LANCE ARMSTRONG - THE MYTHTAKE?

The CEO of the United States Anti - Doping Agency, (USADA), Travia Tygart, in an interview on Sixty Minutes on January 27, 2012, stated that Armstrong lied in the recent Oprah - Armstrong interview. In that Oprah interview Armstrong supposedly told all and confessed to his all his “sins”. Predictably Armstrong refused the USADA offer to testify under oath by February 20, 2012.  Armstrong now faces a life long ban in every sport. This is the latest chapter in an ongoing saga that has lasted 15 years. Armstrong responded to the USADA offer by beginning to put himself in the victim role.

Tygart’s allegations and ultimatum makes one wonder, yet again, what was the point of the Lance – Oprah “confessional”.

THE MYTHTAKE

Lance Armstrong was an icon, a beacon, a giant and the most remarkable sportsman of the past two decades.  He also elevated a little known sport, cycling, into the subject of daily discussion and a whole channel was devoted to watching The Tour de France - the equivalent in cycling of the Super bowl in American Football, The World Cup in Soccer, Wimbledon in Tennis, The Masters in Golf. Except who cared about cycling till Lance came along.

The Tour De France is a spectacle over 23 days. It is also considered sports most demanding test of stamina with a route that varies, but essentially traverses the whole of France. It includes passages over two mountain chains, the Pyrenees and the Alps. The experience is considered the equivalent of climbing the highest mountains. The winner usually is the rider who performs best in the mountain stages and here “our man” Lance always came out tops. Believe it or not cycling is a team sport. Each team consists of 9 riders. The latter ride according to a plan whose objective is to see to it that their man, i.e. Lance, has the most favorable chance of winning.

Lance won The Tour for seven consecutive years between 1999 and 2005. These feats being achieved after having being diagnosed and treated for testicular cancer with metastases in the brain and lung in 1996.The successful treatment included chemotherapy as well as surgery to the brain. Armstrong then started his own Cancer Foundation that has grown and grown. His Foundation has literally raised hundreds of millions of dollars. Armstrong also has actively encouraged other celebrities to be involved in charitable causes. All this is the stuff that legends are made of. 

So where did it all go wrong?

ALLEGATIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS OF DOPING UP TO 2009

Allegations of doping have dogged Armstrong from the beginning of his career. The first accusation in 1995 and then followed the first major documented expose that was published in a book, “La Confidential- Les secrets de Lance Armstrong”. Excerpts were published in the UK Sunday Times. Armstrong responded aggressively as he had done previously - with righteous indignation, denials, smears and litigation. The court ruled in Armstrong favor and apologies and damages followed. This was a pattern that would follow again and again. He would successfully sue close associates, colleagues and employees, who under oath revealed his doping and the organization of large scale doping of his team members. Where there were positive doping tests, as there was in 2005 his successful legal challenges won the day. Where there were accusations of bribery these were vigorously denied. He donated $100,000 to the International Cycling Agency, who graciously accepted and who allegedly was covering up for him. He also attempted to donate $100,000 to USADA who unceremoniously refused the “donation” and who ultimately nailed him.

Armstrong intimidated those who testified against him and threatened them with elimination from the sport, according to the USADA report. The CEO of USADA maintained that he, personally, had been threatened with death.

The initial USADA report gave graphic first person details of the doping and Lance’s organization of doping the whole team. Those that resisted were axed from the team. His fellow cyclists were terrified of him as he controlled the whole show. If you crossed him that was the end of your cycling career.

However, up to 2012 a defiant Armstrong extracted apologies and money from those who accused him. He unashamedly humiliated and even sued his closest associates whether they were team members or masseuses.

USADA INVESTGATION AND FINDINGS 2011 - 2012

However evidence was beginning to become overwhelming. A 2010 to 2012 Federal Criminal investigation was surprisingly dropped with no charges. Armstrong was not as fortunate with a United States Anti–Doping Agency, (USADA), who started their investigation in 2011. The USADA investigated allegations from 1995.

Armstrong did all in his power to get the Courts to intervene to stop the USDA but to no avail. He labeled the charges “heinous and outlandish. He continued,” There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.'" He would not appeal anything. Everyone knew that this was a witch-hunt. Everyone knew that he won his races fair and square”.

But the USADA findings, were far reaching, unequivocal and copiously documented. Several of his teammates and other cyclists also gave sworn testimony against him. All other cycling and athletic bodies stripped him of his titles. He was unable to ever compete again in anything. Defiant to the end he appeared in photographs with 9 Tour de France yellow jerseys in the background.

The USADA placed bans on others also involved in what they categorized as, “The most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport had ever seen”. The doping of the US Postal Team was subsidized by millions of taxpayer dollars.

OPRAH INTERVIEW – WHY?

And along came Oprah. All of a sudden he would ‘fess up after his lawyer had called the USADA investigation a “hatchet job”. Why Armstrong would confess the Lord and he only knew and not necessarily in that order. His lawyers would have told him to shut up. He stood on the cusp of endless civil and possible criminal charges. But Jay H. Ell’s guess is that Armstrong is a man who doesn’t listen to too many people.

So “confess”, after a fashion, he did but the old arrogance, the old coldness, the old callousness and indifference were still there. There was no remorse. He could not remember how many people he sued, how many lives he had wrecked. He admitted he was a bully. He was a serial liar… There was often an incongruent smirk on his face as he replied to Oprah.

There was one piece of evidence in mitigation. Doping was the culture at the time and he had evened the playing field. He almost negated his only exculpatory evidence by saying he would not have won all those jerseys without all that systematic doping.

THE POINT OF ALL?

So what purpose did this “confession” serve?

Well there was plenty in it for Oprah and her failing network. She was her usual polished self and reminded one why she was able to dominate the talk show circuit for all those years. Her interview was seen by well over 30 million worldwide.

The victims could have gained some vindication from their experience of crossing this colossus. The devastation that he had caused and the years of misery that had resulted could not really be compensated but this was far better than nothing.

The cycling and athletic bodies as well as the anti doping bodies would get a chance to clean up their acts. Maybe they will create some type of level playing field.

Society gained plenty in that, however, powerful one might be, and on the odd occasion there is accountability and exposure. Jay H. Ell would like to believe that the explosive information revolution especially in the form of the Internet makes it harder to escape the glare of the cold reality and truth.

BUT LANCE?

But there was naught for Lance’s comfort even if he did not have the insight to realize it. His sociopathic behavior was there for all to see. He should have got the message in 1995 when he first got away with it. However, consistent with sociopathic behavior he did not learn from the past. He carried on and on.

Omnipotent from the word go maybe he feels, that now that he has told everyone what he or she already knew, he could start again. This giant ego believes he can conquer new fields and bowl everybody over again.

However, he has not really got past the first step of the equivalent of Alcoholic Anonymous. Lance has got a long, long way to go. But notwithstanding the circumstances of his confession it is certainly better than nothing or his endless denials and destruction of others.

Most importantly for Lance is that the USADA are singularly unimpressed with his performance on the Oprah show. They believe it just adds to his ongoing charade of deceit and lies.

So rather than bring closure Lance has merely added to his indictment sheet and kept the momentum going to expose and litigate against him. There was no way that he would have appeared before the USADA, under oath, with that volume of testimony against him. He must wish that he had given Oprah a miss and rather faded away. But that would not be consistent with the sociopathic behavior that got him to this mess to start with. One wonders where all this will end. The civil litigation and Whistleblowers’ actions will keep Lance in the news forever. Jay H. Ell believes that Lance has chosen a path that will not allow for redemption. His end is the same of O. J, Simpson’s – lifelong ignominy.

Hopefully what has happened to Lance will deter others, who, whatever their evil inclinations are, must realize they still have choice. Jay H. Ell knows that that is a fat hope but if it deters just one person then the effort of exposing him will have been worth it.

At least Lance’s Cancer Foundation is continuing – even without him.