Lance Armstrong is ‘sports jerk of the year,’ comic strip says

The “2012 Sports Jerk of the Year” is Lance Armstrong, says a survey from Universal Uclick, GoComics and Bill Hinds, co-creator of comic strip Tank McNamara.

Cyclist and triathlete Lance Armstrong was revealed to have been dishonest in his statements about doping over the past several years.

“While Lance’s actions for award consideration certainly accumulated over a number of years, 2012 was the year that many of his conflicting statements and untruths came to light,” said Hinds in a news release. “The public spoke – pun intended – loud and clear.”

The comic strip Tank McNamara was created by the late Jeff Millar and artist Bill Hinds in 1974.   In November, Millar passed away after a long illness.

“One of the biggest thrills that Jeff had was the time leading up to the Sports Jerk of the Year announcement,” said Hinds in the release. “We’re continuing this in his memory and also for the readers who enjoy reading and submitting their thoughts. It’s become a great year-in-review of some of the notable moments in athletics.”

Armstrong joins previous winners Terrell Owens, Dan Snyder, Bud Selig and 2011 winner Ndamukong Suh among the notable recipients of this sardonic honor.

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour De France titles in 2012.

The first runner-up in the poll was National Hockey League (NHL) commissioner Gary Bettman.

To read the Tank McNamara comic, visit gocomics.com/tankmcnamara.

- Matt Price