Looks as if Lance Armstrong will lose it all

[The Joker]

Originally Posted by mtrunner

Actually Lisa this is a misconception. I have heard this from a lot of people but Lance was actually diagnosed with cancer in 1996. He met his first wife, Kristin Richard, after his diagnosis in 1997 at a charity event.

Yeah read the first edition of his book, I'm sure he dumped the girl who he was with through his cancer treatment, when he meet his first wife. Er that doesn't make it any better does it.

Anyway I find it hard to make a character judgement about someone I never met, I wasn't privy to his relationships or around his sport.

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by mtrunner

Actually Lisa this is a misconception. I have heard this from a lot of people but Lance was actually diagnosed with cancer in 1996. He met his first wife, Kristin Richard, after his diagnosis in 1997 at a charity event.

Oh, you're correct. It seems he had just completed his treatment regimen. They did had three kids together.

[threemonkeys]

Poor guy. He's simply misunderstood.

Seriously - what a pathetic human being.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/ar...strong/272568/

[david_ord]

Lance, like many who get caught, says "I made a mistake, and now I'm paying for it." I tend to disagree.

A mistake is when you drop a pie. Opps. A mistake is when you back you car into a fire hydrant. Opps.

When a man wakes up everyday for over a decade, and repeatedly and deliberately injects himself with cocktails of hormones and blood, these actions cannot be categorized as "a mistake." These actions are part of a life path that the individual has intentionally chosen.

[Culley22]

i think this whole ordeal is great. People build him up, ignoring the MANY that stood up and said that he was a cheat, and a bully. We made him who he is, so to see people upset by this makes me chuckle. The whole sport was/is dirty. Just like the top level of every sport. And frankly, who cares. We pay for entertainment, and they get paid handsomely. We got the highs of Lance's wins for entertainment, all the BS surrounding them, and now we get to enjoy watching him crash and burn. Best $100 i've ever given to Livestrong!!

Personally I don't care about the cheating, they all did it. I feel bad for the people he stepped on and ruined their lives. Those are the ones I hope get their chunk of his hide.

[sbw]

Originally Posted by Culley22

Personally I don't care about the cheating, they all did it. I feel bad for the people he stepped on and ruined their lives. Those are the ones I hope get their chunk of his hide.

Agreed, the cheating, albeit wrong, pales in comparison to the things he did to people...that is what I'd most like to see him punished for, hopefully financially.


Sent using Tapatalk

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Culley22

i think this whole ordeal is great. People build him up, ignoring the MANY that stood up and said that he was a cheat, and a bully. We made him who he is, so to see people upset by this makes me chuckle. The whole sport was/is dirty. Just like the top level of every sport. And frankly, who cares. We pay for entertainment, and they get paid handsomely. We got the highs of Lance's wins for entertainment, all the BS surrounding them, and now we get to enjoy watching him crash and burn. Best $100 i've ever given to Livestrong!!

Personally I don't care about the cheating, they all did it. I feel bad for the people he stepped on and ruined their lives. Those are the ones I hope get their chunk of his hide.

I also feel his treatment of others was more reprehensible. However he did this to cover up the fact that he cheated. So if he had he not been able to cheat he would not have had any reason to do what he had to other people.

People will cheat for any number of reasons. Cheating not only ruins the level playing field, it also creates these types of situations where people end up taking other more reprehensible actions to cover up what they are doing.

Unfortunately to prevent cheating you have to come up with ways to monitor people to make sure they are not cheating. In fact this is the main reason USADA is trying to get Lance to speak with them. They want to know how he did it, and who helped him do it. This information will help them to better determine what they need to do to prevent cheating from taking place in the future. The people who spoke with them so far may have recieved some punishment, but they certainly did not recieve near the punishment that Lance has recieved so far. In fact they said they would be willing to reduce his punishment, but he has to speak with them first.

So in my opinion you have a choice. Determine that it is appropriate not to have any rules, change the rules, or keep the ones we have. But the one thing you should never do is to accept cheating as some kind of norm.

[77T]

What we have seen in this instance (and similar examples of cheating in other pursuits whether sports, business or personal) is that character counts more than the offense.

Armstrong was never a very nice guy, period. He vaulted to the forefront of professional cycling and used banned methods. He was ruthless against all comers.

Had he been a more generous and forgiving soul, then he would not have harmed his accusers with personal attacks, lawsuits, etc. Had he remained silent but for his claim of "never been tested positive" many people would be more forgiving of his cycling transgressions.

Take other examples of cheaters you've known in the past - if they were nice people except for the violation then you were probably more forgiving.

[Kingair]

I did not read all the post but regarding Armstrong and his companion drivers . . . they knew what they did . . . it is as simple as that

If you see what is happening here in Europe . . . now Rasmussen admitted that he used doping . . .

The Spanish Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes . . . . on trial . . .

Many will follow . . . you'll see !

Even our oh so praised Eddy Merckx . . . he already used doping in the 70's . . . . and they caught him as well . . . but our Belgian King Boudewijn solved the problem at that time . . .

So if you ask me know what do you think about the professional cycling racers . . . :

HAGWe

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by 77T

What we have seen in this instance (and similar examples of cheating in other pursuits whether sports, business or personal) is that character counts more than the offense.

Armstrong was never a very nice guy, period. He vaulted to the forefront of professional cycling and used banned methods. He was ruthless against all comers.

Had he been a more generous and forgiving soul, then he would not have harmed his accusers with personal attacks, lawsuits, etc. Had he remained silent but for his claim of "never been tested positive" many people would be more forgiving of his cycling transgressions.

Take other examples of cheaters you've known in the past - if they were nice people except for the violation then you were probably more forgiving.

People are human, and humans make mistakes. Redemption is one thing, but accepting cheating and allowing it to continue is another thing entirely.

Currently there is a great incentive to cheat, especially in those fields were so much fame and money can be made.

However I think we've seen were cheating can have reprucussions other than just affecting the outcome of a particular game or games.

[Kingair]

It's so obvious . . . . if money is involved . . . so is cheating . . . unfortunately . . .

You all know what is happening in the Rolex world (and other watch brands) . . . how often do you see a watch that is modified . . . and not at all to lower the value of it . . .

HAGWe

[77T]

Certainly the cheating is unacceptable - what I'm referencing is the resentment many are expressing is closely tied to his prior ruthlessness in attacking accusers.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by 77T

Certainly the cheating is unacceptable - what I'm referencing is the resentment many are expressing is closely tied to his prior ruthlessness in attacking accusers.

Sorry.

I guess I was trying to make the point that in order to recieve redemption, one may actually have to recieve some sort of punishment commensurate with the crime.

[Vincent65]

The truth usually comes out... eventually. I'll wager he was not alone. Doesn't make it right, but we've seen it in athletics for decades, too. Whatever he loses is well deserved, despite the 'enhanced achievements' attained, and huge money for charity he raised. He's finished and he's blighted the sport. At least we have Bradley Wiggins!

[HRV]

Originally Posted by david_ord

Lance, like many who get caught, says "I made a mistake, and now I'm paying for it." I tend to disagree.

A mistake is when you drop a pie. Opps. A mistake is when you back you car into a fire hydrant. Opps.

When a man wakes up everyday for over a decade, and repeatedly and deliberately injects himself with cocktails of hormones and blood, these actions cannot be categorized as "a mistake." These actions are part of a life path that the individual has intentionally chosen.

[bewithabob]

No doubt, Lance Armstrong has told lies about his life for many years, beyond doping in cycling. Lies are a way of life for him. The scale of his deception is incomparable to anything we have ever seen.

He is clearly a narcissist, and a pathological liar with no moral compass, even going so far as suing those who told the truth, those who tried to hold themselves and him accountable. Piling one lie upon another, his apology is just another lie.

Notice in his interview with Oprah, that he continues to refer to himself as having 'won' the 7 Tours de France in which he knowingly and admittedly cheated. Clearly he is so deceptive that he has come to believe his own lies. Not only does he lie to others, he lies to himself. And he bullied those closest to him to lie for him.

I want to forgive him, because of the good that came from Livestrong, but do I believe he is genuinely sorry in his heart for lying? No!

[HRV]

A point I would like to add, did I think he was doping whilst I watched him "win" those tours? Yes I did think he was, did I care? No not really, if the officials let him continue, then who am I to say otherwise, I enjoyed the entertainment, as I still do today watching many different sports, I think a lot of top sports men and women.....enhance them selves

[Culley22]

Originally Posted by HRV

A point I would like to add, did I think he was doping whilst I watched him "win" those tours? Yes I did think he was, did I care? No not really, if the officials let him continue, then who am I to say otherwise, I enjoyed the entertainment, as I still do today watching many different sports, I think a lot of top sports men and women.....enhance them selves

Yuuuuuuup!!! Sports is NOW competition for ENTERTAINMENT. Just like everyone that LOVED Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire hitting all those homeruns. People KNEW they used Steroids, but the entertainment and publicity was great, so they let it go.

I say make ALL drugs legal. Get them high as a kite, and see who is willing to sell their soul (and potentially shorten their lives) for the quick buck. I realize people don't want this, as kids learn from this and eventually the trickle down is that High Schoolers and Junior High kids start to use PEDs. But i'm tired of "being mad" at an athlete for "cheating". It's ENTERTAINMENT, and that's all.