Alternate Title: I Already Drank the Haterade
Alternate Alternate Title: Maybe it Should Have Been About the Bike
Seems that Lance Armstrong is all over the news these days, and with his Oprah interview airing later this week, Armstrong Saturation is likely to reach maximum levels. Word on the street is that the Tour de France Major Winner Extreme is going to come clean about his dirty doping dealings, and I’ve got a thing or two to say about it.
In the interest of full disclosure, Mr. Armstrong and I went to the same high school, though not at the same time. (He’s old and I’m less old.) I never knew him or met him, and our school never touted the fact that he had been there.
The summer before I started college, my university required all incoming Freshman to read Lance’s autobiography “It’s Not About The Bike.” So I did. I didn’t like it. In part because he takes an entire chapter to bash Plano East Senior High, our previously mentioned shared institution of learning.
He describes the town as “soul-deadening.” Lance felt like an outsider saying, “I felt shunned at times. I was the guy who did weird sports and who didn’t wear the right labels…There was an unwritten dress code.” Maybe I’m wrong on this, but isn’t that all high schools? “Cool” kids dress one way and other kids don’t. Anything you do that is different makes you weird. I played volleyball, which was not cool either. It did not deaden my soul. It was suburbia; I’m not sure what he was expecting.
Part of his hatred toward PESH and Plano in general is that the school wouldn’t let him graduate when he had missed too many days off doing cycling stuff and refused to make up the school work. His mom pulled him out and put him into a private school where he graduated from a few weeks later. I have no sympathy here. Regardless of how talented you are or how many activities you have going on, when you attend public school, you don’t get to say how much work you complete or how often you attend. He comes off as entitled saying that the teacher didn’t understand his goals and that he thought he should have earned extra credit for the world travel and cycling he was doing. “You’d think a school would be proud to have an Olympic prospect in its graduation rolls. But they didn’t care.”
Okay, now that the past is out on the table and you know that Lance isn’t my favorite guy to begin with, let’s discuss the matter at hand: doping it up to get ahead.
From when I first heard the allegations, I thought Lance was guilty. (I’ve already admitted I drank the haterade, so that’s probably not a surprise.) He never tested positive and he vehemently and repeatedly denied the allegations. He called his accusers liars and worse.
Now Lance is ready to come clean. He supposedly already said that he did it and that it was, “a level-playing field.” More entitlement if you ask me. Admitting something while saying, “but everyone was doing it to,” is not the same thing as an apology. It also makes him come off as though he believes he is still better/faster/whatever than the people he beat. But since the titles have been taken away, that’s a moot point.
If Lance had admitted the truth at any point, even after years of denial, I would have admired that. It’s not easy to admit your wrong doing, and it would have been brave of him. But instead he chose to wait until the investigations were over and he had smeared the people who were telling the truth to come clean on his own terms. Kind of like how he wanted to graduate high school on his own terms.
It comes down to integrity. Lance has shown that he doesn’t have it. He cheated, he knowingly lied for many years, he blamed others for trying to prove his guilt.
That does not a role model make. I know he’s done a lot with Livestrong, and that he has given people hope. (Karen actually wrote a great post about that very thing here.) But when I look at Lance, I don’t see that. I see someone who could have been great but felt entitled. Someone who could have followed the rules, but felt justified in doing as he pleased. Someone who could have been a role model, but lacked integrity.
What happens next? I don’t want his head on a platter, but whatever the reasonable consequences are, he should face them. If that includes a ban from sports, so be it. Some might think that’s too harsh, but there are equivalents in other career fields. (If I were to commit certain offenses, my teaching certificate would be taken away and I wouldn’t be able to work in that field any more. I know this and I choose to act accordingly. Lance also knew the possible consequences and chose to act the way he did.
I don’t think any of this will tarnish Livestrong or the sport of cycling. I don’t even know that it will tarnish Lance’s reputation in the long run. But to me, he’s not a role model, he’s not a winner, he’s not a good person. He’s a liar.
Okay, I’m stepping off my soapbox now. I really want to hear what y’all think about this! Is Lance a-ok in your book? Are you drinking the haterade like me? Do you think I’m way too biased for my opinion to be worth squat? Do tell!*
This whole thing is just sad. SAD! I haven’t been watching the news on him nor will I watch the interview. Why give him even more attention?
I’m torn on watching the interview. Like you, I don’t want to feed into the Lance-mania and “reward” him with my attention. On the other hand, I’m curious to see if he’ll prove me right or wrong. Will be grovel or will he continue to act like an ass. I probably won’t watch the interview itself, but I plan to be filled in on all I miss by the many news programs I watch.*
My honest thought: the world in general is too obsessed with famous athletes. Which is part of what drives them to dope so that they can do even more impressive feats and keep the spotlight on them. I’m not entirely anti-pro-sports, but I think the millions they earn in the US is beyond ridiculous. (And I say that as someone who’s husband was paid by the AF to compete towards the Olympics)
I’m not trying to call you obsessed at all, I just happen to find most Americans too invested in what comes down to being just a game or another person’s life. I also find it funny that these spoiled brats (striking because you want to earn more than x amount of millions a year, really basketball players?) often dominate our news. Personally I don’t care if he did or didn’t dope. Consequences or apologies should be handed out for whichever it is.
I appreciate your point of view and totally get what you are saying. Last year I was frustrated when I realized that many of my students didn’t know the names of great writers or thinkers but they all knew who Kim Kardashian was, many of them like Chris Brown (really?!), and they idolized LeBron (gag). And there are so many great role models out there! They just don’t get the attention or respect they deserve.*
Totally agree with you; he’s a jerk. Can we forgive when someone apologizes? Of course, but there are still logical consequences of one’s actions that don’t disappear; plus, it
doesn’t sound like much of an apology to me – sounds more like an entitled brat continuing to try to manipulate people to get what he wants.
I agree, there can be forgiveness, although I don’t even feel like Lance owes me an apology necessarily. But he does he owe one to those he hurt and those he let down. But there must be consequences. I kind of think the ban from sports is appropriate. I read that he couldn’t participate in the Chicago Marathon because of all this hooplah. (The race would have lost its accredidation if they let him participate.) He made his bed, ya know.*
Hmmm.
I love your well-thought out post. I had no idea he was from Plano though. I can see how hearing him say such negative things about your hometown leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I practically hate everyone who says anything bad about Texas. Or Fort Worth. Or Texas. (Just kidding. Kind of.)
I really have no strong feelings or opinions towards him. I am not surprised he doped, and I am almost a little impressed he got away with it for so long. He is just the latest in a long line of idiots who cheated to win.
I’m also impressed with the lengths and depths of his deception. I don’t know if he was able to do it just because he’s got cash or b/c he gets respect from the public (well, prior to this). Dude had power, no doubt about that.
And holla at ya for Texas pride! I know my hometown wasn’t the greatest and there are plenty of things I didn’t like about it, but I don’t complain about the fact that some people were more popular than me because they wore polo shirts or played football. That’s just one of those first world issues that come with living in the first world!*
Very much just not paying attention which is good because if I was I’d watch the interview and I don’t want to help the ratings. It’s very sad. Very, very sad. I just never jumped on the Livestrong/Lance hype. Definitely think he deserves to face the consequences though!! Also, that’s so interesting his whole chapter bashing PESH. He should be glad Plano West wasn’t around in his day!! That is every high school. It makes me want to say grow a pair. Haha, is that wrong?
Yeah, if he was a West student, then he would have had something to complain about!
In the book he even complains about the fact that people were popular because they drove expensive cars, and how messed up it was that he wasn’t cool because he didn’t have one. I’m guessing he’s got a garage full of expensive cars now. I just see his current situation as an extension of who he was in high school: someone desperate to be popular or adored or impressive.*
Being a great competitor is one thing. Winning at any cost is another. He should have come clean earlier. If everyone else was doing it then cycling needs to come clean also.
We all know wrestling is fake. Is cycling essentially fake also?
Your comment is so spot one! And the wrestling analogy – yes yes yes.
When I was at the gym today, I saw his picture on the tv (there was a news show on) and below his image it said, “Lance Armstrong: disgraced cyclist.” I just can’t help but wonder if he wouldn’t have been happier, better off, to have been clean and maybe be a middle of the pack, unknown cyclist or to be one that rose so high but at such a high cost and with such a huge fall.*
I know. He has paid a high price for all of the glory. Many of us at some point in our lives have to make these big dicisions that define who we are. Are we cheats, slackers, or do we value our own personal integrity more than what ever it is we are after?
You wonder how happy he is now and how happy he has been since he started this.
Sorry, had to jump in here. (I came back today to read all the comments!)
I don’t think any competitive athlete who works THAT hard would be happy being middle of the pack. I have worked with athletes of all levels (high school, not-so-good Division I college, very good Division 1 college, and eventual pros), and I don’t think any of them would be happy being “just okay” at what they do. That is one of the reasons they become so amazing.
Yes, I know Lance doped, but he had incredible talent and worked his ass off to get the point where doping was necessary. I don’t think he would have been happy just being “middle of the pack” at that point. If being average was acceptable (to him), he wouldn’t have worked so hard in the first place. I wish the media would show what it takes for professional athletes to become successful. I do think natural talent plays a role in it, but also the amount of time they spend training as a kid. While I’m on this soapbox, have you ever read Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. Speaks to this topic and it probably the best (non-fiction) book I have read.
I’m glad you came back to scope out all the comments! It’s been ifun to see what everyone thought.
I think you are on to something when you say that he wouldn’t have been satisfied being in the middle of the pack, which is why he doped. But now that he’s gotten caught and stripped of all he earned, I can’t image that he’s very satisfied with how things worked out anyway. I guess for me it is a lesson I’d want to get through to kids (and adults) – the glory isn’t worth cheating for.
I read Outliers last year and loved it! Very interesting! It made me want to seriously engineer the month that any of my future (if ever) babies are born so that they have a leg up on success. Hahah!*
I’m with you. We must be drinking from the same haterade bottle. It kills me when athletes go through big giant hoops to declare their innocence (um, testify before congress!) and then end up having to come clean, making themselves look like petty, lying, entitled jerks. At the gym yesterday, I was reading the closed captioning on an interview some ESPN lady was having over the phone with the wife of one of Lance Armstrong’s former teammates. Evidently, he confessed to doping while speaking with a doctor in a hospital room, where she and her husband were present. She didn’t want to keep quiet but Lance Armstrong made it very difficult for her to do so, saying no one would believe her, she’ll come off as looking petty and jealous because he’s more successful than her husband, etc. It’s a shame, really. His is story is a great one. Minus the bashing of your alma mater, of course. Who comes back from major cancer to win all those titles? Too bad he’s a fraud. Speaking of haterade, well, that’s a little harsh, let’s call it dislikerade, I have a major dislikerade of Oprah and I hate that he went to her for the interview. But that’s neither here nor there. I think the worst part of it all is that he had a lot of people lying for him. For years. It sickens me that sports celebrities, or any celebrities, have that kind of hold over any one. Ugh.
Glad I’m not the only hater here! (Or disliker, whatever you prefer.) I saw that lady on the TV, too! That’s part of what really gets my goat. It wasn’t just that he lied but he was being a life ruiner to anyone who stood in his way. It’s always all about Lance, which is why I’m suspicious of his motives behind the timing of his confession.*
Your opinion is incredibly fascinating to me! There are so many sides and variables to this story that it’s difficult for me to pick a stance on the whole thing in general. But… at the end of the day, he’s responsible for himself, and it doesn’t matter about high school or childhood or what everyone else is doing because he’s an ADULT.
The biggest sticking point for me is what you said: seems like he’s a big liar. I could sort of “get over” some of the other flaws and wrongdoings if he had handled them with humility but I just can’t accept lying.
Excellent soapboxing!
As always, Janelle, your view point is a welcome addition. He is an adult. He knew better, but he didn’t care. My impression is that he doesn’t even feel guilty because he felt justified in his actions and he’s only sorry now because it’s come down to things like money and wanting to compete as an amateur (in marathons and triathlons). Of course, I’ve yet to see the interview. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it’s hard when I just don’t think Lance is a good person.*
…at least you didn’t date/marry him! Yikes. Those women must feel ridiculous for getting involved
LA definitely not A OK. I am cynical. He is not confessing because he is truly sorry. He is confessing because he got found out and he is trying to limit the damage. Also the whole Oprah thing has no credibility. I will be satisfied he has accounted for himself properly when he has been questioned and cross examined by an attorney is a court of law.
I hear you! I’m expecting the whole Oprah thing to be a total softball. He’s probably been prepping for a while and determined on cue when to cry.
When you lose your integrity like he has, people don’t believe you. Even if he is really sorry, he’ll always been seen as an untrustworthy liar.*
I’m not a Lance fan. Cycling means diddly squat to me. The only good I can see in this whole thing is that at least he used his fame to do something good (Livestrong). It just stinks that it’s now tainted, ya know?
I don’t think Livestrong is tainted. It’s a good organization that has done a lot for a lot of people. But the association with Lance is not good for their image, and I could see why it might be tainted in the eyes of others.
I do however think the idea of Lance as a heroic cancer survivor turned amazeballs athlete is a myth. One could argue that he still put in the time and efforts to his workouts, that it was a level playing field, but that image of him really is tainted. That part sucks more to me because he sold the idea of “look what I overcame and how far I went! You can do it, too.”
Well I guess I drank from the same otle as you. I’m glad they stripped him of the tour de france medals, that was a no brainer. But what about all the money/endorsements he received????? Should he had to poay that miney back or at least a percentage of it?? I know the sport of cycling is full of doping. pproblems, but
Phone problems, so ban them all??? So were back to throw out the baby with the bath water? I for one will not watch the interview as I can’t imagine he has a sorry bone in his body or can even attempot to be sincere.
I’m hoping that there financial consequences, as there should be. He was essentially robbing the people who gave him endorsements by selling this false version of himself.
I’m curious to see if he will come across as sincere or remorseful. I’m not sure that he will, but I wonder if he can even bring himself to utter an actual apology. After all the lying and denying, I don’t know that he has it in him.*
I have never really been a Lance supporter but I haven’t really been a hater either. I grew up in and around Plano and actually dated a guy from PESH for a while and I think you are right, any high school the kids feel weird, it’s high school, there’s nothing wrong with the school! I don’t know that I care if he’s guilty or innocent but I do think that he is guilty, I mean look at all his teammates and those around him that have fessed up, you mean to tell me that they all just hate you and are lying people? I do think though that it’s too late for him to admit his guilt, he’s guilty but he missed the time-table he was given to be forgiven. And I too think there should be consequences, there may not be, which would be sad but then again this is Lance Armstrong, clearly he knows how to get his way in the matter. I like your alternate, alternate title, maybe he should have just stuck to the bike!
I knew you were a North Dallas girl, but I didn’t realize you grew up near Plano! Small world.
I can’t agree more with what you’re saying about all the other people who have come forward and admitted the truth. It’s amazing that he got by so long claiming to be the only saintly one among them. I think (at least in part) people in the general public believed him because they wanted it to be true. They wanted him to be the hero who overcame the odds, accomplished great feats of endurance and was an upstanding guy. That’s just not the reality of Lance.*
He’s an ass. I also don’t much care because I find Lance as interesting as dry toast (your stuff about Plano cracked me up though. Isn’t the hot guy from Gossip Girl also a Plano alum?). This is like steroids in baseball, I know I should care, but I really don’t. I can’t even bring myself to be surprised that he lied. The statute of limitations is up for a perjury charge, so I guess he’s pretty much in the clear legally.
Chace Crawford aka Nate Archibald! I don’t know that he’s from Plano, but he did once get arrested there for using weed. (I think it was while I was home on break from college and I thought it was totally cool that I could have potentially run into him high somewhere. Ha!) His sister is married to Tony Romo and shops at the store that my sister-in-law manages. I mean, by that association, I’m practically famous.*
He grew up in Plano according to IMDB! I remember seeing that he was arrested there and saying something to my husband since my husband graduated from Prosper. I’m pretty sure my bff’s husband is also from Plano, but it might be McKinney. I’m going to ask him which high school he went to next time I see him.
Great post! I do think he is entitled, just like 99% of sports stars/celebrities. He had great potential to be an worthy rolemodel and so many people were rooting for him. I am very interested to actually watch the interview to see how he answers questions. I really hope some good can come from this…clearly I drank the opposite of Lance haterade and am having a hard time letting go :/
I think Lance owes a huge apology to the people who have believed in him and rooted for him all along. I’m hoping that he can offer up something in the interview that really conveys a sense of regret in that regard.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with “the opposite of haterade.” Like you said in your post, he gave you hope.*
you make your argument very well! I don’t have love or hate for the guy because i don’t really follow him that well, but ehh i kind of get what he’s saying in the whole “everybody was doing it…” part of the argument, but I also get what you’re saying about how he sounds entitled. It’s okay to have strong opinions! I have really strong opinions about certain celebrities, because i do love my gossip rags, but in the end, it’s mostly just a mind break and it doesn’t cause me to lose any sleep at night.
I watch E! News every morning (in part because there’s not much else on TV and in part because I really like it), so like you I am abreast of celebrity comings and goings and have a thing or two to say about them! Don’t even get me started on those Kardashian sisters! Oy!*
I honestly have not been following it too closely, but I think I would have to agree with you. I’m so sick of all of these athletes getting a bunch of recognition and tons of money while they are cheating! I’m looking forward to your thoughts on Manti Te’o
OMG! I just heard about that Manti/Catfish/Whatever it was! Talk about majorly weird!*
I’ve heard that if they would give first place of the Tour de France to someone who’s never been under suspicion of doping, they’d have to give to someone placed fourteenth or in that vicinity. I don’t understand how anyone can take pride in winning anything by cheating. The human body can do amazing things, but it also has limits. To be honest, I don’t think anyone can compete at the Tour de France without doping. And he is not the first one who got his victory taking away. Because he didn’t earn it. (Don’t get me wrong, even with doping it’s probably one of the hardest things to do.) And “But the others did it too” was never a good reason.
I agree that I don’t see how people can feel good about cheating to win. In Lance’s case, I really don’t think he felt like what he did was cheating, which is why he doesn’t feel bad about it.*
There were all those stories and headlines for a few weeks claiming that Lance was contemplating going public about his doping. I thought, if he’s “contemplating” going public about it, isn’t that pretty much already an admission of doping right there?
I have a former coworker who is an avid cyclist, and actually knows Lance personally. My coworker has had NOTHING positive to say about Lance, ever. My coworker describes him as being the single biggest *** known to humankind. So that never bode very well for me to hear someone described so poorly by a respected coworker.
Wow, you and Lance went to the same high school!!! What a small, small world!!! But it’s very disappointing to hear some of the things he’d said about his time there. I am really not a fan, especially after what you shared of his thoughts.