The lies, the cheating, the doping….eventually it had to get around to the cancer, right?
I’m talking about Lance Armstrong.
We’ve all been reading the headlines and some of us have watched Oprah and listened to her question the athlete everyone thought was super human until he became just another man who cheated and took us all for a ride.
I’m not here to give an opinion, but I can tell you this, with my sports background and watching the likes of Marion Jones, Ben Johnson and too many major league baseball icons to mention. Lance Armstrong is one more athlete who belongs on “sports cheaters island”; a place I made-up a long time ago when it became very clear, short cuts to success in sports were more attractive than natural ability and good hard work.
But what about Lance and Livestrong? What about the cancer card he played in all of this? Was that real? Or was that just one more angle to this false front he parlayed into a multimillion dollar lie?
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta believed in Lance and Livestrong. He joined the crusade because his mom had cancer. He sat on the board of directors of Livestrong. He’s taken a leave from that chair because his network is one of many, knee deep in investigating the Armstrong story. Gupta says “I thought Livestrong could fill the gaps.”
Sports Illustrated’s Steve Rushin writes in the “Point After” page in this weeks SI about a guy named Jim who is able to put Armstrong’s lies aside because of what he’s done to inspire cancer patients. Jim is quoted in the article saying “The good that Armstrong has done for cancer research and cancer patients far outweighs anything he did in enhancing his performance.” It’s made clear in the article that Jim was inspired to push back on his own cancer diagnosis after reading Armstrong’s two books. Jim’s multiple myeloma is now in remission. I guess he made a difference to this cancer patient.
By the way, Rushin reveals at the end of the article, Jim is his brother. His closing lines reflect the heart of a caring brother. “But I will always be grateful for Armstrong’s existence. Why? Because it has undeniably helped by brother Jim, who’s more important to me than any childish illusions.”
But I bet he’s taken off that yellow rubber bracelet that once stood for so many things.
January 28, 2013 @ 3:28 pm
This whole Lance Armstrong thing really makes me sick. It’s one thing to lie, but to carry on such a lie so emphatically and for such a long time is shameful. Thank goodness we have our Cal Ripken’s and Ray Lewis’ in this town for kids to look up to.
January 26, 2013 @ 7:19 pm
When I was diagnosed, I read “It’s Not About the Bike”. One phrase and I am paraphrasing, Lance says “no matter the prognosis, always leave room in your heart for Hope”. I latched onto this. It was with me through some tough times.
I am disappointed in Lance. We all have feet of clay and he is now exposed for his cheating. The creation of Livestrong is not tarnished in my eyes. It is a noble organization serving the cancer community and patients and families. I am grateful to Lance for his book and his foundation. The book helped me enormously.
It would be nice if he would have been the larger than life person as he portrayed. But he is revealed to be a flawed individual who lost his way many years ago. My hope is that he will confess all…not to us because we are also flawed just in other ways…but seek his peace and redemption through God. Lance has done enormous good in this world. He has also done enormous evil.
If you know your Bible, there would not have been very many disciples for Jesus if they were judged on their worldly misdeeds. But they sought forgiveness, God forgave them and their sins and thus enabled them to be the disciples of Jesus. Lance can be forgiven. It is up to him.
I will always hold him in my heart in spite of his flaws. His words were read by me when I needed them most and they gave me Hope. May God forgive him. May we also remember the good that he has done and that it will continue to help those in need via Livestrong.
January 25, 2013 @ 9:56 pm
We,as a society, have a warped sense of what being a hero involves. It takes a special kind of person to risk their life everyday to keep strangers safe. It takes a special kind of person to put your all in to trying to save someone’s life time after time, knowing you are most likely fighting a losing battle. It takes a special kind of person to go through radiation,chemo and constantly being poked and prodded, all the while smiling and remaining hopeful. I am so disappointed by athletes in general because their fans push them to hero status only to find they are simply imperfect humans with fat bank accounts. We know who our heroes are.
January 25, 2013 @ 8:23 pm
We look for our heroes where we may. Too often, they are false idols. In Armstrong we have before us a liar and a cheat who still is controlling, to the extent he can, his own narrative, as his Oprah interview shows. He didn’t “come clean” to Oprah without ulterior motive. He wants to get back into sports. He should be banned from every sport for life. His example is a disgrace. He has no morality.
He lied for so long with such impunity, even to the extent of seeking to ruin others’ lives. He went with revenge after anyone who tried to tell the truth. An experience with cancer does not excuse that immoral, hurtful conduct, and I wish it could be divorced from all discussions of how he chose to live his life. “Winning” on his terms is not my idea of heroics.
January 25, 2013 @ 7:59 pm
I wear my yellow bracelet without a thought or care about the other Lance.
He inspired me, he kept my hope up, his foundation was there to answer questions and to provide information.
His annual ride was a thought, a hope really, that I held in my head, I would ride in it, I would, I would.
I watched from the sidelines and I waited and I finally I did ride in it.
I watched his tour rides as I sat worn down, listening to the pump whir and give me another dose of chemo, and I was thrilled. I was inspired, I still am.
I hope that what he has done for those with cancer is not forgotten.