A Legacy Tarnished?

By Brice Kanehira

Throughout the past decade or so, when you thought of cycling, you thought of Lance Armstrong. He succeeded in popularizing a sport that may not have received as much attention otherwise. 

Armstrong was consistently questioned for his use of performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career, . He denied the accusations. 

In 2012, however, Armstrong experienced a fall from grace. A U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report went into extensive detail of indisputable evidence against Armstrong. Within a year, Armstrong was banned from the sport of cycling, stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and dropped by his sponsor, Nike. His own cancer foundation even had his name removed from them.

Armstrong used to be the face of the sport, winning seven consecutive Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005, an impressive feat given that cycling is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. Year after year, the world watched Armstrong in awe as he accomplished this extraordinary feat even after being diagnosed in 1996 with testicular cancer that had spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain. 

Armstrong's comeback was an inspirational one. His fight against cancer led to the start of his organization, the Livestrong Foundation, which provides millions of dollars towards cancer research and established the popular Livestrong program.

It's a bit difficult to fathom how one athlete could go from a cycling, cancer-fighting champion, to another athlete who cheated. 

The thing is, Armstrong isn't just any old athlete. It would be absurd to place him in the same category as athletes such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa or Marion Jones. Armstrong is the man that people fighting cancer everywhere looked up to and admired so fondly as a role model.

Armstrong made an emotional apology to the Livestrong Foundation, and did an interview with Oprah Winfrey, declaring that he had indeed used performance enhancing drugs during his seven Tour de France victories, a drastic change after a decade of denying such accusations. 

Should Armstrong's issues in cycling affect his image? It's easy to argue that Armstrong's use of PEDs was wrong. It would be easy to look down upon his mistakes. On the other hand, maybe Armstrong's faults shouldn't change the way he's perceived so drastically. Yes, Armstrong made the mistake of attempting to win at all costs, even if that meant cheating. However, that shouldn't take away the remarkable achievements he made in his fight against cancer. 

Armstrong's name may now be removed from any records he set as a cyclist, but there is little doubt that he will forever have an impact on millions of people, whether or not they are affected by cancer. 

Brice Kanehira is a freshman English major.