Lance Armstrong appeared on CNBC's "Power Lunch," where
Bill Griffeth asked him how much his Tour de France victory
"means for you as a marketable commodity." Griffeth: "Your
agent told the New York Times you'll probably go into the
same league now as a Michael Jordan or a Tiger Woods. Do
you think so, and what does that mean?" Armstrong: "I
really don't know, and I don't know that it's important,
either. I have a job to do, I love what I do. I represent
our sport, I represent the cancer community, and if
companies want to align themselves with Lance Armstrong or
with these causes, then I think it's a wonderful thing."
Griffeth asked Armstrong about his decision to honor the
SAG/AFTRA strike by not shooting any new ads. Griffeth:
"Does that hurt your chances right now to strike while the
iron's hot?" Armstrong: "It's a difficult situation. ...
I'm with a company like Nike, for example, that, from day
one of my illness, were very supportive. They said, 'Lance,
look, no matter what happens to you, you race again or you
[do] not race again, we're going to support you.' They've
been around for the entire time. If they wanted to do a
commercial or put something together, it would be a hard
situation to be put into" ("Power Lunch," CNBC, 7/26).
Armstrong, along with Nike CEO Phil Knight, rang the closing
bell at the NYSE yesterday afternoon. Nike banners hung in
the Exchange when they rang the bell (THE DAILY).
CAUSE MARKETING: In DC, Rachel Alexander writes that as
Armstrong began his "whirlwind three-day publicity tour"
through the U.S. yesterday, he "tried to mention the word
'cancer' as often as possible." Armstrong: "I'm
disappointed that I didn't get to talk about the illness
enough this year. With all the talk about the athletic side
of things, winning [the Tour de France] twice, people forget
quickly." Alexander adds Armstrong is "loyally touting the
companies that stuck with him, while" the companies "in turn
are reaping their own dividends." Nike "saw a surge of
sales" yesterday when Armstrong visited N.Y.'s NikeTown.
Alexander adds that Armstrong's "popularity could grow even
more if Armstrong does well in the Olympics" (WASHINGTON
POST, 7/27). In N.Y., Ira Berkow calls Armstrong a "hero"
and writes, "In one significant aspect he transcends such
great athletes with whom he has been compared as Michael
Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and Tiger Woods. The reason is, he is
actively promoting and representing something beyond his
sport." Armstrong has "consistently talked about the
overcoming of obstacles, life-threatening and otherwise."
Nike contributed $25,000 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation
for cancer research yesterday (N.Y. TIMES, 7/27). Armstrong
appeared on FSN's "Open Mic" and said, "I still maintain
that I'm not a superstar. I look at myself as a regular
person, as a regular athlete. ... In ten years time, they
don't want Lance's autograph and they don't want his picture
and they don't want an endorsement, and I think as athletes,
these are short years. You shouldn't get used to that
stuff" ("NSR," 7/26). The AP's Hal Bock calls Armstrong a
"down-to-earth guy" who "seemed embarrassed by all the
attention" he received at NikeTown yesterday (AP, 7/27).
