If someone asked me whether an athlete who used performance enhancing drugs deserved to lose all titles and sponsorships he has ever earned, I would say yes. What if this athlete was Lance Armstrong though?
Lance Armstrong, the cancer survivor and seven-time winner of the Tour de France, has recently been dropped from his sponsor Nike, as well as many others, and was just stripped of all seven of his Tour titles and banned from racing by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale).
When professional athletes are caught doing something disgraceful, it is not uncommon for them to be dropped from sponsors and gain a negative image. This was the case when football player Michael Vick was dropped from Nike after being charged with illegal dog fighting in 2007.
What makes it different in Armstrong’s case? It would probably be easiest to sum it up in one word; Livestrong.
Lance Armstrong survived brain, lung and testicular cancer and went on to win the esteemed Tour de France a record-setting seven times. He is seen as a symbol of perseverance and hope by those afflicted with cancer.
Armstrong created the Livestrong foundation as a cancer research organization and has donated hundreds of millions of dollars towards the cause.
Is it right to completely abandon any and all positive views of this symbolic man who brought hope to so many people? For someone who has helped and inspired so many, it seems very unfair to completely dismantle his image.
I strongly believe that athletes should not use doping techniques to advance in their respective sports, at all. If it is determined that they are doing this, they should and must suffer the consequences. If a sponsor drops them, so be it.
However, in Armstrong’s case, to strip him of all his titles, to associate his name with infamy, and to disgrace his name completely is excessive. He has been a symbol of hope and has done so much good for so many people he at least deserves to come out of this disappointing ordeal with some sense of dignity.
It is recognized even by Armstrong that his actions were wrong. However his motives were still benevolent. Armstrong resigned as the chair of Livestrong so the foundation’s name was not tarnished, and even sponsors, who dropped him, still fund his organization.
Gaston Gaudio was the formerly 44th ranked tennis player in the world and winner of the French Open and Grand Slam titles. Barry Bonds was an all-star of the MLB and player for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants until 2007. Both doped.
Unfortunately, doping and the use of performance enhancing drugs are very common in professional sports. Why is Armstrong coming under so much more criticism than so many other famous athletes who used performance enhancers?
It is never right for any athlete to cheat and dope their way into success. There are no excuses. But to entirely pull them into malignance and their career goals out from under them, especially in Armstrong’s case, is not right.
If you walk up to any person on the street and mention the name “Lance Armstrong” they will probably know who you are talking about. If you show someone the iconic yellow Livestrong bracelet you wear on your wrist, they will probably know what it is.
Lance Armstrong and his charitable influence permeate our society to a massive degree. Even someone who is not even familiar with Armstrong’s cycling career, or cycling in general, will probably be aware of his massive efforts to help those afflicted with the terrible disease.
When an athlete is dropped from a major sponsor like Nike or loses seven Tour de France victory titles, you know that they must have done something pretty bad. Lance Armstrong disappointed and let down countless people who found inspiration in him.
The key here is deciding if the good outweighs the bad. In the case of Lance Armstrong, the man in yellow who has given so many people the strength to fight on, I believe that he has done at least seven times as much good as bad.
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