Lance not allowed to swim in masters competition

I was thinking of another scenario. Suppose you get fired at work for cause. Do you think it would be fair if there was some overarching "Employment Agency" that could then ban you from getting any kind of job ever again, based solely on their discretion? You mean like a state medical board that could revoke a physician's license to practice medicine?

I was thinking of another scenario. Suppose you get fired at work for cause. Do you think it would be fair if there was some overarching "Employment Agency" that could then ban you from getting any kind of job ever again, based solely on their discretion? Hmm, I removed my analogy whilst editing my post. Analogies are often a great way to get lost. This analogy you're referring too (drunk driving) was my choice #2. The very first analogy that popped in my mind Knelson was much harder. Let me share it with you and try to defend it my best. You get fired at work because of a case of mild (very very mild all right?) pedophilia. Not talking raping a kid here, but those milder cases where child abuse was demonstrated. Could be repeated sports massage with little too much focus on glutes muscles. Could be voyeurisme in the locker room. You loose that job, and you may be condemned to find a new job which invloves staying away from kids. Sometimes this call will be overkill, sometimes not. Lance did abuse a lot of people, not just kids. I mean not 'just' kids, though he definitely abused them too. I just read Elain's post (in answer to a part I also removed from my original post). This is sensitive matter even for me, 20 y+ of experience coach. As you probably all know, we have a rider that won the Giro last year. I started working with a Cat1 cyclist recently, and couldn't help asking him: Ryder? Doped or not? I like to believe that it's possible to score a podium in a Grand Tour whilst being clean, but it's become increasingly harder to believe it. I was like you Elain, I would defend Lance as much as I could. But he abused us dammit. So again Knelson. Say that we allow him to compete. Say that he scores 15:20 over 1500m LCM at worlds. What the heck would your reaction be? My reaction would be the same as if another kid was again raising concerns after having received a sports massage given by this same person that got fired from his former job, but that still was allowed to give massages in another job.

Yes, exactly like that. Except your state medical board also bans the physician from getting any work in any field; even jobs not related to medicine. Lance can compete in a sport if the governing body is not a signatory to the code.

No doubt... and many of those may have a good case in court against him. Is that really the USADA's job though? Maybe a lifetime ban is what Armstrong deserves. But if so, where's the collective outrage over the other cheaters that got a 2 year slap on the wrist? Apparently USADA felt that his actions were particularly egregious. Most of the world agrees.

At this point LA's just a guy living his life trying to redeem himself. Maybe. His whole disgrace is still too fresh for most people, after over a decade of lying. He needs to lay low for a while. I realize in Austin he is a mythical figure but to many of us on the outside he just needs to get out of the public eye for now.

I'm not saying Armstrong didn't deserve a ban. Clearly he did. I'm just not very comfortable with the unilateral power that WADA wields. Actually it was USADA that issued the ban.

They can't all have been particularly egregious. Particularly: adverb 1. in a particular or to an exceptional degree

Maybe. His whole disgrace is still too fresh for most people, after over a decade of lying. He needs to lay low for a while. I realize in Austin he is a mythical figure but to many of us on the outside he just needs to get out of the public eye for now. Look at this from another angle - WADA/USADA sucks if they couldn't prove for decade that LA was cheating or they just didn't want to, so they should have punished themselves first. The whole thing sounds like a corruption issue and now they give life time ban to LA and come dry from water themselves. IMO they should have given same punishment to LA as to any other athlete caught on using drugs and there should be investigation why couldn't they prove that fact for decade. It's ridiculous to ban someone from participating in competitions which have nothing common with professional sport and which main purpose is health and fitness. Doing that exclusively to LA because he's a public figure is nothing less than hypocrisy. We should reevaluate Masters movement original purposes: Masters swimming officially began May 2, 1970, after Captain Ransom J. Arthur, M.D., a Navy doctor in San Diego, convinced John Spannuth, then president of the Coaches Association, to hold the first National Masters Swimming Championships in the Amarillo Aquatic Club pool. Arthur felt that if the incentive was appealing, it would give older swimmers (ex-competitors and beginners alike) a goal for keeping physically fit. Dr. Arthur's vision of adults improving their fitness through swimming has grown over the years into a nationwide organization of nearly 60,000 adult swimmers.

He will end up boxing against Tonya Harding and Vanilla Ice on Fox. Not before he gets a gig on that show WITH Tonya Harding, Danny Bonaduce (sp?), Leif Erisson (sp?), and maybe one of those Balwin guys commentating on dumb stuff people do.

Leif Erisson (sp?) Leif Ericson was the Viking explorer who was the first European to visit North America. I believe you're thinking of Leif Garrett whose achievements are notably less impressive. :)