There are a number of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational forces that could explain exactly why Lance Armstrong cheated in his numerous Tour de France victories.
I believe it takes an equal amount of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors to cause an average athlete to cheat. To become a full time cyclist takes hard work and dedication. You have to thoroughly enjoy cycling to do the training to become a world class cyclist. To become a successful cyclist in recent years has involved the taking of performance enhancing drugs. In cycling this is referred to specifically as doping. This is so prominent that “from 1960 to 1967 no professional cyclist would take part in an important race without being doped” (Brewer, 2002). Getting to professional level is based on intrinsic motivation, but being successful is where extrinsic motivation comes into play. It is common to hear cyclists being pressured into doping in order to maintain their performance. Extrinsic factors such as pressure from teams are what motivate the majority of …show more content…
In races he would constantly be attacking people in order to win. In public interviews he would always argue that he had never taken performance enhancing drugs and in many cases, verbally abuse interviewers who asked such questions. He has consistently explained how he has never used EPO. When questioned about his relationship with Dr.Michele Ferrari he says, “He has never discussed EPO with me and I have never used it.” (Walsh, 2012) Betsy Andreu claimed she overheard Lance admitting to doctors that he took “EPO, cortisone, testosterone, human growth hormone and steroids” (Hamilton, 2012). He in return sued her for these accusations. He was always on the offense no matter what circumstances surrounded him. From my research I have created a theory that Armstrong is an aggressive narcissist and this prompted him towards cheating in the Tour de
I believe it takes an equal amount of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors to cause an average athlete to cheat. To become a full time cyclist takes hard work and dedication. You have to thoroughly enjoy cycling to do the training to become a world class cyclist. To become a successful cyclist in recent years has involved the taking of performance enhancing drugs. In cycling this is referred to specifically as doping. This is so prominent that “from 1960 to 1967 no professional cyclist would take part in an important race without being doped” (Brewer, 2002). Getting to professional level is based on intrinsic motivation, but being successful is where extrinsic motivation comes into play. It is common to hear cyclists being pressured into doping in order to maintain their performance. Extrinsic factors such as pressure from teams are what motivate the majority of …show more content…
In races he would constantly be attacking people in order to win. In public interviews he would always argue that he had never taken performance enhancing drugs and in many cases, verbally abuse interviewers who asked such questions. He has consistently explained how he has never used EPO. When questioned about his relationship with Dr.Michele Ferrari he says, “He has never discussed EPO with me and I have never used it.” (Walsh, 2012) Betsy Andreu claimed she overheard Lance admitting to doctors that he took “EPO, cortisone, testosterone, human growth hormone and steroids” (Hamilton, 2012). He in return sued her for these accusations. He was always on the offense no matter what circumstances surrounded him. From my research I have created a theory that Armstrong is an aggressive narcissist and this prompted him towards cheating in the Tour de