Lance Armstrong - Famous or Infamous?

Today, we learned that legendary cyclist Lance Armstrong will be stripped of his seven Tour de France titles as well as receiving a lifetime ban from the Olympics. This comes after Armstrong announced his decision to stop fighting the doping accusations brought against him by the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency). Armstrong has consistently denied any doping allegations. He has called the USADA's process "one-sided and unfair" and announced that he is "finished with this nonsense". Earlier this week, Armstrong lost a legal bid to stop the USADA's probe.

Admittedly, I'm not a fan of cycling. But Lance Armstrong is a guy who seemed larger than life. Coming back from a very serious bout with cancer and winning the Tour de France seemed surreal. You couldn't write a script better than that. Armstrong seemed to be living proof that if you work hard and never give up, anything is possible. 

So, now that Armstrong has decided against fighting the doping allegations, it leads many to believe that he is indeed guilty of the charges. If the charges are not true, people naturally expect the guy, who has a history of fighting back, to stay in the fight until the final round.

Will Lance Armstrong become another name in the growing list of "cheaters" in professional sports? Will all of the great things that he accomplished in life be forever overshadowed by the doping scandal? Can he still remain a role model to some degree? And how will Armstrong's charity work, if at all, be affected? 

The Lance Armstrong Foundation, founded by the cyclist in 1997, has dome some tremendous good for people stricken with cancer. The foundation raises a lot of money for cancer research in United States. It has generated over $300 million from the sale of the yellow Livestrong bracelets alone. No matter what becomes  of the cycling decision, the great work that Armstrong has done for cancer research can't be ignored.

So......

Do you think that any or all of the doping accusations are true? Or do you believe, as Armstrong himself has said, that this nothing more than a witch hunt by the USADA?

Nonetheless, Armstrong is a guy that almost everyone was pulling for. We all love to see someone battle adversity and ultimately come out victorious. None of us like the disappointment of learning that one of our heroes may actually be a fraud. Although all the pieces initially seemed in place, it sure doesn't seem like this one is going to have that story book ending that we all hoped for....

kw