PEDs are PEDs

Two-time cancer survivor, seven-time Tour de France winner and number one criminal in one of the largest and most advanced performance enhancing drug (PED) scandals in sports history. Sure, Lance Armstrong has done some amazing things on the seat of a bike, but the fact is, “athletes,” who degrade sports by using PEDs are criminals, and shouldn't be let off the hook easily. Lance Armstrong, especially, shouldn't be given any sympathy.

When Lance initially “admitted,” to doping in August, he didn't actually admit to anything. He decided to stop fighting the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USDA), still preaching his innocence. With his decision to no longer fight the charges being set forth by the USDA, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from elite sports competition for life.

To back their arguments, the USDA then released thousands of pages of research into Armstrong’s doping, including affidavits from other riders, which incriminated the rider beyond repair. His major sponsors, including Nike and the now re-named Livestrong Foundation, dropped him within the month.

Now, nearly five months after his long fall from grace, Lance Armstrong is ready to admit to doping. Armstrong decided to speak with Oprah and sources say the former professional cyclist admits to taking PEDs. Though some may find this normal, sources, such as the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), believe that Armstrong’s motives are just as dirty as his track record.

The 41-year-old has made it clear he wants to compete in Triathlons. He is even going as far as saying this is his only way to make money. The WSJ alludes to Armstrong trying to gain redemption from USDA director Travis Tygart, and after being shutdown, stating, “You don’t hold the keys to my redemption.”

What makes this scenario so bizarre is the complexity and layers of each move Armstrong makes. With Lance having fought for over a decade to prove he wasn’t doping, he not only put himself and everyone around him in a bad spot, he also finds himself at the butt of possible criminal charges. One of the bigger pieces in this mess is that if Lance does in fact admit to doping, close friend and former director of the U.S. Postal Service team, Johan Bruyneel, will take a large hit for backing Lance’s decision to fight the USDA’s legal allegations. Lance’s trail of destruction goes far beyond personal defamation.

As an avid sports fan, former NCAA athlete and a hobby road racer, I’m under the firm belief that dopers should burn. Lance has done some great things in his past, with the most important being the amount of money he’s raised with the Livestrong Foundation. Regardless, Lance has also singlehandedly thrown the sport of cycling under the bus and led the largest doping scandal in history. Doping adulterates sports. Those who chose to cheat shouldn't be given second chances.

I know circumstances can be varied, but facts are facts. Every athlete knows what PEDs are and that they taint your legacy. Lance deserves to be stripped of his titles, to be banned from elite competition for life and to have to feel the full ramifications of his actions over the past decade. I personally hope that this interview shows Armstrong’s true colors; the colors that paint lies and deceit.  

Image courtesy of Big Think