Last night I started watching the Lance Armstrong/Oprah interview, and frankly, I wanted to kick him in the pants. USADA called it the most sophisticated doping program, and I believe it. Because frankly, America watched in amazement as this cancer-comeback kid grabbed title after title in the Tour de France. We poured money into LiveStrong bracelets and supported the charity that he was the face of. Livestrong is an incredible charity, and played an important role in my grandpa's life. So I can't rip him entirely apart, because he did a lot for the fight against cancer. But.
I am looking at a liar, a manipulator, a bully, and a cheat. Thirty minutes in, I had seen enough. He can explain away everything, and say that his cancer provided him with justification to do anything to win, but no. He lied, he cycled across the finish line of some of the biggest competitions in the world knowing that it was through blood doping and EPO that fueled his victory. And so I'm done reading all about his plan, his rise to fame, and all of the garbage now.
Cheaters never win. Lauren Fleshman had a great post about it. 99% of the athletes are not doping. It dirties the sport and threatens to take away the purity of our beloved sport.
So, a big role model bit the dust. But, there are still so many to go around. Deena Kastor, Meb Keflezighi, and Shalane Flanagan are all American Olympic medalists and they didn't lead a covert operation to switch out their blood in order to do so.
Our world keeps getting a little darker as stories like this. But it's those who keep winning and fighting in the face of all of that take away the tarnish and put back a hint of a shimmer.
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