What is often lost in the drama surrounding Lance Armstrong is the damage that was done to all of those who decided - for various reasons - to admit that they had doped and to implicate Armstrong before he was forced to admit the truth. Lance Armstrong sat down with Oprah Winfrey on Friday for an in-depth interview in which the embattled former cycling star admitted to using performance enhancing drugs to help win the Tour de France on numerous occasions. In her own interviews with various news outlets, Winfrey said that Armstrong admitted he doped, but she claims to have been surprised at the way he did it.
Now that Armstrong has openly admitted to cheating, following years of relentless denials and accusations against those who claimed to have known about his drug use, it will be interesting to see what the fallout will be. Obviously, Armstrong himself has lost all credibility and will be justifiably vilified - not so much for his doping as for his vehement and persistent denials of wrongdoing. At a certain point, there is a pathological element to denying something in the face of overwhelming and universal evidence to the contrary.
At one time, Lance Armstrong was an inspiration to many. And those he inspired in the past are still better for having been pushed forward by Armstrong’s accomplishments, even if we now understand them to have been gained through cheating. But Armstrong himself is likely to face a pretty dark path in the months and years ahead. He will probably be prosecuted for his repeated lies to various authorities and he will certainly face civil litigation from the countless people whose names he smeared in an attempt to protect his own skin. Ultimately, Lance Armstrong’s years of denial in the face of the truth may be his most enduring legacy.
Now that Armstrong has openly admitted to cheating, following years of relentless denials and accusations against those who claimed to have known about his drug use, it will be interesting to see what the fallout will be. Obviously, Armstrong himself has lost all credibility and will be justifiably vilified - not so much for his doping as for his vehement and persistent denials of wrongdoing. At a certain point, there is a pathological element to denying something in the face of overwhelming and universal evidence to the contrary.
At one time, Lance Armstrong was an inspiration to many. And those he inspired in the past are still better for having been pushed forward by Armstrong’s accomplishments, even if we now understand them to have been gained through cheating. But Armstrong himself is likely to face a pretty dark path in the months and years ahead. He will probably be prosecuted for his repeated lies to various authorities and he will certainly face civil litigation from the countless people whose names he smeared in an attempt to protect his own skin. Ultimately, Lance Armstrong’s years of denial in the face of the truth may be his most enduring legacy.
