It has also bought the rights to games by the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the NCAA men's basketball tournament and English Premiere League soccer, and such personalities as sportscaster John Madden , skateboarders Bam Margera and Tony Hawk , cyclist Lance Armstrong and political commentators Bob Dornan and Michael Reagan .

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Some smarter telecom executives, including Mr Armstrong's predecessor, Bob Allen, had noticed these two points right away and blocked Mr Malone's efforts to put together a similar deal earlier on.

ECONOMIST: Business deals

Its creators, producer Bob Thiele and songwriter George David Weiss, hoped that Armstrong's grandfatherly image would help convey the song's message - and the message was political.

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Bob Kile of Kent, Washington, said he is unfazed by the Armstrong controversy.

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