December 5, 2005 – Sports fans worldwide can once again vote for the United States Sports Academy’s 2005 Athlete of the Year award in conjunction with USATODAY.com. Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Armstrong is competing against a wide range of athletes, including Ole Einar Bjoerdalen, Tom Brady, Reggie Bush, Tim Duncan, Jermaine Dye, Roger Federer, Matt Leinart, Peyton Manning, Bode Miller, Asafa Powell, Aaron Peirsol, Tony Stewart and Tiger Woods.

Past winners include Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, Mia Hamm, Michael Jordan, Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods. In addition to the overall winner, a Female Athlete of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year will also be selected. Votes will be collected online from December 1-24. The Athlete of the Year ballot is the culmination of the Academy’s year-long Athlete of the Month program, which recognizes the accomplishments of men and women in any sport around the globe on a monthly basis.