Lance Armstrong: Fall from Grace

As an avid endurance athlete for most of my life, I’ve followed Lance Armstrong’s rise, and most recently his fall from super stardom after the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) presented their evidence that undeniably proves that Lance Armstrong was a cheat and a liar for the majority of his athletic career. His story of returning to the highest level of cycling competition after his bout with cancer has always been suspicious to me.  I’ve had many spirited discussions with people that believe in this miracle and were critical of my position that he has always been a drug doping cheat .  That being said, I too wanted to believe in his “Cinderella” story, but the facts simply didn’t add up.

It wasn’t until almost all of the other top pro riders that Lance competed head to head against starting testing positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) and blood doping that I realized Lance’s story was no Cinderella miracle, but simply a case of a good athlete and an even better cheat. 

For those of you that want to understand how the biggest fraud in sport history got away with it for so many years, read this article by Velo News that summarizes the 200 page report released by the USADA last week.

I’m an advocate for health and wellness, and it is my hope that I make personal lifestyle choices that will maximize the quality of my life and the lives of others.  Lance Armstrong has been hiding behind a similar life purpose through his LiveStrong charity and his personal battle with Testicular cancer.  Unfortunately he was deceiving his fans, and the general public that were captured by this amazing story of determination and willpower, but worst of all; he deceived the cancer community.  Because of Lance’s involvement with the LiveStrong cancer charity (Note: as of Oct 17 Lance stepped down as Chairman), he’s not just disappointed his cycling fans, but he’s knocked the wind out of the sails of the kid that’s fighting Leukemia, or the single mother that’s been diagnosed with breast cancer, or the dad that has to deal with Testicular cancer, all who looked up to him as a source of hope and inspiration.  

The “Reasoned Decision” released by the USADA, which I read in its entirety, describes the actions and behaviour of a despicable man, whose own self interests trumped all his decisions and would aggressively attack anyone that got in his way, including his closest friends, teammates, and individuals that remotely questioned his ethics or suspicion of drug use. 

It’s been clear for some time to most competitive cyclists that Lance has been cheating for years.  I didn’t need to see a positive blood test for banned substances to know that a cyclist at his level could be better than his competitors that were receiving a 10% to 15% performance boost from their drug programs.  I often found myself having spirited debates with people that wanted to believe that Lance’s fairy tale performance was legitimate, just because he never tested positive.  Let’s remember, Marion Jones was never busted for drug use and she ultimately confessed and went to jail.  I would argue that I don’t need to see it snow throughout the evening to know that it snowed during the night if the ground was covered with snow in the morning. 

Because the Lance Armstrong story crosses from the relatively small cycling community into main stream media, many people believed his entourage of lawyers, public relations, and team officials that would protect him by spinning stories that provided the believer an avenue to continue believing the fairy tale. 

Everyone seems to have an opinion about Lance Armstrong, but I’m troubled with the reaction so many people have regarding this story, especially in light of the facts.  I’m troubled that so many people still look to this man as an idol that’s simply being unjustly punished.  I’m hoping this reaction is the result of ignorance, because I’m disturbed how these idol worshipers are compromising their own values and ethics by justifying his guilt by saying, everyone else was cheating, so it’s ok.  It’s NOT OK!

In a world where humans categorise certain actions of others as unacceptable behaviour; in the case of Lance Armstrong, he’s not only a cheat, but his actions embody behaviour that’s generally reserved for the worst kind of career criminal.  Here is a partial list of some of his actions that have been exposed during the USADA’s investigation, which have been corroborated by over 20 testimonies from some of Lance’s former teammates and close acquaintances under oath:

• Drug Dealer: Lance would often source and supply known performance enhancing drugs to his teammates
• Conspirator: Lance, along with the team’s director, doctor, trainer and others developed elaborate schemes to evade detection of his illegal activities.
• Liar: Lance has looked directly into eyes of the public for approximately two decades and enthusiastically denied ever cheating.
• Cheat: It’s now clear that Lance orchestrated the most sophisticated cheating program in the history of sport
• Perjurer: On multiple occasions Lance has perjured himself by testifying that he and no one associated with his cycling team had ever taken performance enhancing drugs
• Bully: Lance threatened many riders on his team that if they did not get on the “program”, they would not be part of the team.  Can you imagine if your manager at work gave you that kind of ultimatum, what would your reaction be?

Each of us lives by a set of values, ethics and morals that defines who we are and becomes our personal “brand”.  And this brand isn’t defined by what we say, but how we act and are perceived by others.  Your friends, family, work colleagues and community will determine what your real brand is through your actions, not words. In the case of Lance Armstrong, we have a complete misalignment of what he says he is, compared to what we now know he is.  While Lance was giving the appearance of helping people with cancer, he was exerting the kind of pressure associated with a back street thug on his cycling teammates to take the very drugs that some experts believe may have caused of his own cancer, or lose they would their jobs.   

So when I see people that I thought to have a solid brand, consisting of high values and ethics that continue to defend his actions; it brings into question their own brand.  How can they say they’re against bullying, drug pushing, cheating, and lying, while at the same time their actions support a guy that encompasses all these despicable qualities?  You can’t suck and blow at the same time.

Lance is a multi-millionaire resulting from a sports career based on cheating and lies and I’m sure he sleeps well at night by convincing himself that he was justified in his actions.  His only disappointment would be that he got caught.  We know now that he is driven by power and self importance and his apparent lack of concern for others, even those with cancer has been self serving to hide the real brand of lies and deceit.  One could even argue that Lance exhibits narcissistic behaviour.

 

The Lance Armstrong story is right up there with other notable liars, cheats and fraudsters, like Bernie Madoff, Tiger Woods, Ben Johnson, Jerry Sandusky, all of whom deceived the public and their community by not living the brand they projected.  

But as much as this is a dissappointing story, it's also a story of progress, because I'm optimistic that it has moved the sport of cycling and sport in general, one step closer to the desired state of fair play. Through the USADA’s investigation and the detail they exposed how these cheaters were able to evade detection for so long, has now made it more difficult to cheat at the individual athlete level, as well as the team level.  This investigation brings us closer to a day, where the winner is in fact a true champion that is deserving of his or her accomplishments, knowing it was achieved through hard work, dedication, commitment to excellence and fair play.

I look forward to that day. 

Enjoy the Ride.....Rob

 

 

Comments

[Robert Armstrong]

Hi Aaron - thanks for a very well balanced and objective comment. I think you're right, the internal and external view of LA's brand is causing the polarization of his brand. But as the famous Lech Walesa once said and is very true, “There is a declining market for words. The only thing the world believes in now is actions, because they can see the results instantaneously”. I think LA is experienceing the instantaneous result of his actions, once they were truly revealed.

[Aaron]

The subject of Lance is a contentious one. I have long considered him a doper, but I also know many people who he has inspired, both on and off the bike. Not to mention, he popularized the sport in the USA. Even though he did not directly get me on the bike, his influence on the sport probably played an indirect role through friends, bike shops, websites, etc.

It is tough to reconcile good Lance with bad Lance, and I have made it a point to keep my opinion to myself for the most part. Mostly this is because it is such a divisive topic, and I do not want to offend people I respect (like Paul above).

I think we cannot ignore the facts. Lance cheated, pure and simple. He may not have failed a test, but neither did Barry Bonds, and few deny that he was cheating. The Reasoned Decision and The Secret Race outline how they were able to avoid the testers.

On the other hand, I think it is important to recognize Lance's contributions off the bike, and continue to support Livestrong. After a lot of this boils over, I think that will happen. My suggestion to them is to find a new, inspiring spokesperson, but someone who is clean.

Thanks Rob and Paul for the thought provoking comments.

[Robert Armstrong]

Hi Paul,

Wow, for someone that doesn’t care about LA, because he has “nothing to do with your life”, you sure have a lot to say. Thanks for your comments anyway. I’m not going to comment on all your points, just provide clarity on a few points:

1) My comment about knocking the wind out of some people’s sails wasn’t for you to agree or disagree; I was stating a fact. I’m close to a organization in my city that supports local cancer survivors, in addition to participated in a cross country cycling charity that’s donated tens of thousands of dollars to LiveStrong. I’ve seen firsthand that Lance is a person these people looked to as a beacon of hope and how this revelation knocked the wind out of their sails. If they were impacted this way, I’m sure there must be others.
2) The people in this blog post that I compared LA to was to highlight examples of people that have either abused their power and influence to manipulate others, or have been living a lie behind a false brand. Comparing sexual abuse, like the case of Jerry Sandusky to Lance pushing drugs on young riders like Dave Zabrisky and Michael Berry wasn’t my point, although both are despicable abuses of power.
3) You said that LA hasn’t affected your life. He certainly has, if not directly, clearly indirectly, because your family have used the services of LiveStrong, which he founded. It is my hope your family members are doing better. By the way, you are about the only person I’ve ever heard say there’s no link between the charity Lance founded. The name alone is synonymous with LA.

The reason I wrote this blog was to feature my confusion about people’s reaction to LA. At the same time the USADA release their report, a young Canadian girl took her life after being bullied, which resulted in an outrage across the country on how to deal with bullies. When this story broke, we realized the extent to the intimidation and bullying tactics LA used to win at all costs and hide his dirty secret from his fans and public, so I was confused at the support he apparently receives from so many, while these same people are outraged at the schoolyard bullies Just saying.

[Paul Guyot]

It's so interesting (and quite baffling) to me how much fury Lance inspires in people. These folks who have proclaimed what a cheat and liar he was for so long - now you'd think they would be quietly satisfied that they were right. Yet they seem even more enraged now, angry that not every individual isn't burning a cross on LA's front yard. What do you care if someone has a different opinion about LA than you do? Is it so important that people are looked at as less in your eyes because they don't share the passion of your opinion?

I never liked Lance personally, though I never met him. I heard people who had met him talk about interactions and episodes with him, and I formed an opinion (an un-informed one) that he was a bully and a jerk. But I didn't care. He had nothing to do with my life. And sports and celebrity are full of jerks and bullies.

I never said Lance cheated because I never knew - because I wasn't there. I figured he most likely did because yes - every GC contender was in one form or another back then. And if you know the history of the sport, you know LA was in no way the only bully out there. I'm not making any excuse for him, I'm simply saying it is ignorant to proclaim him worse than the others - especially when the others were often the team owners signing the checks. It only takes minimal research to see the names of unknown cyclists who were booted out of the sport for refusing to dope. And they had nothing to with LA or USPS.

As to Livestrong, this is where I differ with most Haters. For me, Livestrong has nothing to do with Lance. Why? Because my family members were stricken with cancer and a friend suggested calling Livestrong. I did. And they were immensely helpful. They made our fight stronger and better and throughout the entire process Lance Armstrong never came up once. Not him, not his name, not cycling, nothing. It was all about us and the cancer fight. And I will be forever in Livestrong's debt.

Do I feel LA has damaged Livestrong? Sure he has. But what is finally public knowledge about a cycling career has nothing and will never have anything to do with what Livestrong does.

I believe you are wrong about knocking the wind out of the sails of a kid or mother with with breast cancer. If you have dealt with Livestrong you would know that. I think what might be a more accurate statement is the people who might've contacted Livestrong in the future may not now - and that is tragic. Because they do amazing work.

You mention Tiger Woods. Good example. Tiger Woods is every bit as bad as LA. But he still praised and admired and beloved for 2 reasons: 1) he made his apology. Yes, it was bullshit and half-heart and basically a joke, but he did it. And 2) he is really good at what he does. And one thing our society has proven beyond all doubt -- is that it values and rewards winning in competition over integrity and community. That's why athletes around the world in every sport cheat and dope.

People love Tiger's "comeback" and because there are so many entities that can make money off of him, they welcome him back. The Golf Channel, etc., LOVE Tiger -- because he makes them money. Short of murder or child molestation, he could do most anything and be okay.

LA is another story. Nike, Oakley, etc., realized they can no longer make money off of him. If they could -- trust me they would stick by him. Their decisions to cut ties was in no way a moral decision, it was 100% financial.

Lastly, and apologies for rambling, I believe you jeopardized pretty much all your credibility of an excellent post when you compared Lance Armstrong to Jerry Sandusky. Even Madoff to a certain extent. But while I'd disagree strongly, I could see someone making the Madoff comparison argument. But to compare what LA did to what Sandusky did is a complete joke. And if you don't see that, then you've got some major issues in your own life.

Cheers