After having read the report what is obvious is that Lance Armstrong did most likely “Pete Rose” me and the rest of the world who thought it couldn’t be possible. He did dope. It was genius. It was well done, and really – bravo for breaking the rules and getting away with it for nearly forever. (Picture me standing up and clapping super sarcastically.)
I do appreciate ingenuity. There is a small part of me that wonders if I care that he did it, but that isn’t the point. It’s about the rules of ethics and behavior that not only we, the fan community, but the sport itself imposes on it’s participants. I never really was one to think “Oh athletes have to set examples and be role models.” But, I do think, there is a certain amount of character that, as a human being, you are responsible to exhibit.
Lance wasn’t a very nice guy, apparently. Or isn’t. I’m not sure. I don’t actually know him. But his teammates didn’t love him much, despite riding to success with him repeatedly as a team. Had he been better liked, they might have been less likely to throw him under the bus. As it stands, they almost seem gleeful, which is troubling to me.
In the days of torture there was belief that people who all told the same story had “set the note before”, thus couldn’t be trusted. There is an alternate possibility though, when everyone says the same thing. It’s that they are telling the truth. Sometimes, whenever everyone says the same thing, it’s because it’s real. They did see aliens. She is a witch. He did dope.
The report is troubling, it points to proof, it points to witnesses. It’s flawed – too many deals were done to secure testimony for it to ever stand up 100% to everyone but…eventually you have to realize, it’s all pointing in one direction. I won’t go on with all the details because by now it’s all over the interwebs anyway, which is sort of my point. The onslaught of information has been overwhelming and disturbing to say the least.
What’s more troubling though, has been what I perceive as the fine internet tradition of slut-shaming that seems to have become the sport with regards to his doping. It was a festival of sponsors dropping him on the internets the other day. This one, that one, the other one. Truly, I felt like some of them just needed some attention. Oakley – glad you jumped in there. Nice to hear from you. Radio Shack had to mention that “they have no current obligation” with him. Radio Shack, heads up. NO ONE thought you had a relationship at this time. Thanks.
I think it’s super important to note that I too, have no current obligations to Lance Armstrong. Somebody put me on that list. I desperately need to be part of the public shaming of Lance Armstrong. DRAFT DAY SUIT IS NOT A LANCE ARMSTRONG SPONSOR. PLEASE NOTE THIS.
Why is it so important, for the large and the small to come out and kick him in public? Or anyone for that matter? Is there some misconception that we’ll think you DO support doping if you don’t? Because I know, if it weren’t for that mention from Trek, I would’ve assumed they were TOTALLY pro-doping. Thanks for clearing that up.
Nike, you sent a super important message by dropping him. Thank you. It’s also awesome to know that you continue to sponsor a guy who not once BUT TWICE was alleged sexual assault (‘sup Roethlisberger?) and who WAS SUSPENDED DUE TO A VIOLATION OF THE NFLs PERSONAL CONDUCT POLICY. As a matter of fact, I see that you continue to support a whole range of douchebags and nutfuckery . But in a nutshell, my take away is – sexual assault, hell yeah buy Nike. Using performance enhancing drugs that impact no one but yourself? HELL NAW!!!
We are not only sending a message that Lance Armstrong did the wrong thing, we are sending the message that he is BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD.
Is he?
I think he did the wrong thing. But I look at the man, and I don’t think we know him.
I wonder who does.
Nicely written.
I have a few thoughts about all of these companies jumping on the bandwagon…. very similar to yours. I also think that if they REALLY wanted to take a stand, to make a point…. why not give back all of the profits they made off of him? No? I know, unrealistic and silly….but its kind of the point. They are not unhappy about the piles of cash they made off of his doped up winnings.
It also bothers me that everyone is SO upset that he duped the public … he CHEATED!!!
He was guilty of cheating on his wife and family long before any of this…. so it shouldn’t be a huge surprise. That, to me, is more outrageous than cheating at a sporting event.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Armstrong’s doping only affected him. It affected anyone who’s ever competed with him while he was doping. On the other hand, I do agree that the way our culture works, the general public is prevented from seeing that celebrities, like everyone, aren’t just pure good or pure evil. I’ve seen a few comparisons lately comparing Lance Armstrong’s scandal to that of Tiger Woods, but the only similarity is that both were presented as candidates for sainthood when they really weren’t. Woods is truly a case where his actions only should have affected himself and his family, but he’ll never regain the universal admiration he used to have, no matter how he plays now. He’s certainly not an innocent victim, but that’s real slut-shaming.
Armstrong, on the other hand, let everyone down. I think it’s safe to say that he let down the entire U.S. for dominating a sport America had much of presence in before. Frankly, I used to think all the doping accusations were just the French refusing to believe an American can conquer such an international sport.
I love this whole post, but I’m not sure which thing I like better. This part “Sometimes, whenever everyone says the same thing, it’s because it’s real. They did see aliens. She is a witch. He did dope.” Or the word nutfuckery.
Probably the latter.
But wait! Honestly, I really love the take. He had us all fooled, but is a horrible person? Is cheating worse than (alleged) rape, running a dog fighting ring or having 50 mistresses? Is cheating cheating? I don’t know.
This is a great take on Lance Armstrong. I’m personally stupidly heartbroken over this whole thing. I believed. I drank the Lance Kool Aid. (Ew, that sounds quite gross, but you know what I mean.) From all accounts, it also sounds like doping is really rampant in cycling, so when the whole bar is that low, how immoral are you, really? I feel horribly let down by a hero, but I don’t have the same kind of knee-jerk revulsion that I do for the antics of Vick, Roethlisberger, etc. (who still play their sports, because they didn’t CHEAT at them, hmm.) I don’t know if you’ve ever read Armstrong’s ex-wife’s (Kristen Armstrong) running blog/column and/or articles for Runner’s World. She’s written about Lance and interviewed him from time to time. From all appearances, they have had a convivial divorce & ongoing friendship. You would assume she knows/knew him pretty well. Anyhow, it does just add to the question of who Lance is. http://milemarkers.runnersworld.com/2012/10/how-the-light-gets-in/
personally, I like the Ned Stark Meme best.
What galls me about this is how the inquisitors violated all their own rules in their vendetta against Armstrong. They credited improperly handled samples. They allowed hearsay. They extracted testimony under threat of punishment (well, I guess that’s always been allowed, but can you trust the results?). They cut deals in exchange for testimony (same deal). They put the rules of evidence in place for the same reason that they have those rules in the legal system – not to shield the guilty, but to prevent the persecution of the innocent. And now, thanks to the fact that these guys just HAD to nail Armstrong, all these tools are now available to anyone, for any reason, against anyone in this biz. Let’s say that some parties decide to go after Bradley Wiggins because he’s a filthy Pom. Well, somebody’s cousin’s girlfriend could say they saw someone who knows Wiggins throw a wrapper that could have come off of a syringe into a trash can at the hospital, and that could amount to the end of his career. Great. Good job, guys. Cavendish is wrong, cycling is *not* the cleanest sport going now. Because this is dirty all round.
“Is cheating worse than (alleged) rape,”
Cheating is not worse than rape. But we shouldn’t forget that LA’s current net worth is estimated to be over 120 million dollars (which doesn’t include donations to his charity which are over 500 million dollars). He owes that wealth to his fame and his fame to his cheating. Having profited so handsomely from his cheating and deceiving millions of fans and defrauding dozens of sponsors it is only fair that his disgrace should be witnessed by those millions of deceived fans. In my opinion he got what was coming for him a long time.