Chapter 7: "Livewrong" - Poor Lance. Poor, poor Lance.

Lance Armstrong has been in the news lately. Every single day there are dozens of articles written and released chronicling this once-great superstar's fall from grace.

He's stepped down from his position at the helm of Livestrong. (despite staying as a board member)

He's had all 7 Tour de France titles stripped from him.

Every former teammate has turned on him, contributing to a report with allegedly indisputable evidence of Armstrong doping.

Yet, he retains his innocence.

There's something to be said of that.

I started this whole fiasco carrying a pitchfork and a torch, too. I was the first person to tweet and retweet old quotes from Lance where he replied to his critics with a seemingly ironic and hilarious complete lack of self-awareness. Here's one gem:

“To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles. This is a great sporting event and hard work wins it."

Additionally, a quick Google search of Lance Armstrong Quotes brings up some Hilarious Results, given the context.

“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.”

I guess he means it. He doesn't seem like he's going to quit claiming he's innocent any time soon.

“Winning is about heart, not just legs. It's got to be in the right place.”


Yes, but if your legs are pumped full of chemicals that don't let them feel tired, I bet that can help.

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It's easy for anyone to sit back and say what a terrible person he is, that he's a cheater, a liar, an egomaniac, etc, the list of critiques can go on forever.

But let's not forget, he didn't fail a test. He didn't officially get caught cheating. He was participating within the rules of the sport he excelled in.

Remember the badminton teams during the 2012 summer Olympics that were disqualified for 'throwing' matches? This fiasco is similar to that fiasco in the sense that both parties were only doing everything they possibly could within the rules, to guarantee themselves the best possible chance of winning. Yes, it's 'against the spirit of the games' and yes it's 'frowned upon', but they didn't break any rules.

How can you fault someone for wanting to win at any cost, as long as he or she doesn't break any rules?

Did Armstrong really do anything different?

Ice-T famously said "don't hate the playa, hate the game."

I can't help but agree.

                                                                                        -NxB

Playing: Nothing. NO TIME FOR VIDEO GAMES AHHHHH

Watching:  Walking Dead Season 3

Listening to:  Killswitch Engage - Holy Diver