Lance Armstrong Controvery (1 Viewer)

[Stan]

This may be completely inappropriate, so if the moderators shut this thread down, I'll understand.
I'm just a little curious why these "unidentified sources" are suddenly coming forward seven years later, some of the info dating back to the mid 90s or earlier? Plus some of the "sources" are complete hearsay.
I'm always with the innocent until proven guilty crowd, so why did it take so long for this to surface? Weren't there blood and urine tests, possibly even genetic testing like the Olympics?
With one point I could easily disagree. About five years ago, I had five times the normal testosterone levels of most guys. No injections or othe things, just happened to be the way my body chemistry worked at the time. This lasted nearly four years before settling down. Also had cortisone injections about every eight months directly into my shoulder joint due to a badly torn rotator cuff, which still eventually needed two surgeries to repair. At no point did I every develop a physique or the stamina he has.
Most people probably fit a bell curve with body chemistry, but there are the outliers that don't fit the norm. Maybe he is just genetically a little different and his chemistry doesn't fit in that defined range.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I personally don't see what the big deal is in regards to Armstrong and especially baseball.
If people wanted to question Armstrong or bring him down then they should have done it while he was winning all these races. Doing it now doesn't really get anything done. It just seems like writers and certain agencies want a sport to work so they keep quiet about obvious cheating and then when there's no story the only way to get one is to take the person and tear them down. No one said a thing when Armstrong, a great story, won these seven titles just like no one said anything when McGuire and Sosa saved baseball. No problems with Clemens doing what he did until we needed a new story.
Plus, no offense to fans but it's bicycles. No one cares about this sport and I'm not sure how many did when Armstrong was winning those seven titles. I really don't think too many people care now that he's getting them taken away.

 

[Stan]

Plus, no offense to fans but it's bicycles. No one cares about this sport and I'm not sure how many did when Armstrong was winning those seven titles. I really don't think too many people care now that he's getting them taken away.

Not a big bicyclist fan either, but I know plenty of people who are, including my brother who has been a cyclist as long or longer than Armstrong.
Seems to me like most of what he did was just mental, and perseverance, just the "I'm going to push through it and win attitude". I think many people will be upset he's being stripped of his titles.
Personally thought it was always a slightly "fixed" sport where the team supports the favorite. All the drafting so the "star" rider could take it a little easier then jump out and take the lead. But I guess that happens in many sports from running to Nascar races.

 

[Jim Mcc]

He's a lying cheating scumbag

 

[TravisR]

I don't pretend to know (or even care) about the ins and outs of this decision but if they're stripping his titles, they must have hard evidence. If I'm wrong, I'll gladly say so but I can't imagine that they'd trash the guy's reputation, career and legacy based only on an accusation.

 

[Stan]

I don't pretend to know (or even care) about the ins and outs of this decision but if they're stripping his titles, they must have hard evidence. If I'm wrong, I'll gladly say so but I can't imagine that they'd trash the guy's reputation, career and legacy based only on an accusation.

I tend to agree with you Travis, hard to imagine this happening over an accusation, particularly if it's 7+ years later.
Maybe this is like the fictional CSI shows where there are frozen blood and urine samples that tests can be run on now that weren't available in the past. Maybe we'll never know the truth.
No matter what really happened, he has helped raise over $100 million towards cancer research with Nike, who does stand behind him, so there has certainly been a positive outcome.

 

[Michael Elliott]

There are several baseball players whose careers and reputations are in the can and they never tested positive so I'm not sure I buy the stuff with them taking away the titles. Again, if he did cheat I just don't see the point considering its been 14 years since he won his first title. Seven years since his last so it does seem like a witchhunt. I just don't see what they've proven or what good they did by taking them away now. Those who think he's guilty thought this ten years ago. Those who think he's innocent and being targeted are going to believe so even with the titles gone. It seems everyone says this has always been a dirty sport and it's pretty funny to look at all the titles and other positions that have been taken away over the past couple decades.
I believe I read that his cancer organization had a 25% spike over the past couple days so he might love the titles but this cause has more money (and he has enough to where it doesn't really matter).

 

[Yee-Ming]

Cycling unfortunately has always had lots of doping. But Armstrong never failed a test, and USADA isn't claiming that new technology has been able to detect traces of illegal substances in any of his old samples (they get stored and there have been cases where new tech has uncovered past doping). USADA's statements suggest that the main evidence against Armstrong consists of testimony from other cyclists, in particular his teammates. Who may or may not have been more recently caught doping themselves, and were offered sweetheart deals to turn on the biggest fish of all, Armstrong. So I approach it all with a huge pinch of salt.

Besides, it's (currently) a misnomer to say that Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour victories: the UCI (International Cycling Union), the governing body, hasn't decided to do so yet, while USADA doesn't have the jurisdiction, although they have stated they are stripping him of his victories. Even though it's not for them to do so.

BTW cycling may not be a big thing in USA, but it is in Europe. Just as nobody outside of North America cares about so-called (American) football -- we watch the version played not with the hands but with, well, the feet...

 

[Greg_S_H]

It's been a bad week for the Armstrong family. Neil died, Lance had his wins taken away, and Stretch had his arms ripped off by a kid in St. Paul.

 

[Stan]

It's been a bad week for the Armstrong family. Neil died, Lance had his wins taken away, and Stretch had his arms ripped off by a kid in St. Paul.

Not a good week for the name. One sad, one bad and one humorous.
Just noticed my terrible spelling on the thread title, sorry for that. Now forever written into internet history.
Can we all say the letter "S"?