[jonottawa]

Just wondering.

http://sports.yahoo....49504--spt.html

http://www.nytimes.c...s/13vecsey.html

[billw55]

So it seems. I'm guessing they wont try to take back the prize money though.

It's an unfortunate situation. Either explanation is plausible. He gave up because he is guilty? Sure, I can believe that. He's not guilty, but gave up because he's sick of it? I can believe that too. I suppose I will never know for sure. But I won't lose any sleep over it.

[TimG]

I read about Armstrong this morning. My thoughts included wonder that so much money is spent on sports in general. Staggering amounts for very little purpose. Team payrolls, ticket prices, broadcast rights, merchandise, stadium costs, etc. Armstrong was sponsored by the USPS, right? They must have spent millions over the years. Why?

[barmar]

Because millions of people watch sports, it's probably the most cost-effective way to advertise.

[jonottawa]

I absolutely loved spectator sports when I was a kid (Montreal Canadiens especially) but now I find it very hard to care about any of it and I'm puzzled that others manage to remain die-hard fans their whole lives.

As for Lance, I always assumed he dabbled in verboten blood doping of one kind or another at least at some point in his career, but I felt that that was probably true of 90%+ of the top riders and how was one to find the one totally honest guy in that mess?

I mean if people are doing this, people are going to cheat at any competitive endeavor. We're just a bunch of hairless chimpanzees after all.

[Phil]

What's Hamman got to do with this?

[blackshoe]

 Phil, on 2012-August-24, 09:23, said:

What's Hamman got to do with this?

Nothing. Therefore, it's all his fault.

[TimG]

 Phil, on 2012-August-24, 09:23, said:

What's Hamman got to do with this?

I suspect he is part of the Dallas based promotions company that paid out $5M along the way (that was referenced in the article).

[TimG]

 barmar, on 2012-August-24, 06:53, said:

Because millions of people watch sports, it's probably the most cost-effective way to advertise.

Millions of potential USPS customers watch the Tour de France? It's a seldom televised event (in the US) which I doubt regularly draws an audience in the multiple millions.

[PassedOut]

 TimG, on 2012-August-24, 10:28, said:

Millions of potential USPS customers watch the Tour de France? It's a seldom televised event (in the US) which I doubt regularly draws an audience in the multiple millions.

Don't know how many watch in the US, but pretty much everyone in my extended family (amateur bike racing being one of our main family sports) records the Tour on TV and watches part of the Tour every day it's in progress. Some of them (I'm too old for this now) like to bike up and down some of the same mountain stages to test their mettle. One of my sisters (the best racer in the family) likes to watch the Tour in person, especially the last day in Paris.

The Armstrong situation is disturbing...

[Cyberyeti]

 TimG, on 2012-August-24, 10:26, said:

I suspect he is part of the Dallas based promotions company that paid out $5M along the way (that was referenced in the article).

He founded it and still runs it I think

[kenberg]

"Say it ain't so, Joe" comes to mind with this and with so much else in sports. I'm with Jon on this. I rode my bike to see the AAA St. Paul Saints play double headers. I recall a brief period when, or at least so I believe, Willie Mays played for the Minneapolis Millers before being called up to the Giants. I biked to the movies to see the Babe Ruth Story and later The Jackie Robinson Story. The Dodgers were the parent team of the Saints and I was proud of the role they played in integrating baseball. OK, I was a kid and now I know that not everything was sweetness and light. Still, my father, and other fathers, would take a carload of kids to a game on Friday night. Given the behavior of current fans, it isn't clear that it's a good pace for kids. Son, if you learn how to conceal your drug usage you too can become rich, get cheered by a bunch of drunks, rat out your friends to congress, and die young.
Say it ain't so.

[mike777]

This is just another battle in a lost war.


In a number of years there will be more chemicals, safer chemicals, even better performance enhancing chemicals and we all will be taking them.

The average age of usa bridge players is 70...yes 70


in coming years we may have cheap, safe chemicals that enhance memory performance.

What will the olympics do when art. limbs allow you to run, jump, swim better than those without?

[BunnyGo]

 billw55, on 2012-August-24, 05:59, said:

So it seems. I'm guessing they wont try to take back the prize money though.

The article I saw said that they would. I dunno if Hamman will try to appeal that court case now and get is $7.5 million back, but I bet he's looking into it.

[Phil]

 TimG, on 2012-August-24, 10:26, said:

I suspect he is part of the Dallas based promotions company that paid out $5M along the way (that was referenced in the article).

Wow, didn't see the NYT article. Whoa....

[ggwhiz]

The only reason I pay any attention to drug issues in sports is my NL only lifetime keeper rotisserie league. I traded Melky Cabrera for Doc Halladay 3 weeks ago.

If they did drug testing for say accounting, I would have been busted a looooong time ago. Hmmm, if they got serious about testing in sports, could that be next? I'm comfortable with the after the fact actions and wish Hamman well as he makes a lawyer or 3 rich.

[jjbrr]

this is great news

[lalldonn]

 ggwhiz, on 2012-August-24, 14:00, said:

If they did drug testing for say accounting, I would have been busted a looooong time ago.

Stay away from Nevada. They do drug testing for every job right down to flippin burgers.

[lalldonn]

 jonottawa, on 2012-August-24, 09:22, said:

I mean if people are doing this, people are going to cheat at any competitive endeavor. We're just a bunch of hairless chimpanzees after all.

Let us not forget this!

[Cyberyeti]

 lalldonn, on 2012-August-24, 15:41, said:

Stay away from Nevada. They do drug testing for every job right down to flippin burgers.

That could be bad, there are some people that are just much scarier when you realise they're not on drugs ...