After a scathing U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report found that professional cyclist Lance Armstrong led what they described as the most sweeping doping effort in any sport ever, Armstrong's name was wiped from the record books. The president of the International Cycling Union announced Armstrong is banned from professional cycling for life, and he is being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005.
There will be no winner written in his place, since 20 of Armstrong's 21 competitors who finished with him on the podium were also linked to doping charges.
Although Armstrong continues to deny the charges, some of his corporate sponsors have dropped him, and he has stepped down as chairman of his LIVESTRONG Foundation, which seeks to raise awareness about cancer.
However, he is not the only athlete to have been taken down by a doping scandal. Major league baseball was hit with a series of allegations that top sluggers were using steroids to improve their performance. Last December, all-time home run king Barry Bonds got two years' probation for lying to a federal grand jury about steroid use. Similar scandals also tainted the legacies of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.
Quotes
"As a cyclist and somebody coming from a cycling background, I was sickened by what I read in the USADA report," - Pat McQuaid, International Cycling Union.
"People ask me a lot, how are you doing? And I tell them, I say, well, I have been better. But I have also been worse," - Lance Armstrong, former professional cyclist.
Warm Up Questions
1. In the world of professional sports, what are some forms of cheating?
2. Who is Lance Armstrong?
3. What happens if a top athlete is found to have been using illegal performance-enhancing drugs?
Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think the government investigates doping in professional sports? Should this be the job of the government? Why or why not?
2. Do you believe Armstrong cheated? If so, why did he deny it for so long?
3. How do you think this decision will affect the world of cycling, or of professional sports in general?
4. How does this affect your impression of professional sports?
Additional Resources
Armstrong Done With Doping Fight
Science Of The Summer Olympics: Engineering In Sports
