Sympathy for Lance Armstrong (sport, homeruns, records, America)
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I think the media is portraying Lance Armstrong in a much more negative light than what is needed. Cycling is one of the dirtiest sport especially in the new millennium (just look up "list of doping cases in cycling" in Wikipedia) and I've heard from multiple radio hosts, avid cycling fans and sports fans alike, that it wouldn't surprise them if >80% of the cyclists in Tour De France used some sort of performance enhancing drugs...And I don't disagree with them. Cycling 200km a day for 20+ days is NUTS!
Now let's look at it like this: if no one in the whole race was using performance enhancing drugs, then wouldn't you think that Armstrong would still be the best cyclist to emerge out of the whole group? But unfortunately PED use is pervasive in cycling, and it makes sense for the cyclists to use drugs in order to level the playing field with everyone else violating the rules. It's sad and it's scathing to the integrity of sports but that's just the reality.
Obviously not every cyclist gets tested on a regular basis for PEDs and only the elite ones like Armstrong will be the subject of most scrutiny. But when they do get tested, with the advances in science and technology, scientists are able to come up with newer and modified substances that are not on the list of banned substances that allow the cyclists to pass the test surreptitiously. And when committees like USADA includes more drugs to banned PEDs, there will be substances in altered form that will be able to bypass the tests undetected.
I'm not saying what Armstrong did is right (if in fact it's true) nor the pervasive use of PEDs in sports, which is the reality of sports today. But out of this came something good, the LIVESTRONG Foundation which raised hundreds of millions of dollars for a good cause to help cancer patients and to provide hope. Whether you think he did this for his own stardom or to sway the attention away from his doping allegations is up to you, but you can't deny that this philanthropic organization is bad for the world, or not enough to overshadow the blemish in his lustrous cycling career.
I'd be willing to guarantee that if any other cyclists used whatever PEDs that Armstrong used for his Tour De France career, he would not come remotely close to winning 7 TDF titles in his career. This allegation is much to meager in contrast to the accolades and accomplishments that he achieved in his career and I think that all this diatribe about Lance Armstrong needs to stop.
I hate the double talk! We knew the whole time that Lance was winning as a cheater, if you did not know then you are fool. Funny part, everyone knew and at the time nobody was calling him names. Now suddenly, with a mountain of evidence (years later by the way), everyone is calling him a cheater. Yesterday and today, I do not call him a cheater, because as jokingly stated above, everyone was doing it. Just the same, I don't badger Bonds/A-Rod/Mark M/Sosa because everyone was doing it. Matter of fact, I go on record today to state that Manny Pacman is cheating too. I don't care, legalize the use. I like the homeruns, new records and other achievements. Back in the day, they cheated too.
My recommendation is that Lance should admit to use...so what! Then he needs to highlight his cancer survival achievement and I think fans will come back.
Doesnt look good for Lance but to this point he's had no court case and is merely the subject of many allegations and hearsay,
I find it puzzling how so many Americans seem to be so happy at the demise of their once great hero,
A man who has gone onto accomplish much in the world of cancer relief programs,
Yeah he probably played the game along with every one else in the biking world but he was our champ our hero,and now every one it seems just wants to trash the man.
Doesnt look good for Lance but to this point he's had no court case and is merely the subject of many allegations and hearsay,
I find it puzzling how so many Americans seem to be so happy at the demise of their once great hero,
A man who has gone onto accomplish much in the world of cancer relief programs,
Yeah he probably played the game along with every one else in the biking world but he was our champ our hero,and now every one it seems just wants to trash the man.
Good.
I think many Americans are just tired of a culture that if not ourightly promotes cheating than at the very least gives it a wink and a nod.
Everywhere yo turn in our society, cheaters and liars seem to prosper. Whether it be in business, politics, sports, etc.
Many people are simply tired of it. Cheaters and liars have always been around but they were shunned and shamed. Nowadays we glorify them.
Doesnt look good for Lance but to this point he's had no court case and is merely the subject of many allegations and hearsay,
I find it puzzling how so many Americans seem to be so happy at the demise of their once great hero,
A man who has gone onto accomplish much in the world of cancer relief programs,
Yeah he probably played the game along with every one else in the biking world but he was our champ our hero,and now every one it seems just wants to trash the man.
Doesnt look good for Lance but to this point he's had no court case and is merely the subject of many allegations and hearsay,
I find it puzzling how so many Americans seem to be so happy at the demise of their once great hero,
A man who has gone onto accomplish much in the world of cancer relief programs,
Yeah he probably played the game along with every one else in the biking world but he was our champ our hero,and now every one it seems just wants to trash the man.
Look, Armstrong is an inspiration to many cancer victims and his foundation did a world of good.
He's also a liar and a cheat.
Kind of like Joe Paterno.
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