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The Worldwide Loser [+ update]

Copy_of_pineapple_face_tiny by Chris... on in News

Here's a screenshot from the self-proclaimed "Worldwide Leader in Sports" today:

New_pl31_medium 
The caption:

U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong, right, walks with an unidentified member of his team after a training session...

 "Unidentified"?!? Does this help? Still drawing a blank? How about this? Still nothing?

This is inexcusable. It's Levi Fucking Leipheimer, the first, second and only American to ever ascend the podium of the Vuelta a Espana. The third fourth American to ever stand on the Podium in Paris (officially). The present Olympic Bronze medalist. The only American to ever win the Deutschland Tour. The twice-winner of the Tour of California. Maybe the caption was written by some random service that auto-loads on the ESPN website, but I demand a correction. Also, if it sounds like I'm overreacting, 1) it's my job to overreact when Cycling gets dissed, and 2) it's ESPN's job to gain some basic awareness of America's greatest athletes.

[h/t Majope]

Update, by Chris: ESPN responds to Majope, who kicks ass today:

Thank you for contacting us.
 
I reviewed the photo and see the source is AP (Associated Press). Because ESPN does not own the photo, we do not have the ability to update the photo or caption. Please contact the Associated Press with your request. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Shorter ESPN: we were just following orders. Nice.

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Tell them ALL about it

(Okay, I swear I just posted this, but them interwebs musta ate it. Trying again, and if the original appears out of the ether, apologies for the double post.)

ESPN Corrections

ESPN Contact Us

by majope on Dec 1, 2008 8:30 PM EST   0 recs

Wow, they're fast

Response from ESPN:

Thank you for contacting us.
 
I reviewed the photo and see the source is AP (Associated Press). Because ESPN does not own the photo, we do not have the ability to update the photo or caption. Please contact the Associated Press with your request. I apologize for the inconvenience.

by majope on Dec 1, 2008 9:08 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

So...

AP’s email address is info@ap.org

Let’s see what they say.

by majope on Dec 1, 2008 9:12 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

1-2-3...

…let’s all e-mail Artero himself:
arturorodriguez@fotografo.com

It’s been my experience that the cutline information starts (and usually ends) with the photographer, particularly when it is of a freelance nature.

by Chief Commissaire on Dec 1, 2008 9:15 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Just be sure...

…and spell his first name correctly (since I did NOT).

by Chief Commissaire on Dec 1, 2008 9:16 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

gotta figure Arturo is some AP stringer

who happened on a money shot and fired it off. He probably knows as much about cycling as many (most?) of us know about Rugby Union Play in Aus. It is piss poor editing that someone didn’t pick this up prior to shipping it to their sporting news subscribers.

by Fred Marx on Dec 1, 2008 11:06 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Yep

It’s not Arturo’s fault, it’s the fault of the people who package the image and sell it to us as news, yet still can’t see that it’s a picture of America’s two most prominent active cyclists. For AP to sluff it off on the photographer is, well, a good indicator of why media outlets everywhere are canceling their contracts with AP. AP really sucks. But ESPN are the sports guys, and if they can’t finagle a way to correct the info on their own website, they’re pathetic too.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris... on Dec 1, 2008 11:16 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

They could have just taken the image from Lance's twitpic


" Levi Leipheimer and Lance Armstrong after surfing"
(via. Twitpic)
Oh my god was that hard, and oh so illegal, please… I just kicked the AP’s ass.

"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt

by Phil H. on Dec 1, 2008 11:21 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

I thought that part was odd

That the caption is also owned by AP, not just the image. I would have expected that the subscriber to AP could write their own caption. They come pre-captioned? Where’s the fun in that?

by gavia on Dec 1, 2008 11:42 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

AP Members...

…are free and clear to edit any and all AP copy. But they do so at their own risk. Unless it’s a picture of a “mainstream” sports athlete, they are likely to stick with what they’ve been given.

by Chief Commissaire on Dec 2, 2008 12:41 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

ayup

so what we see, above, is a pretty sad attempt at covering for ESPN’s incompetence on this photo.

by Sui Juris on Dec 2, 2008 8:54 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

Bene

I thought that was the case, because Gazzetta for ex. always puts their own captions on.

by gavia on Dec 2, 2008 11:50 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

Meant to add

I notice the ones at G, because they’re usually funny ;-)

by gavia on Dec 2, 2008 11:50 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

that *is* impressive

I would not have expected them to reply so quickly, if at all.

by gavia on Dec 1, 2008 9:14 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

That's freakin' stupid

They deserve a solid round of heckling for that. Geesh, he’s American, you fools. And it’s not like he’s that hard to id. The, um, bald dome is pretty darn distinctive and stuff.

by gavia on Dec 1, 2008 8:32 PM EST   0 recs

So does HWMNBM...

not have to wear Astana colors?

Racing for Victory and Free Beer!

by DemonCats on Dec 1, 2008 8:41 PM EST   0 recs

in one of his twitters

he commented that he’d race in the Astana kit but train in the Livestrong because “Priority #1 is the LS global campaign.”

by Katiek on Dec 4, 2008 10:50 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

Once into 2009 though, doesn't he have to train in the team kit?

"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."

by nikki on Dec 4, 2008 11:21 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

Musetted

As in… attacked by a musette :) —hal

by hkbirke on Dec 1, 2008 10:18 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Musetted

I like that.

by sminer on Dec 1, 2008 10:30 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Add that one to the lexicon archives. So funny.

"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."

by nikki on Dec 1, 2008 11:27 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Yahoo Photos has the same picture up with the same caption. Looks like it might have been the photographer’s caption on the AP wire.

by Katiek on Dec 1, 2008 8:45 PM EST   0 recs

The plot thickens

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris... on Dec 1, 2008 8:59 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

the ap thing

that you talked about above

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris... on Dec 1, 2008 11:16 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

I can't wait for their Giro coverage

“Some other team beat Lance’s team in the Giro team time trial.”

“Some Italian guy beat Armstrong in the Giro’s first mountain stage. The anonymous rider apparently won the Giro in 2006, back before anyone had ever heard of the race.”

“Armstrong wins Giro time trial, but is still behind a couple of nobodies in the overall results.”

by Tifosa on Dec 1, 2008 8:54 PM EST   0 recs

eh, about right sadly

And they get paid for that shit.

by gavia on Dec 1, 2008 8:56 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

That’s almost just like how it was back in his first couple tour wins.

by Ryan_Liles on Dec 1, 2008 11:46 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Or heck

all they had to do was check Lance’s TwitPics.

by majope on Dec 1, 2008 9:04 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

twitpics

that’s awsome in some many ways, none of them related to the content I’m sure.

by Fred Marx on Dec 1, 2008 11:01 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

gah

He looks huge beside Levi.

by gavia on Dec 1, 2008 8:58 PM EST   0 recs

That's only because...

Levi is only three feet tall. He rides a 21cm Trek.

Racing for Victory and Free Beer!

by DemonCats on Dec 1, 2008 9:28 PM EST   0 recs

very swiftly

I might add…

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris... on Dec 2, 2008 1:41 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

Reality check for American cycling enthusiasts, riders, and racers

I applaud Chris for going on a rampage about this, and I think everyone should contact ESPN especially for using this AP photo and not correcting the caption. I just can’t believe they had a photographer out shooting at the Astana training camp that didn’t know anyone else besides Lance. Did they give some photos of Lance to the photographer and say “Hey, we need some photos of this guy, he rides a bike”?

That’s the sad reality of our sport here people. Like I’ve said before, when you’re out on the roads training it’s not like anyone yells out their car window " Go Jens!"

I shouldn’t be surprised by the disgruntled Podium Cafeans that Lance is headline news again with his announcement to ride the TDF. Some commenting on his poor grammar, others about his weight, and the constant doubt about his fitness and abilities. But his presence sure livens this site up, since previously you would have a handful of comments on a posted story and know the comments are rolling in again.

About Lance’s fitness, and I’m no fitness guru, but I no what it takes to run a sub 3 hr marathon because I did it in college and spent 3 days pissing into a bedpan. I started racing bikes in my 40’s just a few years ago and cruised to Cat2 with little pain. When I run in the off season I feel stronger and have better results on the bike. Lance is going to wreak havoc.

by sminer on Dec 1, 2008 9:29 PM EST   0 recs

Fitness

Obviously Lance is pretty aware of what he’s getting into re. everyone else, so I’m sure he can be in the game. But what’s far less certain is how he’ll recover day after day as the road keeps going up. So I’m skeptical, but not dismissing it.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris... on Dec 2, 2008 1:44 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

"of his team"

As bad as the Levi complete screw job, the words after that, “of his team” pisses me off just as much.

"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it."- H. L. Mencken

by ursula on Dec 1, 2008 9:53 PM EST   0 recs

+1

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris... on Dec 1, 2008 11:22 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Whoa, it is the team he is on and to refer to the team has ‘his’ is totally fine.

by Ryan_Liles on Dec 2, 2008 12:00 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

maybe not as

 discovery was “his” team. It’s a part of the mystique that many find so unappealing. It all devolves to the man, and little grace is given to those who make it possible. Granted Disco, was his team, no bones about, It was all Lance all the time. I think the reaction is to the possible return to those “thrilling days of yesteryear, Hi Ho Silver….”

by Fred Marx on Dec 2, 2008 9:26 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

Actually . . . .

 . . . if I remember correctly Lance had a partial financial ownership in Disco.
So, in fact it really was his team in more ways then one.

Astana is a bit different situation as Lance has no financial interest in the team.
It is just his team and not his team

by Ryan_Liles on Dec 2, 2008 11:03 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

ELPMO Ursula

That acronym should be easy to figure out.

by sminer on Dec 2, 2008 12:23 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

as a point of interest

This happens all the time with sports photos. Most of the time you’re lucky if one person is identified with their name spelled correctly. Sometimes they issue corrections (see: getty images) sometimes (most times) they don’t.

Today, I raced à la Chavanel, and I succeeded.

by callmecayce on Dec 1, 2008 10:54 PM EST   0 recs

Yeah

I can understand a little about how this works. But it’s like a cafe that outsources some of its food, and one of the items is half-baked pizza. Well, should you serve the half-baked pizza as is when people order it, or do you care enough about your business and your customers to finish baking it?

I know, this isn’t important. But Levi Leipheimer, in his team kit, has earned the right to never be called “unidentified dude” ever again.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris... on Dec 1, 2008 11:24 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Plus a huge lot of plus signs.

Levi’s not like some unknown rider no ones heard of. He’s accomplished a great many things most riders will only dream of and that caption just sucked.

"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."

by nikki on Dec 1, 2008 11:31 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

i just think y'all are making a big deal out of nothing

It’s not like the people doing captions are out to get cycling. If you look at enough sports photos, which sadly I do, you’ll notice that this is far more common than you’d expect. Especially in team sports, where they don’t even bother to get the names right — even if the player has his back to the camera with his name on his jersey. I’ve seen pictures of LeBron James with the wrong name on the caption and it’s not like people don’t know who he is.

Today, I raced à la Chavanel, and I succeeded.

by callmecayce on Dec 1, 2008 11:45 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

eh, just kvetching

Me, I think paid journos should do accurate work. If they don’t, it’s my God-given right as a free American to complain loudly and often.

That’s all ;-)

by gavia on Dec 1, 2008 11:47 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

yeah, i get that

And I’m one of those people who bitch all the time. It just seem kind of hilarious (to me) that everyone is all up in arms about something so common and innocuous.

Today, I raced à la Chavanel, and I succeeded.

by callmecayce on Dec 1, 2008 11:50 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

It's a little worse

when the same media breathlessly report what Lance had for breakfast. Maybe it’s common, but we retain the right to hate it.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris... on Dec 2, 2008 1:07 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

i think you're making this a bigger deal than it is

I’m not saying they shouldn’t write accurate captions, because they should. I’m just saying they don’t for any number reasons. And not one of those reasons is a direct reaction the photographer/whoever think about the people in the picture.

Today, I raced à la Chavanel, and I succeeded.

by callmecayce on Dec 2, 2008 10:07 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

i think

the reaction is just an indicator of what a flashpoint this is. as Margo Channing put it, “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!” i was sick of the coverage three months ago so now i just block it out as much as possible.

by nickel17 on Dec 2, 2008 10:31 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

I sat next to a photographer at a skating event once

and I’m pretty sure if I told him the skater’s name was Barbara Bush he’d have copied it down and sent it in.

by Katiek on Dec 2, 2008 11:36 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

Next time

you have to do this.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris... on Dec 2, 2008 11:50 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

oooh, imagine the fun we could have...

heh, heh, we really do need to infiltrate the press rooms ;-)

by gavia on Dec 2, 2008 11:52 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

you have no idea!

I mean, in cycling they usually don’t even label the pictures.

Today, I raced à la Chavanel, and I succeeded.

by callmecayce on Dec 2, 2008 10:04 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

Well that's weak

but they actually had a poll question on espn that asked if Armstrong will be able to ride in a supporting role in next years Tour. I’ll give them credit for even knowing that there is such a thing as a supporting role in cycling and that Lance may only be riding in support. Still, Levi won a medal for the US this year, and this is how he gets repaid? I don’t care if it was the AP or ESPN, a professional news agency should be able to do such a simple check up. It would have taken what? 5 whole minutes, oh dear no! BTW the AP article today about Lance racing the Tour next year even mentioned Levi, what little dipshits.

"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt

by Phil H. on Dec 1, 2008 11:14 PM EST   0 recs

what this really is

is a nice little comment on the news business. Big media outlets can’t really take the time to be careful anymore; they just blast out unending streams of crap, on the cheap. This is at least 30% of the reason blogs exist: to point out how unacceptable the rest of the media is, and to demonstrate what a real product looks like. So perhaps I should be more grateful.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris... on Dec 1, 2008 11:28 PM EST   0 recs

Maybe in exhange for us not bitching them out

they should give a link to PdC saying " If you want to find out who the small sort of bald dude is, next to the great American God himself, check out this site that actually has knowledge of cycling"

"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt

by Phil H. on Dec 1, 2008 11:32 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

well, yeah

Except they’re still getting paid to pump out that unending stream of crap.

by gavia on Dec 1, 2008 11:44 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

I think you’ll find a subsequent story in which AP reduced their prices and removed usage restrictions in order to placate their dissenting customers. Which should at least see them competitive with CNN’s new newswire service and probably keep most of their existing customers.

pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway

by fmk on Dec 2, 2008 7:02 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

dunno

I think the regional associations that have sprung up will prove to be pretty good ideas, and we’ll see more movement to them. The AP will probably remain, but it’ll be a shadow of its former self (hopefully not falling to the depths of the UPI . . . ).

by Sui Juris on Dec 2, 2008 8:59 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

The AP price reduction exists. As does a tasty two-year hang-up clause.

pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway

by fmk on Dec 2, 2008 9:05 AM EST to parent up   0 recs