Nobody on this Earth is perfect. That's what makes us human.
Lance Armstrong beat cancer, beat the odds, inspired people to be the best they could be. Along the way on his road to stardom, he ditched those who stood by him in his darkest days (like his wife) and became a different dude.
He called people scumbags, liars, jerks, you name it, for questioning his and his sport's widely rumoured drug use. Science and his closest friends eventually contradicted everything that came out of his mouth.
Armstrong called for people's jobs. He mocked them, he sued them, he bullied them. He questioned their manhood, their motives, their integrity, perhaps not understanding how ironic that would become.
So, while he might tell Oprah he's sorry, and apologize to the loyal souls at Livestrong who do awesome work for a great cause that he was a sham on wheels, he did it because he got caught, not because he is a good man.
Had Lance admitted his cheating when all the facts removed the doubt, people might have forgiven him. But his decade of denials, his contempt, his behaviour, his in-your-face meanness will permanently make him a class ass.
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While the following quote is about relationships, it can also be used for Lance when it comes to lying, excuses and shallow apologies:
“Earthquakes just happen. Tornadoes just happen. Your tongue does not just happen to fall into some other girl's mouth!”
― Gemma Halliday, Deadly Cool
Although I wanted to believe in him (what a great story), it became obvious the sport was tainted when others in his camp were found out over the last years. In his interview tomorrow, I think he will point out that doping is not an illegal drug, but using a transfusion to boost red blood cells to improve recovery and performance. I am predicting Lance will admit he doped and make a point it was with his own blood previously taken and stored. Albeit still illegal, he will have an argument that will win a few over, and he may put the blame on others, such as the people making the rules, instead of taking the blame himself. He has this all calculated out before the interview and Oprah is playing into his hand - if he is serious on his confession, why not go to a sports interviewer instead of the former Queen of daytime?
ReplyDeleteI read his autobiography way back when, and realized he was quite a jerk when he left his wife, who put up more crap than the Fraser Valley in the Spring. Lance is ruthless, tough, but also a fierce competitor who would truly go to ANY length to win.
We have to ask ourselves, if we were facing death and "cheated it" by surviving (according to his autobiography) would we make a deal with the devil, so to speak, to truly make the rest of our life count for something? While this does not dismiss any of his behaviours and lying, it does explain a bit to me as to why he did it.
But he will go down as one of the biggest liars and cheats of all time, and who knows if cycling will ever recover from this. The true tragedy will be losing a fantastic sport to this fiasco.