Lance Armstrong Foundation Changes Name to Livestrong, Further Distances Self From Cyclist

by NESN Staff on Thu, Nov 15, 2012 at 11:15PM

Has Lance Armstrong hit rock bottom yet?

The former seven-time Tour de France champion has had a swift fall from grace, with his status falling from one of the most-lauded men in America to one of its most derided.

The rumors surrounding Armstrong and doping had been quietly building for years, but tensions finally came to a head in August when Armstrong decided to stop challenging the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s case against him. That effectively opened himself up to whatever punishments they wanted to enforce, which included a lifetime ban from the sport and the stripping of his Tour titles.

That wasn’t the end of Armstrong’s troubles, however. Almost immediately after the announcement of Armstrong’s consequences in October, most of his sponsors, including Nike, jumped ship. Armstrong even stepped down as chairman of the cancer-fighting foundation that he founded, the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Apparently not having Armstrong in a leadership role wasn’t enough, however. On Wednesday the foundation announced that it was removing Armstrong’s name from theirs, and will now be called the Livestrong Foundation, according to The Associated Press.

The foundation’s spokeswoman said the name change was approved by the Texas Secretary of State on Oct. 30, but the organization as a whole wanted to continue on with its mission despite its original connection to Armstrong.

PHOTO OF THE NIGHT

Phil Jackson wasn’t the only prospective Lakers coach with health concerns.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

“I’m not going to lie. The New York City nightlife pretty much got to me. I was going out pretty much every other night and not focused on the task at hand.”
–Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith saying something that you can probably empathize with if you’ve ever lived in New York City

TWEET OF THE NIGHT

Amen.