Nike Called On To Support Antidoping Agencies in Lance Armstrong Aftermath

LOS ANGELES, California, February 11. IN a Christian Science Monitor article, former Swimming World contributing editor Tito Morales and author of Forward Swim lays out a distinct call for Nike to financially support antidoping agencies after “steadfastly backing [Lance] Armstrong and other Nike athletes who've doped.”

Morales succinctly explains how much money Nike makes from endorsing athletes such as Armstrong, and how the brand stood by him until finally cutting ties with Armstrong with a quick statement:

Countless millions wear the company's apparel, play and compete using their equipment, and idolize their spokespeople — a recipe that has pushed Nike's annual revenue past $20 billion. Despite a mountain of evidence against Armstrong, Nike stood by its endorsee until the bitter end. When Nike finally did sever ties with Armstrong, the company issued a muted statement that “it does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner” and it believes “in the integrity of competition.”

Morales now calls for Nike to begin funneling some of this endorsement money to antidoping agencies and research to prove that the brand does in fact believe “in the integrity of competition.”

Morales' article is a great read. Head on over to CSMonitor.com for the full article.

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