To say I was disappointed when I watched Lance Armstrong admit to Oprah Winfrey that he took performance-enhancing drugs in all of his seven Tour de France victories is an understatement.
Words like “heartbroken” and “devastated” still can’t accurately describe what I felt when I first heard Armstrong admit to doping. After having a few weeks to ruminate on the matter though, I must confess that I have forgiven Lance Armstrong.
Forgiveness for participating in what the United States Anti-Doping Agency [USADA] called one of “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program[s] that sport has ever seen” must come at a cost.
I do agree with the USADA and the International Cycling Union [UCI] in their decision to strip Armstrong of all of his seven Tour de France victories. Any athlete, be it a cyclist or a professional baseball player, who knowingly takes performance-enhancing drugs to gain an “advantage” over others, should have their wins vacated.
I also agree with the USADA and the UCI that Armstrong should be banned from the sport, though I disagree strongly with their length of his ban.
The USADA’s decision to ban Armstrong for life from participating in marathons, triathlons and cycling events is completely unprecedented and unnecessary.
Alberto Contador, a Spanish cyclist who was convicted of doping in his 2010 Tour de France victory, was given a two-year ban from the sport.
Floyd Landis, an American cyclist who was also convicted of doping in his 2006 Tour de France victory, was given a two-year ban.
If the USADA and the UCI are to act in conjuncture with previous rulings and precedence, then the maximum period that Armstrong should be banned is 14 years, two years for each of his seven stripped titles.
Since the USADA did not suggest a 14-year ban, or one anywhere close to that number, I still feel that Armstrong is the subject of a witch-hunt.
The fact that Armstrong lied for years and went on the offensive against other cyclists is abhorrent and blatantly hypocritical.
At the end of the day, however, I must forgive Armstrong for his shortcomings.
Despite lying and cheating in order to win races, Armstrong helped inspire a generation of kids to get active and motivate cancer patients to fight against their disease.
Armstrong was not the first to dope in his sport nor will he be the last.
He was also not the first ever public figure to take PEDs nor will he be the last.
Forgiveness doesn’t give someone’s past a clean slate. It merely acknowledges that a person’s life should not be defined solely by his or her mistakes.
Shane Newell is a sophomore journalism major and an assistant city editor for the Daily 49er.