Holy smokes. They just ruined Lance Armstong.

[Fafnir]

I'm sure Armstrong's legacy will take a hit with this develoipement.  People will just jump to the conclusion he is automatically guilty.

For me personally, this does not change how I view Armstrong.  He is a cancer survivor, who overcame odds to become the greatest champion in the sport ever.  Even while surrounded by competitors constantly banned for failed tests, Armsrong never once tested positive.

Where is the blood evidence?  The USADA has been testing in conjunction witht he World Anti-doping agency for years.  This is not a situation similar to baseball where the atheletes were not tested at all.  Testosterone and HGH have been tested for, for some time now in cycling.

Maybe Armstong is guilty, maye he isn't.  A man deciding the fight is no longer worth it, does not equate to guilt for me.  He was the absolute best in a sport of cheaters.  Did he also cheat?  Reasonable suspiscion might say yes, empirical evidence (outside of testimony that is dubious) says inconclusive.

When you don't show up to court to defend yourself "because its too hard" that means you are guilty or lose the case.

You can't whine about the summary judgment against you after the fact. (or before the fact in Armstrong's case)

This isn't "real" court.  He is not required to attend.  I can't believe anyone would honestly believe an individual not showing up for such a financially coslty hearing for something as arbitrary as sport is inherently guilty.

If he wants to maintain his innocence then he is required to attend via the rules of his sport. If there was no "evidence" then why didn't he maintain his innocence at the arbitration hearing? There was evidence, it is merely testimony instead of physical tests indicating that he doped.

If you want to believe in such a dirty sport where entire teams doped that Armstrong was dominate for years and years and he was clean, well then I guess I'll shrug my shoulders just like I would about people who think Clemens was clean.

[Eja117]

Maybe we can make some comparisons between diehard Lance Armstrong supporters and diehard Joe Paterno loyalists.

Wow!

How the two are even comparable is unfathomable.   That is quite the reckless statement.

Cheating in sport and child abuse are definitely similar

I think he's just looking at the loyalists who refuse to look at evidence, not the actual crimes. He never said what you just said

[Fafnir]

Maybe we can make some comparisons between diehard Lance Armstrong supporters and diehard Joe Paterno loyalists.

Wow!

How the two are even comparable is unfathomable.   That is quite the reckless statement.

Cheating in sport and child abuse are definitely similar

I think he's just looking at the loyalists who refuse to look at evidence, not the actual crimes. He never said what you just said

We'll see if people go as crazy as the PSU principals and alums have.

Considering the PSU president had the gall to claim he never heard "anything" that suggested the depth of Sandusky's crimes when there is a handwritten note all over the internet detailing how he was going to call child protective services if Sandusky didn't "admit he had a problem", I have my doubts that they can match that particular group of ostriches.

[Roy H.]

This is a great development. Anytime people like Armstrong are exposed it is good news because it helps non-cheaters compete.

... or, more likely, it leads to a better class of cheater.  The entire sport of cycling is dirty, and no non-cheater is ever going to be able to compete.  It's all about not getting caught.  Or, in the case of Armstrong, not getting caught (500+ clean drug tests), and not having other cheaters rat you out.

[Rondo2287]

Im really not sure how i feel about this, on the one hand I really don't care because its cycling.  Any sport where the penultimate competition takes place in France lacks credibility from the get go for me.

On the other hand he is a guy who has done alot of good for cancer research and he was in dodgeball.

tough call.

[Fafnir]

This is a great development. Anytime people like Armstrong are exposed it is good news because it helps non-cheaters compete.

... or, more likely, it leads to a better class of cheater.  The entire sport of cycling is dirty, and no non-cheater is ever going to be able to compete.  It's all about not getting caught.  Or, in the case of Armstrong, not getting caught (500+ clean drug tests), and not having other cheaters rat you out.

Pretty much.

Which is one of the reasons I think they went after him so hard, the entire culture is so dirty they're trying to burn it down.

[henr1k]

ESPN SportsCenter - USADA to strip Lance Armstrong of his 7 Tour de France titles, ban him from cycling for life

I feel a lot about Lance Armstrong like i do about McGuire and Clemens (but not Bonds, although that's being a hypocrite and I know it):

What they did for the sport was huge, and you always 'kinda knew' that this stuff was going on. I don't see what airing this out now will help. Clemens/McGuire's grand jury, stripping Armstrong, Sammy Sosa's public flogging...

Don't see the point. Can't wait to find out in 2016 that Michael Phelps was using.

Finally!! Biggest fake hero of our time.

But this won't stop other cyclists to use PED because at the end of the day money talks. Estimation is that Lance earned more than 100M through his career. What a scam.

I agree with the bold part. Phelps is my #2 at the fake heroes list.

[Eja117]

Maybe we can make some comparisons between diehard Lance Armstrong supporters and diehard Joe Paterno loyalists.

Wow!

How the two are even comparable is unfathomable.   That is quite the reckless statement.

Cheating in sport and child abuse are definitely similar

I think he's just looking at the loyalists who refuse to look at evidence, not the actual crimes. He never said what you just said

We'll see if people go as crazy as the PSU principals and alums have.

Considering the PSU president had the gall to claim he never heard "anything" that suggested the depth of Sandusky's crimes when there is a handwritten note all over the internet detailing how he was going to call child protective services if Sandusky didn't "admit he had a problem", I have my doubts that they can match that particular group of ostriches.

True. I don't see anyone in the Lance thing getting as desperate as that. I mean if Lance himself isn't fighting it I don't see why others will. It might be apples and oranges but the PSU apples are way bigger and way rottener.  PSU's defense has devolved into "The Freeh report is extensive but not perfect" and "the NCAA is a big meany" and "I'm not omniscient! I only write really incriminating emails trying to figure out what's going on and then say I can't recall it".  To me this PSU thing is pretty much going to be the 9/11 of sports or the Columbine shooting of sports or the Pearl Harbor. Just this legendary moment of infamy that I'll live with till I die and even my great grandchildren will know about. Great Grandpa was at PSU when this happened. And I saw 9/11 through the windows. Excuse me. I think I might go cry now.

[Eja117]

ESPN SportsCenter - USADA to strip Lance Armstrong of his 7 Tour de France titles, ban him from cycling for life

I feel a lot about Lance Armstrong like i do about McGuire and Clemens (but not Bonds, although that's being a hypocrite and I know it):

What they did for the sport was huge, and you always 'kinda knew' that this stuff was going on. I don't see what airing this out now will help. Clemens/McGuire's grand jury, stripping Armstrong, Sammy Sosa's public flogging...

Don't see the point. Can't wait to find out in 2016 that Michael Phelps was using.

Finally!! Biggest fake hero of our time.

But this won't stop other cyclists to use PED because at the end of the day money talks. Estimation is that Lance earned more than 100M through his career. What a scam.

I agree with the bold part. Phelps is my #2 at the fake heroes list.

you could have let me live with the bliss till 2016 you know

[Celtics4ever]

Where there is smoke there is fire.  Seriously, does he have to pay his own legal bills to fight this stuff, I would give up too.  He does commercials and probably speaks at engagements but these trials get pricey.

[Donoghus]

Cycling makes boxing look like a clean sport.

I've admired Armstrong and what he's done. I've wanted him to be clean but there's certainly some suspicion there. This development doesn't really change anything for me but there is a lot of circumstantial stuff out there that points to him being another in a long line of doping cyclists. 

[slamtheking]

This is a great development. Anytime people like Armstrong are exposed it is good news because it helps non-cheaters compete.

... or, more likely, it leads to a better class of cheater.  The entire sport of cycling is dirty, and no non-cheater is ever going to be able to compete.  It's all about not getting caught.  Or, in the case of Armstrong, not getting caught (500+ clean drug tests), and not having other cheaters rat you out.

I think the fact he passed ALL the drug tests really puts these third party accusations into serious question.  If the physical evidence doesn't support the accusations, they should have just left him alone.  I think this puts a black eye on this sport more than it helps it.

[Fafnir]

This is a great development. Anytime people like Armstrong are exposed it is good news because it helps non-cheaters compete.

... or, more likely, it leads to a better class of cheater.  The entire sport of cycling is dirty, and no non-cheater is ever going to be able to compete.  It's all about not getting caught.  Or, in the case of Armstrong, not getting caught (500+ clean drug tests), and not having other cheaters rat you out.

I think the fact he passed ALL the drug tests really puts these third party accusations into serious question.  If the physical evidence doesn't support the accusations, they should have just left him alone.  I think this puts a black eye on this sport more than it helps it.

Marion Jones passed all of her drug tests too, only after the feds got her for tax fraud and check fraud and forced her to confess did she. (Her A sample once came back positive but her B sample tested clean)

The USADA claims to have blood tests from 2009-2010 that provide evidence of doping along with all the testimony.

[Sketch5]

Okay he may or may not have used. Or the drugs he took for his cancer treatment either gave him the boost he needed, or hide the other drugs.

But he's been clean on all drug test. Nothing was found that he cheated those test.

But we take the word of a cheater that he cheated?

What happened to innocent until proven guilty.

I can't believe that they can strip him with out and hard proof. Especially when he beat people that were using to, so its not like if he was, he had a huge advantage over some of the other main contending riders.

Used or not, I use to bike, and the only time I watched the tour was during his run. It was amazing how he could be behind and then once they got to the mountains he ran away with it.

If he didn't use, I think the reason it seemed like he did, is because of his battle with cancer. He new the limits of his body, what pains he could work threw, and how much it took till his body had no more. So he could push threw more.

Its too bad, he's done more good than bad.

[CelticG1]

ESPN SportsCenter - USADA to strip Lance Armstrong of his 7 Tour de France titles, ban him from cycling for life

I feel a lot about Lance Armstrong like i do about McGuire and Clemens (but not Bonds, although that's being a hypocrite and I know it):

What they did for the sport was huge, and you always 'kinda knew' that this stuff was going on. I don't see what airing this out now will help. Clemens/McGuire's grand jury, stripping Armstrong, Sammy Sosa's public flogging...

Don't see the point. Can't wait to find out in 2016 that Michael Phelps was using.

Finally!! Biggest fake hero of our time.

But this won't stop other cyclists to use PED because at the end of the day money talks. Estimation is that Lance earned more than 100M through his career. What a scam.

I agree with the bold part. Phelps is my #2 at the fake heroes list.

Not to get too far off topic but how about the entire NBA?

Waiting for that bomb to drop. I mean seriously