For many years Lance Armstrong was the face of cycling. In recent years, and thanks to some advances in technology, he has become the disgrace of cycling to many people. The article below outlines why this shift has occurred. Share your thoughts on the topic. Discuss how technology advances triggered this fall. What are some of the social implications of this discovery? What is another instance in sports where events such as this have changed someone's legacy? Post a link to an article about that event as well.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/22/sport/lance-armstrong-controversy/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/655930-mlb-steroid-scandal-the-case-for-barry-bonds
ReplyDeleteTo start off I think that lance Armstrong should get a break sure he cheated and that's messed up. But that doesn't give the media the right to try and ruin his life because he cheated in a sport. If you cheated in a sport and got caught you would already feel like crap. So why does the media care so much! I think when people are jealous of others they will try anything in there power to ruin that persons life because they don't have the same lifestyle. I just think they should back off.
I remember another incident in baseball where a great player under the name of Barry Bonds was accused of using steroids. He admitted that he did use them, but then everybody tried to ruin his life; Even after he lost his MLB career. I still think he was a great baseball player, regardless of his cheating. I overall think the media should stay out of people's life and just let them be.
I think it really sucks that Armstrong was such a huge figure in cycling and then we all found out about what he did. Its hard to believe when he actually doped and what actual races he did it for. We didn't have the technology back in the day to test for this. Now we do, and he was caught.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of a professional athlete is, Alex Rodriguez. He was suspended for 162 games.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Rodriguez
Even though this is a older topic, it is still interesting to read up on. I believe that Lance did a terrible thing and he deserved to get his honors taken away. You shouldn't have to cheat to be a champion. Technology now days takes a very important role such as in this case, testing for drugs. If we didn't have this kind of testing and technology, we wouldn't have caught Lance and his wrong doings. After everyone found out about his doping, he lost a ton of respect for his cycling. Everyone thought he was such a good cyclist, but he was actually cheating his way through. After 215 tests, he was guilty of using drugs to win championships. Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants used steroids to make himself better. Barry ended up being the top player for home runs in MLB history just because he cheated.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Bonds
With armstrong saying that he has beat the test multiple times says a lot about the technology they were using to figure out if anyone was dopping. Even though they could of possibly had heard they are doing a test soon, this couldn't of been the only way they could pass this test. The social implication of this discovery is that they are taking away everything his career was from the past 14-15 years of his life. WIth him being apart of his own journey with cancer many people look at him and not think of what his survived but what he did to the cycling world. The olympics are another major area where dopping occurs. Hockey is the high light of the winter sports to many people, as this is the riverally against Canada and US.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/21/us-olympics-idUSBREA1G0GL20140221
I think that back then this kind of scandal wasn't as popular as it is today. Sadly, drugs being used for a sport is much more common and almost accepted. I know people back home that do steroids like it's nothing, all because they want to be bigger, but they never seem to balance out the good and the bad. The consequences of steroids are permanent, and the consequences for what Lance did, is also permanent.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that he had gotten striped of his title and has to pay back money that was once his, but it isn't fair. He deserves his punishment.
Lance Armstrong has lost the name for himself that he spent building up. His sponsers all dropped him, leaving him with nothing. He is now kicked out of the sport, and has more enemies than fans. It's a sad situation, but he put it on himself.
Another instance where drugs have affected sports, is Ben Johnson. He as a Canadian sprinter, caught doing steroids. The interesting thing about his story is that he didn't deny it, he actually decided to use this to make the sport even better. He stated that, "Just because an athlete wasn't tested positive, doesn't mean they're clean."
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/sports/ben-johnson-sprinter-in-1988-scandal-denounces-doping.html?_r=0
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2013%2F11%2F24%2Fthe-night-tiger-woods-was-exposed-as-a-serial-cheater%2F&ei=LaM2VIv4OsOpyAT8xwE&usg=AFQjCNFRbsv8C3mQQS6lPBDP6PKKeTU4Iw&sig2=Grpl3BxZzmN4UYSvvV3oZw&bvm=bv.76943099,d.aWw
ReplyDeleteI really think that Lance had good intentions but the wrong idea for what he doing. Even though he may or may not have been doping, he was still operating one the biggest charities of that time. That charity has generated over $500 million to cancer and its research. I Honestly believe that Lance may have doped, because he had admitted to it. If he hadn't though, I would have though otherwise. Also, I think that technology has destroyed him and blown up the situation to such proportions that are unnecessary. Another instance of this was when Tiger Woods took a hit from the media for sleeping around.
I thought it was shocking, i had no clue that everything he did in his 14 year career, was wiped out overnight. I find it hard to believe that the doctors help Lance with doping. Its crazy to think that sports star like Lance have the access to advance technologies to be doping. Some of the social impacts it had was that of the greatest biker in the world, was striped of all his winnings and forced to pay his winnings back.
ReplyDeleteAnother instance of a doping scandal was the A-Rod Scandal from last year.
http://www.ibtimes.com/alex-rodriguez-steroids-scandal-gets-yankees-player-banned-2014-season-rod-vows-take-fight-federal
I think after being such an idol for surviving cancer and winning so many gold medals that Lance should be embarrassed for what he did. Technology has triggered this fall because 20 years ago, who would have thought that adding oxygenized blood to your body could increase your stamina. It's 2014 and I had no idea this type of doping even existed. After Lance was caught doping his fame value dropped and now everyone basically hates him for what he pretended to be. It is a bit degrading that the founder of a huge cancer support group (Livestrong) would do such a thing. Crustal Cox was part of a gold medal winning relay team who was caught using steroids from 2001-2004- You know what sucks about being on a gold medal-winning relay team? When one teammates gets implicated in a doping scandal, the whole teams gets stripped of their achievement. The whole team lost their medals—even though they won the finals without the cheater.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.totalprosports.com/2012/05/30/11-female-athletes-caught-using-performance-enhancing-drugs/#6
I have heard of Lance Armstrong but I didn’t know much about his doping scandal. Reading this article I was informed on how the Lance Armstrong era will be known more for cheating than any of his accomplishments. I feel if it is all true, he deserves all the punishments he’s gotten. Advances in technology triggered his fall because to figure out if the was actually doping they had to run tests on him. Also the media made his story huge therefore everyone knew how Lance Armstrong cheated in potentially many of his races. Also the media’s involvement left no one with any questions, everything about his scandal was talked about. Another incident like this involves a very famous Yankees baseball player, Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez was caught using illegal performance-enhancing drugs but he was just suspended from 162 games not banned from the sport. My article says Rodriguez’s suspension is the longest in baseball history.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ibtimes.com/alex-rodriguez-steroids-scandal-gets-yankees-player-banned-2014-season-rod-vows-take-fight-federal
This topic seems kind of over the top honestly. Yes, Armstrong cheated and did illegal things and he should be punished for them but I think the organization is taking it too far. He is being punished by having all of his awards taken away and they want to make him pay $12 million too? This discovery was a big deal because it was Lance Armstrong, who before this was a very respected man. Tiger Woods was involved with a scandal in which he had multiple affairs with several different woman. This definitely changed how people look at him as a golfer and a human being.
ReplyDeletehttp://nypost.com/2013/11/24/the-night-tiger-woods-was-exposed-as-a-serial-cheater/
Something like this can stir up the public pretty bit. It makes everyone who loved and followed him feel betrayed. Nobody want their hero to end up like some drugy who doesn't think that he can win without getting a little help from the blood factory. It also makes all the other people dopping up stop andthink twice about dopping or not. Even with he random drug tests. make them random don't tell anybody that way the riders cant hide and pretend that nothing happened.
ReplyDeleteA good example of one is David Thompson. According to this site most concitered him the mst popular of his time.http://bleacherreport.com/articles/789697-40-sports-stars-whose-vices-ruined-their-careers/page/22
I am currently in the middle with Armstrong's punishments. Yes he cheated, and yes that is wrong, but at the same time, they may be going a little overboard. Reports say they are trying to take is bronze metal away from the 2000 Olympic games. With modern technology that may be looked into with discovering if he was involved in illegal activity. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=4264973
ReplyDeletewhat this article is telling about how lance Armstrong how he rises from fame and how he falls.
ReplyDeletehttp://espn.go.com/mlb/topics/_/page/the-steroids-era
ReplyDeleteI find that it is an interesting topic to get into because I am an athlete as well. Any sort of performance enhancement drug has always been out of the question for me. I take pride in the sport that I play and I believe that natural talent and hard work can take you further then a lot of athletes think. I also believe that performance enhancement drugs don't completely eliminate what an athlete has done it still takes a ton of motivation sacrifice hard work and talent to go as far and to have as much of an impact on the game as some of these athletes have done.
In the 1980's we were going through the steroid era in baseball almost everyone who was playing well was supposedly involved in the steroid era.
Technological advances such as urine tests, hair follicles, and blood samples. led to Lance Armstrong's downfall for using Performance Enhancing Drug. Urine samples by detect the presence of synthetic substances found in the body and known to replicate the performance and function of testosterone. The social implications of this discovery has led to the whole world despising Mr. Armstrong and led to all Tour De France and a Olympic committees hating him too. Barry Bonds has hit more home runs than anyone else and should definitely be in the Hall Of Fame.
ReplyDeletehttp://sports.yahoo.com/news/barry-bonds-appeal-u-judges-swings-justice-department-230942222--mlb.html;_ylt=A0LEV1QBqDZUkRUAxapXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzbXZkcW4xBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMgRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDUxMF8x
http://www.barrybondssteroids.net/
ReplyDeleteLance Armstrong was considered one of the most looked up to athletes of all time and one of the most talented athletes of all time, and now he is considered one of the biggest cheaters in sports history because of doping/steroid use. To be great at something you don't need steroids, that has been proven over and over again by so many athletes. You would think that barely not getting a record and being all natural would be more satisfactory than getting a record while cheating using dope/steroids. I personally couldn't live with myself knowing I needed help from a unnatural substance to make me better at something in order just to win. All naturaaaaal is the way to go. I believe Lance should be stripped of his awards. Technology has really helped everyone who was in the dark on this issue really be enlightened with the truth of doping and steroid use in professional athletes. You are a professional athlete for a reason because you are talented, so act like a professional and do your job the right way fairly without steroid use. Here is an article about Barry Bonds and his story of steroid use.
The legal entities of sports, are influenced through technology in their tests to further control the use of doping of athletes. On the other hand the controlling technology, influences the development of specific types of drugs, which in cases “maneuver” the same technology test in order to maintain the use of doping. However, it is interesting to observe that as athletes improve in performance, whether through being users of dope or not, the level of expectancy is raised after achieving certain expectancies; thus, the interest of other athletes triggers the use of non-legal substances to succeed in tournaments. In other words, it is compelling to see that it is a controversy using doping vs. punishment as fair.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, the case of Armstrong happened in a moment for social technology development, which others took advantage to use the media for money interest, which I believe it was not fair, at some extent, towards Lance. Mainly, because the whole situation was brand new to be judged in such a severe way. I guess those were the cons of the social implications of technology.
http://www.teamusa.org/News/2014/October/06/Michael-Phelps-Receives-Six-Month-Suspension-For-DUI
i think its really crazy how his career went up to the top that fast and then flush quick. and if you ask me they didn't have to wipe his goals away from him at all. I recall reggie bush took some money and that was against NCAA rules so they took his Heisman trophy away.
ReplyDeleteI think steroids should be legal in sports. Maybe an unpopular opinion but in th end sports are just games. give people the option to use steroids. Someone shouldn't be hated because they tried to do better and therefore entertain better than other athletes.
ReplyDeleteThey keep creating more and different types of steroids that are harder and harder to trace thanks to technological advances in the medical field.
Barry Bonds has been hated for a while because of his steroid use.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/21/sports/baseball/for-barry-bonds-a-decade-of-inflated-blame-for-the-steroid-era.html?_r=0