The Sport Almanac: Football, Baseball, Basketball, Cycling, the Olympics and Other Highlights from 2004

The 2000s is a decade full of scandals in sports. It gave us the BALCO scandal and a corrupt Olympic figure skating judge at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. We also saw the rise of huge stars in their own sports such as Lance Armstrong, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, all in their athletic prime and each perhaps the greatest-ever champion in their chosen field. We witnessed the rise and fall of Tiger Woods all in the same decade. Lance Armstrong won all the Tour de France races between 1999 and 2005 (he encountered his share of issues with doping candals). Roger Federer captured 16 Grand Slam titles. Michael Phelps became the most decorated athlete with eight gold medals at the Bejing games. His image was tarnished later on by the apparition of unwanted pictures. In the NFL, Michael Vick created chaos and disappointment amongst fans when he ws convicted of dog fighting. This book is an overview of the year 2004 in sports with a highlight on Football, Baseball, Basketball, Cycling, Tennis, the Summer Olympics, and the players who shined that year including Roger Federer, Payton Manning, and Lance Armstrong.