Winning At All Costs . . . . . . A Good Strategy?
Language
Reading Level
Listen to Article
Late last week, Lance Armstrong, the winner of seven consecutive titles (1999-2005) of the world's most grueling bike race - The Tour de France, finally confessed to something many people had suspected for years - The use of performance enhancing steroids during most of his storied career, to get an edge over his competitors.
What is even more disillusioning is that it was not just he but his entire team of 11 cyclists, that used the drugs, which were administered to them by the team's physicians with the full blessing and knowledge of the coach. And, it gets worse.
When Emma O'Reilly, the team's former masseuse tried to expose his secret, he bullied her into submission by filing a defamation lawsuit against her, for spreading vicious rumors.
When asked why he did not just come clean after the initial accusations, the athlete responded that he got caught up in his own legend - The superhero that had survived cancer and made an amazing comeback. Sadly enough over the years, he had managed to convince himself that he was not really doing anything wrong.
Even after all his former teammates testified against him to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which resulted in him being stripped of all his seven titles in October 2011 and a lifetime ban on competitive cycling, Armstrong kept asserting his innocence.
As to why he finally decided to come clean in a two-part interview with talk show host Oprah Winfrey on national television, is anyone's guess. The sad part is he is not the only prominent athlete to have done this - In 2007, US Olympic sprinter Marion Jones was stripped of all her five gold medals and banned from the track for 2 years. Earlier this year, former San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, was denied a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame because of suspicions that he too used steroids during his tenure with the team - An allegation that he still steadfastly denies - And, the list goes on and on.
While we all want to win and get famous the big question that comes to mind is that since when has sports become only about winning? What happened to sportsmanship, ethics and integrity? As sports journalist Grantland Rice succinctly put it 'It's not that you won or lost but how you played the game" - These role models certainly didn't play it the right way! Don't you agree?
Resources: cnn.com, abcnews.com
Cite Article
Learn Keywords in this Article
194 Comments
- DUDEabout 12 yearsDUDE THAT IS TOTALLY WRONG,DUDE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE CHEATED
- Bookwormabout 12 yearsI can't believe it! Do you know how many people look up to him and say "Mom, someday I want to like Lance." Now people are going to say "Isn't he the guy who cheated and totally ruin kid's dreams?" SHAME ON HIM!!!
- DUDEabout 12 yearsHe shouldn't have cheated DUDE,that is just WRONG!
- yusuf about 12 yearshey nicole i see that u did a comment CONGRAT
popstar134about 12 yearsI can't believe it, he was even in an episode of Arthur, ( My friend looked up to him ) shame apon thee, Lance, shame apon thee.... :(
cahill74about 12 yearsi loved watching arthur, i bet they removed the video after this happened
borntoplayabout 12 yearsI know, that was one of my favorite episodes!- popstar134about 12 yearsI'm really glad Dogo trusts us enough to write things like this..THANKS DOGO FOR SHOWING US THE REAL WORLD !! :D
- cahill74about 12 yearsi also think the coach should be fired and banned, and they should choose more honest, truthful coaches in the future
- cahill74about 12 yearsi think it is better to work hard than to cheat by using steroids. even the coach knew, so it isn't entirely his fault. it may have been peer pressure, i really wonder why people do this, i mean why would you win like seven titles or gold medals and then get them taken away from you. your whole career and reputation is ruined. lance armstrong used to be many people's role role models, now i am very disappointed and ashamed :( But, at least he admitted it and came clean there are many athletes you us steroids, and i hope one day they will become clean too and became truthful, honest people who don't try to aggrandize their reputation, career, and mostly who they are, their identity
isisabout 12 yearsI agree with Mrs. Barbeau - tufts (nice name:) ) and soccer star. It's so sad, thinking of all those people who looked at him as their role model, but what a bad role model he actually is. What type of role model 'encourages' their followers to take drugs? They're bad for you, and they're not a motivator. Like it says in the article, since when has sports been only about winning? What about sportsmanship, and just the satisfaction of having done the race?
Mrs. Barbeau-tuftsabout 12 yearsI think professional sports is uniquely based on fame and money. I was not surprised to hear Lance Armstrong's confession. It is too bad that he felt he needed to cheat to show his talent.- soccer starabout 12 yearswow so many people looked up to him and then they figured out he was using drugs!! that is sad