In today's age of bellyaching athletes, Lance Armstrong is as refreshing as a cold drink in the Arizona heat. On Sunday, Armstrong won one of the toughest physical and mental sports, the Tour de France, for a record seventh time.
On its own, an athlete winning this race is spectacular. But not only did Armstrong win this seven times in a row, but he did it after overcoming a near-fatal battle with cancer. Armstrong's story becomes even more amazing when compared to today's athletes. His work ethic and determination is something that many professional athletes can learn from.
An amazing aspect of Armstrong's feat is that he did not use performance-enhancing drugs. Although many speculated about it, Armstrong tested negative in all the drug tests he went through in his entire career.
The same cannot be said for his competitors, including those in Major League Baseball. The steroid problem in the professional sports realm has gotten so bad that Congress has had to take action, holding several hearings and eventually forcing MLB's commissioner, Bud Selig, to revise its drug policy.
Armstrong also was able to finish his career on a high note, going out at the top of his game. But professional athletes usually hang around, making more money until they can no longer perform competitively. Michael Jordan, who many would argue dominated basketball as much as Armstrong dominates cycling, is a prime example. Jordan retired three different times, only to play his last game as a Washington Wizard rather than a Chicago Bull. Although there isn't anything ethically wrong with retiring early, it is sad to see a terrific athlete struggle to keep up in his final days.
Finally, successful athletes today get paid a large amount of money. Today, it is no surprise to find out that during last year alone, Shaquille O'Neal made $41 million, Michael Vick made $37 million, LeBron James made $28 million, and Kevin Garnett made $30 million. To compare, the overall winner of the Tour de France makes $482,838, and even that has to be split up among members of the entire cycling team.
You'd be hard-pressed to even find a competitive Division I college sports team that runs on that little money. Because of the relatively little prize money involved in the Tour de France, we know for a fact that Armstrong truly loves his game - something that is very rare today.
The bottom line is, Lance Armstrong is a great American legend.
In an era of overpaid and whiny athletes, Armstrong sets a perfect example of what athletes and sports really should be like.
Reach the reporter at uven.chong@asu.edu.
