Lance Armstrong, our most famous cyclist and cancer survivor, is currently embroiled in what I call the Woods Treatment. As the scandal involving Armstrong's POSSIBLE use of performance enhancers grows, as more and more of his team mates and rivals come forward with accusations, Armstrong's sponsors are fleeing his presence faster than AT & T and Golf Digest could dump Tiger Woods after his sexual exploits hit the headlines. Of course the difference is that Tiger Woods eventually confessed his transgressions. At this point Armstrong continues to deny his use of performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career.
Accusations of steroid use have been flung at Lance Armstrong from time to time over the years, but he has consistently denied these accusations, just as he has consistently won his races. I once heard an old adage to the effect that a lie, repeated many times, begins to take on its own truth. I have no way of knowing whether Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs or not. All I, as a news consumer, can know is that many people are now coming forward with such accusations against Armstrong. Adding further fuel to the "it MUST be TRUE" fire is the news of a few weeks ago that the International Organization of Cyclists had stripped Lance Armstrong of all his Tour De France titles.
Like I said, I do not know if the accusations against Lance Armstrong are true, but I do know that it will be a sad thing if yet another sports legend falls to the wayside because of the use of steroids. And I would like to point out that we do not yet, even more than a month after Armstrong was stripped of his titles, know whether he actually used the drugs in question. On the other hand, we DO know that Armstrong PASSED numerous drug tests over the years at the various cycling competitions he entered. I admit that, as they say, the evidence is indeed stacking against Armstrong, but I also point out that to date we have been shown no tests results indicating that Armstrong was using steroids. I hope we can all apply the innocent till proven guilty principle until we know at some point what the truth really is. I know, you ask, why would so many people lie about Lance Armstrong? I do not necessarily believe these people are lying, but I do believe that Armstrong has been tried and convicted on less than hard evidence. And his sponsors are not waiting for the truth to set them free. Despite the lack of physical evidence that Lance Armstrong cheated, his sponsors are giving him the full Tiger Woods treatment.
I am still waiting for some confirmation of the facts. It may be that test results showing Armstrong used drugs will be made public someday. More meaningful to me would be Armstrong's admission of his drug use if these accusations are indeed true. I guess it is natural that people want heroes they can look up to; heroes that seem larger than life. Indeed we demand sometimes that they be larger than life. So when our heroes fall, when they are proven to be not really so much larger than life after all, it seems their fall from grace is all the harder. Lance Armstrong is one of my heroes. It hurts, in a way, to see him getting the Woods Treatment. I hope that the truth that emerges will clear his name. If not, I hope the truth leaves no doubt that Armstrong indeed deceived the people. In the meantime, I guess we can all go back to our search for sports heroes. For Lance, I send my prayers as the Woods Treatment goes on...
Accusations of steroid use have been flung at Lance Armstrong from time to time over the years, but he has consistently denied these accusations, just as he has consistently won his races. I once heard an old adage to the effect that a lie, repeated many times, begins to take on its own truth. I have no way of knowing whether Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs or not. All I, as a news consumer, can know is that many people are now coming forward with such accusations against Armstrong. Adding further fuel to the "it MUST be TRUE" fire is the news of a few weeks ago that the International Organization of Cyclists had stripped Lance Armstrong of all his Tour De France titles.
Like I said, I do not know if the accusations against Lance Armstrong are true, but I do know that it will be a sad thing if yet another sports legend falls to the wayside because of the use of steroids. And I would like to point out that we do not yet, even more than a month after Armstrong was stripped of his titles, know whether he actually used the drugs in question. On the other hand, we DO know that Armstrong PASSED numerous drug tests over the years at the various cycling competitions he entered. I admit that, as they say, the evidence is indeed stacking against Armstrong, but I also point out that to date we have been shown no tests results indicating that Armstrong was using steroids. I hope we can all apply the innocent till proven guilty principle until we know at some point what the truth really is. I know, you ask, why would so many people lie about Lance Armstrong? I do not necessarily believe these people are lying, but I do believe that Armstrong has been tried and convicted on less than hard evidence. And his sponsors are not waiting for the truth to set them free. Despite the lack of physical evidence that Lance Armstrong cheated, his sponsors are giving him the full Tiger Woods treatment.
I am still waiting for some confirmation of the facts. It may be that test results showing Armstrong used drugs will be made public someday. More meaningful to me would be Armstrong's admission of his drug use if these accusations are indeed true. I guess it is natural that people want heroes they can look up to; heroes that seem larger than life. Indeed we demand sometimes that they be larger than life. So when our heroes fall, when they are proven to be not really so much larger than life after all, it seems their fall from grace is all the harder. Lance Armstrong is one of my heroes. It hurts, in a way, to see him getting the Woods Treatment. I hope that the truth that emerges will clear his name. If not, I hope the truth leaves no doubt that Armstrong indeed deceived the people. In the meantime, I guess we can all go back to our search for sports heroes. For Lance, I send my prayers as the Woods Treatment goes on...
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