the causes of Multiple Sclerosis'. :roll: