Why Lance Armstrong is Still a Hero

The world stood in shock as after nearly two decades of outright denial, cycling legend Lance Armstrong admitted to doping his way to wealth and glory. His confession has sent waves of hatred and disappointment, and tarnished his reputation as a champion sportsman, the world over. Worse than the fact that he cheated is not only how stubbornly he denied allegations, but how he ridiculed and sued his accusers all in an attempt to protect his lies. Yet as deceptive and immoral a man as he is, I will forever see him as a hero.

In the early stages of his cycling career, Lance was diagnosed with testicular cancer, but against all odds of survival, he beat back the cancer, albeit at the loss of one of his testes, and made his return to professional cycling. To win the Tour de France, the biggest cycling competition in the world, requires a huge amount of courage, determination, and willpower. That he was able to win it not once, not twice, but seven times in a row seemed too good to be true at the time, and indeed it turned out to be just that. But Lance’s success story taught me that even when the odds are stacked against you, if you are determined and never give in, you can achieve anything, and no drugs can provide you with those traits. The fact that I have twice the number of testicles as this man only makes his feats more remarkable.

Not wanting anybody else to suffer as he did, Lance then went on to form the Livestrong Foundation which, since its establishment, has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer research. Cancer sufferers all over the world looked to him as their role model, and his story served as an inspiration for them to plough on through their difficulties. He has had a positive influence on millions of lives and nothing can take that away from him.

Now that he has been exposed for cheating, and stripped of his Tour de France titles and his Olympic Gold medal, he is seen as a disgrace to the sport that he holds so dear to his heart.

But what if he hadn't taken any performance-enhancing substances, and not achieved all that he did? Would I have even taken an interest in cycling? Would the Livestrong Foundation have had the same impact that it has had? Part of its immense popularity was Armstrong’s celebrity status, and had he not been as famous and revered as he was, I don’t think Livestrong would have picked up even half the support that it acquired over the years.

So in a way, Lance Armstrong can be seen as the cancerous Robin Hood of the modern era, stealing from the rich, and assisting those suffering from the incurable disease that is cancer. In the end it comes down to what matters more. Yes, Lance cheated his way to millions. Yes, he has brought utter disgrace to the sport of cycling. Yes, he was a narcissistic bully who would do anything to achieve what he wanted to achieve.

But one thing that cannot be disputed is that this courageous man has done more good in his life so far than many people could even dream of doing in a hundred lifetimes. 

And to me, this makes his doping scandal pale in significance.