Lance Armstrong. The name once synonymous with cycling
superstar, cancer survivor, LIVESTRONG founder and seven-time Tour de France
champion will now, for many, simply mean liar, cheater, doper and
disappointment.
Prior to Lance’s confession, Ironman Triathlon World
Champion Craig ‘Crowie’ Alexander commented on cycling’s long history of doping
and paints the picture of a young, promising athlete who gave up college to
pursue professional cycling only to be faced with the dilemma of doping to remain
competitive and retain sponsors, or not doping and surrendering his dreams. But Lance had a choice and he chose to hitch his future to the “if you can’t beat them, join them,”
wagon and, as a result, has paid the ultimate price in terms of his reputation, his Tour de France titles, and
a lifetime ban on professional racing. Perhaps what Crowie means to suggest is
that you shouldn’t judge someone until you have walked in his shoes?
But consider the message Lance’s choice sends to
young athletes: that winning is the most important thing, that you should win
at all costs, and that it’s impossible to win without doping. To beg absolution
on the grounds that “everyone else is doing it” is no excuse. In fact, in
response to that same adolescent lament, don’t we ask our kids, “If everyone
else jumped off a bridge, would you?” Given the so-called heroes we put on a
pedestal today, should we be surprised when our kids answer yes? Shouldn’t we
be teaching our children that honesty and integrity are more important than
winning, and that while physical prowess is subject to the ills of age and
injuries, virtues such as intelligence and education are forever? Shouldn’t we
all be idolizing and celebrating the likes of Steve Jobs and Bill and Melinda
Gates over the Ray Lewises and Michael Vicks of the world?
The unraveling of Lance’s career comes at a time
when Lance was on the cusp of branching out into the world of triathlon. His
anticipated participation in the 2012 Ironman World Championships drew athletes
like Crowie back from the brink of retirement just for the chance to compete
against him. Lance Armstrong could have been the best thing to happen to
triathlon, his celebrity and fame certain to shine the limelight on a sport that
is still largely relegated to the sidelines, and usher it into the mainstream.
Lance’s involvement in triathlon also could have
been the worst thing to happen to the sport if it meant he was bringing his lying,
cheating, doping ways with him. That’s not to say I’m naïve enough to believe
that doping is non-existent in triathlon but, at least for now, I can still hope
and believe it is limited to the few, the shameless, and the desperate.
Lance made a mistake and he was caught. Had he come
clean and fessed up, he may have been more readily forgiven, for to err is
human. But lying about it only served to further soil and tarnish a name that
had once shined so brightly.
