SB Nation User Blog: SportsAcademic

WSJ: Armstrong and defunct bank Lehman partner to invest in SRAM

SportsAcademic — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:23:32 -0000

WSJ: Armstrong and defunct bank Lehman partner to invest in SRAM

Collapsed bank Lehman Brothers hopes to benefit via their relationship with Lance Armstrong and their investment in SRAM. If the deal goes through, bankrupt Lehman would own 40% of SRAM...

End Strong

SportsAcademic — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:44:42 -0000

One of my colleagues (a communications prof. who makes films about extreme sports) argues here that Lance Armstrong is returning to racing not for charity or even for ego, but to compensate for, or mask, deep-seated inner strife. If it sounds far fetched, consider that Lance essentially says as much in his own book, It's Not About The Bike.

The full article: http://www.thesportsacademic.com/2008/09/end-strong.htm

Tell him what you think...

Jeffry Louder Wins Tour of Utah

SportsAcademic — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:24:10 -0000

Louder won an impossibly difficult stage 4 and then beat Caldwell by just enough in the TT in Tooele. His team, BMC Pro Cycling, also won the team competition. Here are the top 10, final GC from the Tour of Utah as reported on KSL.com.

1 Jeffry Louder 141 Salt Lake City, UT USA BMC Pro Cycling Team 13:10:57

2 Blake Caldwell 162 Boulder, CO Garmin/Chipotle presented by H3O 13:11:06 00:00:09

3 Glen Chadwick 153 Denville , NJ Team Type 1 13:11:44 00:00:46

4 Burke Swindlehurst 11 Salt Lake City, UT USA Bissell Pro Cycling Team 13:12:10 00:01:13

5 Brent Bookwalter 142 Santa Rosa, CA USA BMC Pro Cycling Team 13:12:19 00:01:21

6 Chris Baldwin 91 Boulder, CO USA Toyota-United 13:12:29 00:01:31

7 Oscar Sevilla Rivera 44 Ossa de Montiel, SC Spain Rock Racing 13:13:01 00:02:03

8 Peter Stetina* 167 Boulder, CO USA Garmin/Chipotle presented by H3O 13:13:32 00:02:35

9 Darren Lill 145 Santa Rosa, CA BMC Pro Cycling Team 13:14:05 00:03:07

10 Phil Zajicek 6 Boulder, CO USA Team Health Net presented by Maxxis 13:14:28 00:03:31

Peloton, Tour of Utah

SportsAcademic — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:45:54 -0000

Peloton, Tour of Utah

Tour of Utah, Saturday, taken at Sundance.

A few more photos here.

Should doping be legalized? Discussion in "Le Monde"

SportsAcademic — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:06:54 -0000

French daily "Le Monde" has asked its readers if doping should simply be legalized.

Here are truncated translations of a few representative entries:

"Yes . . . Why criminalize a problem in the name of asinine purity and some sporting ideal dictated by people like Prudhomme who are self proclaimed censors instead of opening up a debate where medical questions could be debated and controlled instead of leaving it up to shady charlatans who administer dangerous drugs in the shadows."

"Doping could bring about serious harm to the riders, not to mention it wouldn't help the popularity of the sport."

"Yes. If everyone is on the juice, no one is."

"Yes. These activities (soccer, cycling, tennis) are there to help sponsors and organizers get rich just like in the days of gladiators when slaves were thrown to the lions to strengthen the power of the political class. In any case, the 'people' don't care if athletes are juiced, they want a spectacle and if there is blood, so much the better. So why so many scruples? The people want games, give them games and pull in as much cash as possible along the way."

"No. That would essentially force everyone, even those who currently don't dope, to take something thereby putting all the riders' health at risk."

The full discussion (and a cute cartoon depicting two competing soy beans[?]) can be found here: http://vidberg.blog.lemonde.fr/2008/07/20/faut-il-legaliser-le-dopage

Thanks to my colleague Scott for pointing this site out to me.

You know you've watched too much of the Tour when...

SportsAcademic — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:22:47 -0000

You know you've been watching too much of the Tour de France when...

...you raise your hand and look behind you when you want food passed to you at the dinner table.

...you draft behind other shopping carts at the grocery store.

...you shave your legs and walk around the neighborhood in spandex.

...you begin referring to your family doctor as a "soigneur."

...you pass cars going up a hill and look back at the other drivers to see if they're "in the red."

...you raise your hands in triumph when you beat your wife to the TV remote.

...after being the first one in the family to reach your house from the garage you instinctively urinate in a small vial.

...you begin wearing a polka dot shirt.

...you start wearing polka dot pants to go with your polka dot shirt.

...your kids unexpectedly walk in your room and you desperately try to flush your Tylenol down the toilet while screaming, "It's not mine! Some Italian just brought it in here!"

...you pull to the side of the road and urinate without leaving the car. Then, when your kids ask what you're doing, you tell them you're just taking care of a little "besoin naturel." You ignore your kids when they ask why the grass on the side where you stopped has died and is giving off smoke.

...during dinner, when you finish a drink, you nonchalantly throw your glass into the next room.

...you scream "Six points! Kaching!" every time you drive under a green light.

The Sports Academic

Yellow Lab Coats... or How To Save The Tour

SportsAcademic — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:39:09 -0000

Dear Tour de France organizers,

I have an idea to end the doping culture in professional cycling. I believe it may save the sport.

In the wake of Floyd Landis' fall from grace in 2006, the Rasmussen, Mayo, Vinokourov debacle of 2007, and the continued EPO/CERA problems this year, please consider the following as a means to restore public trust and to assure that everyone is racing by the same set of rules.

Since many results in recent years have been achieved through the hard work of shady doctors and dubious labs, I suggest we bring them out of the shadows. When the Tour begins next year, instead of cyclists, invite the doctors themselves to take the starting line. Since they are largely responsible for who wins, get rid of those disruptive middle men on the bikes. Who needs them anyway? We want to see the real competitors go at it.

Instead of jerseys, though, our racing doctors would of course wear lab coats. And they could find sponsorships in the pharmaceutical world. Think about it! No more hypocrisy: "Dopage obligatoire!"

I have heard an unconfirmed report that next year's favorite, Dr. Ferrari, may have already signed with Team Pfizer.

Sincerely,
Un ami du Tour

P.S. for more on the history of doping in the Tour, click here (apologies for the self promotion--but it is relevant...).

Moreau's Abnormal Steroid Levels

SportsAcademic — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:41:21 -0000

Today's edition of "Le Monde" reports that Christophe Moreau was notified by the French Cycling Federation in March that his blood tests revealed a low level of cortisol. Low levels of cortisol result from an administration of corticosteroides which in turn lowers the body's ability to naturally produce its own cortisol.

The article reports that French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) also warned him of problems after the Paris-Nice race.

The report further implies a connection between Moreau's early withdrawal from the Tour and the AFLD's report that some members of the peloton showed abnormal results (announced during the 7th stage).

Moreau claims he was never alerted and that he withdrew because he was tired and had blurry vision.

Christophe Moreau, for several years, has been seen as the great French hope in cycling. Given his fairly mediocre performances of late, though, I assumed he was clean. This reports certainly puts that theory in doubt.

The article can be found here.