University of Texas at Austin
Professor and former Chair of Germanic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin; sports historian and an expert on doping, and author of four books, including Olympic Crisis: Sport, Politics and the Moral Order and Testosterone Dreams: Rejuvenation, Aphrodesia, Doping
Lance Armstrong Walks Away from Doping Fight One of America's iconic athletes has given up the fight to disprove allegations by the US Anti-Doping Agency that he was a ring-leader in systematic doping on his Tour-winning teams. Lance Armstrong , world renowned for fighting back after a bout with testicular cancer to win seven Tours de France, will be erased from the record books. Bonnie D. Ford writes about cycling for ESPN.com . John Hoberman, a Professor of Germanic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, is a sports historian and the author of Testosterone Dreams : Rejuvenation, Aphrodesia, Doping.
Can We Keep Getting Faster, Better, Stronger? Every four years, the world focuses on Olympic athletes. The pressure is on—for the Gold, instead of the Silver or Bronze—with the expectation of world record performances. How much longer can this go on? The demands on Olympic athletes are more than physical: they are psychological. And, now that sports are a multi-billion dollar business, they’re economic as well. Will human beings always be able to be “faster, higher and stronger”--or are we approaching the limits of the human species?
Clemens and Armstrong: Who Cares about Doping? A jury deliberated for just a day and a half before acquitting former Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens of lying to Congress when he denied using performance enhancing drugs. As the Wall Street Journal pointed out, the federal government offered no excuse for its failed prosecution. What about Lance Armstrong ? Do sports fans really care? John Hoberman is professor at the University of Texas in Austin and author of several books including, The Olympic Crisis : Sport, Politics and the Moral Order and Testosterone Dreams : Rejuvenation, Aphrodesia, Doping.
Olympics and Politics Seven years ago, the secretary general of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee said this summer's games would "not only promote our economy but also enhance all social conditions, including education, health and human rights." But, just four days before the Games will get underway, China's accused of breaking its promises to clean the air, relax controls on political dissidents and open up to the western media. One sports historian says nobody should have believed China's promises in the first place. But are the Olympics a sure path from despotism to democracy? We look at what Beijing does not want us to see, as well as what's on display, including architecture that rivals the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.
The Beijing Olympics: Promises and Realities "Beijing Welcomes the World" is the slogan everywhere in China's capital with the Summer Olympic s scheduled to start just over a month from today. In order to get the Games, China promised it would be clean, green and accessible, but not all its commitments are being kept. Some $40 billion in US dollars have been spent on space-age venues and infrastructure, including the world's largest airport. But competitors are worried about air pollution; tight new visa requirements are keeping travelers away and media coverage may be severely restricted. We hear about those issues and ask which athletes are the ones to watch. How's the US expected to do? Are the Olympics always as much about politics as athletics?
Will Baseball Kick Its Dope Habit? Yesterday, former Senator George Mitchell said that players, managers and virtually everyone else involved in Major League Baseball for the past 20 years were responsible for what he called "The Steroid Era." President Bush, former part-owner of the Texas Rangers, said that as a fan he was troubled by the allegations, but cautioned against jumping to conclusions against individuals named. According to MSNBC, Roger Clemens , the all star most prominently mentioned by the Mitchell Report , has a standing invitation to visit the Bush White House. He built a horse shoe pit at his home in Houston for former President George H.W. Bush. We get perspectives from a radio commentator, attorney and sports historian.
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
The week that wouldn't quit Will next week get even weirder? (Special one-hour episode)
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.