Lance Armstrong wants forgiveness for doping scandal: ‘I won those races’

[mjw]

Lance Armstrong appears in a gigantic feature in the August issue of Esquire. The piece is called “Lance in Purgatory,” which implies he’ll be climbing out of the punishment zone soon. Will he? Esquire visited Lance’s current Hawaiian home. It’s a borrowed mansion (loaned by a wealthy friend) with six garages and a lush wine cellar. Lance still has his magnificent art collection, and he spends his days playing golf and making special margaritas called Lanceritas.


Esquire feels sorry for Lance because he lost $150 millionish after his doping [scandal. They paint a huge story about what upsets Lance the most, which is that his memory has been erased in the fight against cancer. I can see why that would sting. Lance is a cancer survivor, and he built the Livestrong foundation[that has helped millions of people. They ousted him because his reputation was trashed, but I don’t blame Livestrong for wanting nothing to do with him.


Lance is still convinced that he didn’t do anything wrong when he came out of retirement for the 2009 ]Tour de France. He says he was clean then, and so was everyone else. He says that everyone used to dope, so punishing him is ridiculous. Last January, Lance went on an “admission” tour. He confessed to doping to Oprah and to Livestrong employees. I think he expected instant forgiveness, which didn’t happen. Now he’s raging to Esquire. Lance says he won his titles fair and square, and he should be allowed to compete at something:


He can’t even compete in a local swim meet: “Anything I try to do, any sport, even archery and volleyball, I can’t do it.”


He’s sorry for being an a-hole: He’s sorry, he swears, for the lies and the bullying and the lawsuits against journalists. “It was indefensible. Pure hubris.” But he’s not going to be a hypocrite, either. The doping charges were bullsh-t. “Nobody has stepped forward and said, ‘I really won those races.’ They didn’t award those jerseys to somebody else. I won those races.”


His friends are worried about him: “He may think he’s not going through a terrible time. But he’s going through a terrible time.”


How does he deal? “I go Zen as much as I can.”


Lance is still very angry: Did Nelson Mandela really forgive the people who put him in prison for twenty-seven years, he asks, or did he just say that for public consumption? “People are fine that Michael Jordan was a jerk, they’re fine if Wayne Gretzky was a jerk, but they weren’t fine with me being an a-hole. They expected that perfect story.”


He didn’t have transfusions of his own blood in 2009? “Bullsh-t. They’ll find out someday, ’cause they’ll perfect that transfusion test. And I’ll be the first guy to say ‘Use it.’”


His punishment: “I haven’t paid a price? Okay. I mean, I can’t talk about the price I’ve paid. That doesn’t do me any good.” I can’t talk about any legal stuff.”


He “resigned” from Livestrong: “It was clear that I was gonna be forced out, so yeah, I fired off a humdinger.”


Will he tell his kids what happened? “No. No. I’m not gonna share conversations with my children. No way.”


He’s confused: “Maybe this is a lesson for me. I mean, there’s so much in tone and reaction and reaction time and I can imagine–I mean, f—, for twenty years it probably really put people on their heels, and probably still does. I like to think it’s mellower now, but maybe not.”


He feels trapped: “Don’t we all, when our backs are against the wall, try to push back or fight or control certain things? But this is so far gone, I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I can’t control what’s gonna happen. It’s beyond my control.” He stops. “Now I’m whining.”


He can’t take the exile anymore: “If I’m still playing golf five days a week at fifty, my head will explode.”



[From Esquire]


Lance dislikes that he must earn random paychecks by traveling to “man camps” where he bikes with attendees in an informal setting. Lance would like to return to Livestrong, and he wants to be able to make a living] at competition.


Do you feel sorry for Lance? He’s not destitute. Esquire admits that Lance still owns homes in Aspen and Austin. I know he’s still pulling in money from Honeystinger (his face is still all over the boxes) and god knows what else. Lance feels like he was singled out and punished as an example to other athletes. Maybe so, but he still cheated like crazy.

Cele|bitchy | Lance Armstrong wants forgiveness for doping scandal: ‘I won those races’

[gas_chick]

I just find this whole scandal ridiculous. Good luck finding someone that is not doping in this sport and in any other these days.

[czb]

^^^ exactly.

as for livestrong, did they actually help people? or was the reason for the foundation to raise awareness? or something else?

[gas_chick]

I thought portions of the money made went to cancer research or something along those lines.

[KrisNine]

Yeah, if everyone in cycling is doping, doesn't it just level the field??? Ya know, who dopes more/better?

[MsDark]

It's difficult to feel sympathy for such a douchebag.

[czb]

I thought portions of the money made went to cancer research or something along those lines.

hmmm. but who does research? pharma/biotech who make money developing drugs, or universities who make money selling technology to pharma/biotech? this the reason why i only give to charities who help patients (eg, give counseling, deliver meals, etc).

[HWBL]

Lance Armstrong wants forgiveness for doping scandal: ‘I won those races’

You can't always get what you want......

He made his bed, he should get into it and remain very quiet. Asshat. It's not just that he did the doping. He lied, he threatened and bullied and so on and so forth. He's despicable. Yeah, great, he came back from cancer. That made him an example. But he wasn't really what he claimed to be, so bear the consequences.

[lindsaywhit]

[IMG
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Meh - I think he deserves a permanent place in the "It's not my fault, everyone does it, stop being so mean to me, I didn't do anything wrong, I SAID I WAS SORRY!!!" club. Other lifetime achievement members include Chris Brown, Leann Times, and Lohan.

[gas_chick]

czb-this is what is says on Wiki:

The Livestrong Foundation states that its mission is 'to inspire and empower' cancer survivors and their families.^[2] The foundation also aims to provide support to guide people through the cancer experience.^[4] As of 2005, the foundation began phasing out its support of cancer research, and as of 2010, it no longer accepted research proposals.^[5]
In 2008, Demand Media reached an agreement with the Livestrong Foundation to use the Livestrong name to create a spin-off website, Livestrong.com (unconnected to Livestrong.org), a commercial health and wellness site, supported by advertisers. Demand Media hired Armstrong as a spokesman.^[5][6]
The foundation was a title sponsor of Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City's home stadium from March 2011 to January 2013, when the naming agreement was terminated after Armstrong admitted that he used performance-enhancing drugs.^[7]

[ManxMouse]

hmmm. but who does research? pharma/biotech who make money developing drugs, or universities who make money selling technology to pharma/biotech? this the reason why i only give to charities who help patients (eg, give counseling, deliver meals, etc).

Actually, that's exactly what Livestrong does. It's about helping cancer patients navigate the system of accessing treatment, and then helping them cope post-treatment and into recovery. Not so much research, I don't think. ETA: gas_chick covered it, I missed that as I was posting.

And HWBL is right, Lance's downfall is not so much the doping itself, it's that everyone wanted to out him because he IS such an asshole, and bullied, threatened, lied continuously and convincingly, and intimidated throughout his career. A really vindictive, selfish person, he even screwed over his own wife with whom he'd had 3 kids by spreading a false rumor she'd cheated on him with a certain guy when in fact, he basically dumped her without ever telling her why. And then, there's the good he did with regard to cancer patients, so he becomes a complicated person who's not 100% evil or self-motivated. The article is actually interesting. There's a mischaracterization though, he did in fact tell his kids he lied and cheated, it's just that he refused to share the specific conversations with Esquire.

[czb]

gas_chick - thanks for posting that.

i only know of livestrong as a wellness site that makes $$$ from advertising. it's good that they do something to support cancer patients.

and yeah, lance is an asshole but i agree with manx, not entirely evil. he is complicated.

[tulip]

I just find this whole scandal ridiculous. Good luck finding someone that is not doping in this sport and in any other these days.

The fact that everyone does it doesn't make it right, IMO. It kind of makes me sick that we've come to the point where winning by any means is acceptable.

[rollo]

^ Only in his eyes and for him I guess. He's not suggesting that everyone else who lied and cheated their way through sport (or elsewhere) should be forgiven, is he?

[gas_chick]

The fact that everyone does it doesn't make it right, IMO. It kind of makes me sick that we've come to the point where winning by any means is acceptable.

It's what they have to do in order to perform the way the public wants. It's not like it is new.