Why stop supporting Livestrong?

[T'Baio]

So, Lance Armstrong is apparently guilty of doping. And now donors to his Livestrong cancer charity want their donations back because they feel they've been duped and donated under "false pretences?" What does the charity and Armstrong have to do with each other, beyond celebrity endorsement? If this is one of the largest charitable organizations in the fight against cancer, why stop supporting it? Seems people care more about the celebrity than they do the charity. Sad.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/19/us/lance-armstrong/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

 

[scotpens]

Regardless of whether Armstrong has personally done anything wrong, the money is still going to cancer research, right? It's like refusing to buy a Ford car because the company was founded by a man who hated Jews.

Okay, maybe not the best analogy, but you get the idea.

 

[Kestra]

There's already a lot of skepticism about charities I think. When you take a big organization like this and have the public face of it involved in deception, people are going to transfer some of those feelings. Not to mention that people are feeling disappointed, hurt, and deceived. They probably don't know what to do with those feelings so this is one way they can act. In the end it's not productive, but I don't expect people to be rational when they are feeling very emotional.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

So, Lance Armstrong is apparently guilty of doping. And now donors to his Livestrong cancer charity want their donations back because they feel they've been duped and donated under "false pretences?" What does the charity and Armstrong have to do with each other, beyond celebrity endorsement? If this is one of the largest charitable organizations in the fight against cancer, why stop supporting it? Seems people care more about the celebrity than they do the charity. Sad.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/19/us/lance-armstrong/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

What Kestra said.

Armstrong was the public face of this organization, and not only has he been exposed as a cheater, but he has refused to admit to his misdeeds (people can be remarkably forgiving if you own up to things). This castes the organization and its spending habits into doubt; probably unfairly, but it still does. That's another reason why he's such a dick, because his actions didn't just harm himself. You can see the reasoning in the passage from the article below:

But, as his involvement with Livestrong grew, "I started to ask what are they doing with all this money they are raising?"

Now, Birdsong said, he feels disillusioned. "The whole thing is founded on a lie. The guy cheated, and he forced other people to cheat. I would like my money back. We donated under false pretenses."

McLane said 82% of funds raised by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the charity's official name, are devoted to programs and services that benefit survivors and their families.

That being said, there's reason to hope that the charity will recover just fine after taking a brief hit due to the current controversy:

Livestrong has actually seen an increase in donations and purchases from the its online store in recent weeks, McLane said. Purchases from the store, which sells Livestrong's trademark yellow wristbands, sports apparel and accessories, have doubled in the past three days, she said.