Environmental Studies
Travis Tygart, the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) was interviewed by CBS News reporter Scott Pelley on the subject of Lance Armstrong and doping. Tygart was very satisfied with the outcome of the lawsuit against Armstrong for illegal use of performance enhancing drugs for many years. He became famous winning many awards as a cyclist but life has changed for Armstrong. His Tour de France titles were taken away and he is banned from sports for his lifetime. Tygart said that if the government had lost the case and the decision had been in favor of Armstrong – the message to athletes in competitive sports would have been very bad. It would have said the some athletes are “too big to fail” which would have been a terrible message for fans too. (CBS News, 2013) The decision showed that even famous sports figures with a lot of power and influence cannot cheat without being brought to justice.
Armstrong and his cycling team used different strategies to beat the system. They used a performance enhancing drug called EPO and testosterone which are both illegal. They used a process of blood doping meaning that blood transfusions were given to the cycling team athletes during races; the transfusions were done in the team van during races. The charges were hard to believe, especially by Lance Armstrong fans. He disappointed many people. He and his partners need to pay back millions of dollars to sponsors.
Tygart compared parts of the operation to the mafia and told Pelley it was “the most sophisticated and professional drug fraud that the world has ever seen and one of the greatest frauds in the history of sports.” (CBS News, 2013) Armstrong was able to cheat for too long. Sports need to be played fair and square with honesty. Cheating does seem to be going on in other sports as well. There is so much money at stake for the sponsorships and endorsements that some athletes cannot resist cheating.
Reference
AP Associated Press. (2013 April 7). “Armstrong seeks lawsuit dismissal.” Fox Sports. Available at http://msn.foxsports.com/cycling/story/lance-armstrong-asks-court-to-dismiss-sca-lawsuit-040613
CBS News. (2013 Feb. 22). “Lance Armstrong now faces Justice Department in lawsuit.” Report by Scott PelleyVideo-17.34 minutes CBS News Available at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57570771/lance-armstrong-now-faces-justice-department-in-lawsuit/
The Associated Press. (2013 Febr. 22) “US Justice Department joins fraud lawsuit against Lance Armstrong.” CBCSports. Available at http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2013/02/22/sp-lance-armstrong-cycling-doping-justice-department-fraud-lawsuit.html
