Schadenfreudian Slip

In evidence for an old post. USADA's report on Lance Armstrong was released to the public today: http://cyclinginvestigation.usada.org/

Canada's Michael Berry admits to doping under the Lance Regime and Cycling Records are for ever changed. Will what replaces it be better or worse remains to be seen

Everybody loves a good downfall. It’s a very ugly part of our nature which most of us would like to deny, but the fact that there are more “reality” TV shows and gossip column, blogs, etc than sitcoms suggests it is our new favourite past time. Well, not that new, mythology is filled with stories of the mighty and oh how low they fall.

I am not proud to confess that I share this very problematic characteristic, but for YEARS I have been rooting for the plunge of America’s favourite cyclist, Mr. Lance Armstrong.  I cannot even tell you how or why my dislike for him was born, only that I devoted much time to it. I have done more research about him than I have the riders I adore. I have been waiting, wishing, dreaming of the day he got caught. Now there is an FDA probe into his career and I find myself doing a reversal of hope.

No, I am not becoming a Lance lover, by any means, but I must come to terms with the fact that if I were to hate every boisterous, successful person who would do anything to guarantee their own security, I’d have to turn to the hermetic life. 

My flip-flop is not based on ethics or humanity, just a hard look at my own make up. I still can’t reconcile why it is I so intensely disliked this man I had never met. After all, two of my favourite cyclists of all time have been caught doping.  Look at any person great at anything and you will see someone with intense focus, drive, introspection and commitment to their craft – in short, a very selfish person. Did I hate Lance because I couldn’t be him, did I hate him because I saw some of myself in him? Or did I just need a scapegoat for pent up aggression? Whatever the reason, I know that his downfall will not be good for the sport I love so much, it will not be good for cancer research or the hope of cancer patients and it will do nothing to further the psyche of humanity.

Maybe, just maybe, instead of tearing down false idols, we should stop turning mere mortals into them. Who knows, without all the adoration, scrutiny and pressure, they may grow into the kind of person we would all want to become.