Before I continue I want to take a look back. Growing up I had many sports heroes. When it came to football, it was Marshall Faulk and in baseball it was Chipper Jones. Aside from the major sports, one of the people I admired was Lance Armstrong. I guess you could say he was the Michael Phelps of the younger generation. Every year fans who cared not for biking tuned in to keep track of how their American gladiator was faring in the competition. Not only was he a hero for winning, but Lance Armstrong was a hero for overcoming testicular cancer. I remember reading a biography on Lance Armstrong and how he preached and emphasized the action of perseverance. He influenced not just me, but millions of people around the world. He made popular the brand name Livestrong. Everyone walked around with yellow bracelets on their wrist to symbolize that they wanted to persevere, like Lance.
For years Armstrong had been accused of cheating and doping, but he continued to deny it, stating that there was no physical evidence to prove him guilty. In June a full-fledge investigation was launch to discover the truth about Lance and the doping allegations. Supposedly there were multiple teammates ready to testify against Lance about an elaborate doping scheme Lance had used in the past. The evidence and timing do not bode well for Mr. Armstrong.
Here is where I reach my dilemma. Growing up Lance was a man I looked up to. Because of what he accomplished, and what he stood for. And honestly, I have to say, I am a little disappointed that Lance Armstrong did not continue to fight to clear his name. There are one of two reasons that Lance gave up this fight. Either A: Lance feared that the evidence against him was too lethal, and if it was taken to court his name and legacy would be incinerated and demolished, or B: Lance was sick and tired of fighting and wanted to move on with his life, because even if he was innocent, nobody was going to believe him.
When asked about being stripped of his titles and giving up the fight against the doping allegations Lance continued to say he was not guilty.
When I view this issue, I am torn inside. The kid in me wants to take the innocent until proven guilty approach and still believe that Lance did not dope during the Tour de France, ergo making the rescinding of his titles extremely unfair.
The other side of me looks at what the evidence says. It looks at how all of his teammates were ready to testify against him, how successful he was after returning from his fight with cancer, and how many other riders have been busted for the exact same accusation.
The evidence points to doper, but nothing has been proven, which gives me hope that there is a chance he could be innocent.
So What do you think? Lance Armstrong, hero or villain?
