So Lance Armstrong Admits He Cheated...
Tell me something that I didn't already know. Maybe it's because I was a professional athlete in track and field for 10 years that I've pretty much heard and seen it all, this doesn't surprise me. In track, there has been plenty of athletes that have cheated and got caught. Most of the time, you hear the same story: I wasn't really cheating, the playing field wasn't level, other people were cheating too, its not cheating if everyone else is doing it. (This is the best one for me) Its only cheating if you get caught. HAHAHA! That one always makes me laugh.
I like Oprah a lot. I think she does a tremendous amount of good trying to help people out while interviewing them. However, what I do not like about her is the fact that she seems to worry about trying to help the guilty get their lives back on track. What about the people who were cheated? What about the silver medalist who finds out 8 years later that he or she should have won gold? What about that 4th place finisher at the Olympic games that should have had a medal? What about the person who missed making the Olympic team by one spot to someone that cheated? They should have been able to say, "I'm an Olympian" but will never be able to? The experience is forever gone and can never be relived. Is it possible to hear those peoples story? Seriously Oprah, if you want the world to feel sorry for someone, lets feel sorry for someone that truly deserves it.
OK...Now for more on Lance. You beat Cancer and that's great. I have lost 2 family members to Cancer that I wish were still here. You did a lot for Cancer research which I thought was great. Fact still remains though...You were able to do all these things because you cheated! Honestly, I don't see anything different in you and Nino Brown in New Jack City. Nino was a drug dealer breaking the law to make money, gave back to the community, but was doing more harm than good. You cheated to make money, gave money to research for Cancer and you have forever tarnished the sport of Cycling. Like I said, I see no difference in the comparison.
Now let me connect some dots that some people probably dont want to, won't or can't. Just to make you go hmm...
Lance Armstrong was the "BEST" in the world and was paid millions for his performances. Who's to say that this doesn't happen more so in other sports. Let's go back to track. In the 2000 Olympic games it was proven that 4 of the 6 people who ran on the men's 4x400 that won gold that year had used performance enhancing drugs. Jerome Young, twin brothers Alvin & Calvin Harrison and my former coach Antonio Pettigrew. Lance Armstrong said he cheated and it was a level playing field, so he didn't feel bad. OK, so in 2000 who was the best in the 400m event? Who won the gold medal that year? Is it possible for one man to be the absolute best in the world without having to cheat, but four other individuals feeling they had to cheat just to keep up or try to keep up with the best in the world? Yeah, go ahead and ponder on that for a few... Michael *cough cough* Johnson.
I'm one of those athletes that have been cheated. I know I have been because I know what a cheater looks like, acts like and performs like. I don't need a failed test or a confession. I know what it feels like for someone that's not clean to run by you while you are slowly starting to fatigue. Its almost confusing yet unimaginable!
So who do you feel sorry for? It's not a question to feel sorry for the clean athletes who missed out, that should be a given. Do you feel sorry for the people who are cheating and living the glamorous life? How about the people that have been cheated? What about the low self-esteem people who feel tired of losing to cheaters so they start cheating? Maybe even the people that are told from the beginning of their careers that cheating is what goes on so its what you need to do? Or do you feel sorry for the person who cheated, got caught and lost everything?
Drug use in sports is across the board in all sports unfortunately. It's the way people make the kind of money that will allow them to never have another worry in life...that is, if you don't get caught. Do I totally blame the athletes, no. I put a lot of the blame on sponsors and coaches. Don't tell me Nike didn't know or at least have an idea as to what Lance Armstrong was doing. Here is a fact from me - I know how hard it is to fight for a few "thousand dollars" from Nike and you mean to tell me that Lance won some races and they gave him "millions" for it?! Yeah...OK.
Open your eyes and ears people. Its the same recycled story once again. Characters in the story are the only thing that's changing. When you realize that, you will understand more clearly what some of these sports are really about - $
