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From Divine Hero to Antihero; The Divided Life of Lance Armstrong
by
Jason Thorpe
201102759
A Final Research Analysis presented to C. Weaving
In Qualitative Research Methods
Department of Human Kinetics
St. Francis Xavier University
April 11th 2014
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Abstract
The research presented in this paper examines one of the most controversial athletes of all time;
Lance Armstrong. By analyzing qualitative data I wanted to determine if Armstrong deserves to
be considered a role model in today’s society. A cancer survivor, Tour de France champion and
innovator of Livestrong are highlights on Armstrongs resume. In 2013 after years of defiantly
denying allegations of doping Armstrong admitted to his wrongs on Ophrah Winfrey. The man
that most individuals believed to be the perfect human was actually far from. Using a
philosophical approach to examine articles and interviews pertaining to Armstrong it was
concluded that Lance Armstrong should not be considered a role model for today’s population.
Introduction
This analysis is an examination of the literature written on the cheater and how
Armstrong was portrayed by cancer survivors, his work with livestrong and his time on the bike.
During Armstrong’s prime many individuals viewed Armstrong as their role model and aspired
to achieve the same success. The main purpose of this analysis on Armstrong is to demonstrate
that Lance Armstrong no longer deserves the title role model. Through my own analysis of the
research I hope to provide sufficient evidence that Armstrong at this point in time does not
deserve to be considered a role model in todays society.
Literature Review
Literature Review Intro
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Throughout this literature review, I will be discussing articles pertaining to Lance
Armstrong. An individual known as a survivor, athlete and father has caused a great deal of
commotion over the past decade. He was a man that many deemed to be flawless, the ideal hero
for youth to look up to and the ultimate role model for those fighting cancer. An athlete that put
more time into his sport than anyone else and against all odds won seven Tours de France titles.
But then there was the speculation that he was beating the system with technological
advancements that allowed him to dope. This ultimately brought the iconic American hero back
to reality. This review explains the triumphs and failures of American Cyclist Lance Armstrong.
Heroism
Rusu (2002) wrote in News Stories and the Creation of Myths Resulting in the Media
Portrayal of Lance Armstrong as a Modern Icarus, demonstrates how mass media portrays
Lance Armstrong as a modern hero. The investigation used a qualitative analysis to identify
keywords and symbolism within the twelve journalist texts that appeared between 1991 and 2010
in the New York Times. Findings in the research demonstrate that Lance has heroic qualities seen
during his battle with cancer. With the struggle of chemotherapy his name became familiar
throughout the world. The increased media attention resulted in increasing pressure to succeed in
cycling. With his popularity at its peak, his ego become too large for himself to handle and
ultimately resulted in the fall of a modern hero.
I believe that this article paves the way in understanding the remaining articles. Most cancer
survivors do not reach the stardom that Lance Armstrong achieved. The main reason that he
reached this fame was his initial talent which was backed by a tragic story resulting in the media
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hyping it larger than life. The legacy that Armstrong paved ignited the spirits of all those fighting
the disease and showed them anything is possible.
Role Model
Sparks et al., 2012 collaborated to create the Social comparison process, narrative
mapping and their shaping of the cancer experience: A case study of an elite athlete. The focal
point of the paper was to understand how cancer patients used upward and downward
comparison throughout treatment. The main methodology used in the article is narrative
mapping. To gain a greater understanding they asked David a young Spanish cyclist to take part
in a series of recorded interviews some of which occurred in the hospital and others away from
the clinical setting. This was done to take in account how the mood was affected by the
surroundings. In the end, the results show that upward social comparison gives cancer patients
hope while downward social comparison brings forth the unforeseen truth that the patient may
lose to the disease.
It is easy for individuals to dismiss Armstrong of role model status but when people are at
their all-time low the smallest amount of hope can go a long ways. Looking back at the mythical
hero, we as society need those people to show us that everything is going to be okay. Lance was
that hope to all those individuals that were lying on their death bed. In the end, I believe that this
article provides a very emotional tie into my case study of Lance Armstrong. Armstrong
provided David with a motivational story to follow in hope that one day he could do the same.
Even though David did not defeat cancer, Lance gave him the inspiration to keep on fighting no
matter what odds the doctors gave him.
Reputation
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Hambrick, Frederick and Sanderson (2013) composed From Yellow to Blue: Exploring
Lance Armstrong’s Image Repair Strategies Across Traditional and Social Media. Their main
goal was to understand how Lance Armstrong was going to portray himself through traditional
media (Television) and on social media (Twitter). A total of 859 tweets were analyzed, 530 pre
USDA investigation, 292 post USDA investigation and 37 after the interview held by Oprah
Winfrey(Hambrick, Frederick, Sanderson, 2013). The reason that it has been broken down into
three sections is because as the public learned more about the truth of Armstrong he would have
to adjust the way in which he portrayed himself. A deductive approach was used to look at each
section which allowed the researchers to determine if the tweets represented Benoits typology.
The main finds show that Armstrong did portrayed himself differently as more secrets leaked
about performance enhancing drugs. The image repair strategies used by Armstrong throughout
the three subsections are attack the accuser, bolstering, stonewalling.
In relation to the other articles discussed in the literature review, I believe that Hambrick
et al’s work most relates to him being a mythical hero. Armstrong wants to uphold his stature
and to do so he must employ these strategies in the hope that he can maintain his reputation as a
mythical hero and role model in the case of David. I believe that this article really shows the
path in which Armstrong goes by looking at his own words and thought processes and in the end
we really see how hard he hit rock bottom.
Charity
Filo, Funk and O’Brien (2008) present It’s Really Not About the Bike: Exploring
Attraction and Attachment to the Events of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The main view
point taken by the researchers was to investigate what motivates charitable donations and
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participation in charitable sporting events such as Livestong. To underline the reasoning focus
groups were used to discuss the topics surrounding the research. Two separate events were used
and two separate focus groups discussed each event. The motives discovered for charitable
generosity state that individuals believed they would experience reciprocity, an increased selfesteem, the want to help others and to say that they took part in the charities success.
I believe that this article was quite different from the others discussed in the literature
review. It didn’t focus on the scandals that have happened and kept a positive outlook to show
what Lance has done. I believe that the positive outlook kept in this article is because it was
published before the scandal broke. It is safe to say after everything Armstrong has been
involved in, the Livestrong campaign is the one of the brighter happenings. This article sets the
floor to why people could still consider Lance a role model. Even though David looked at Lance
as a cyclist the foundation really shows the effect cancer has on individuals. After treatment
survivors tend to repay those that helped them to survive and Livestrong gives them the
opportunity to do so.
Technological Advancements
Butryn and Masucci (2003) published It’s Not About the Book: A Cyborg
Counternarrative of Lance Armstrong. The position taken in the paper recognizes the increasing
technology in today’s world. The authors constructed a cyborg counter narrative in relation to
Armstrong’s storyline. To determine if Armstrong fits Cyborg qualities researchers reread
Lance’s book to find alternative view points on experiences. In the end they believe that you can
view Lance Armstrong as a Cyborg hero.
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I never thought that Armstrong’s interest in doping could have stemmed from him being
surrounded by so much medical technology during his time in treatment. One would believe that
his experience in the hospital would have instilled all the qualities needed to succeed on the tour
and in life, instead it introduced him into the world of doping. One statement taken from
Armstrongs book really sums it up; “the question that lingers is, how much was I a factor in my
own survival, and how much was science, and how much miracle” (Butryn & Masucci, 2003).
This one quote refers to his time battling cancer but I also believe we can apply it to the time he
spent on tour.
Literature Review Conclusion
To conclude the literature review, I believe that the only gap in the heavily polluted
amount of information presented on Armstrong is the follow up of him admitting to doping.
There is a substantial amount of information about his battle with cancer and with the
government. In the end, it is evident that Lance Armstrong can be classified as a chameleon. An
individual that portrays himself differently depending on the situation he finds himself in. A once
prominent figure in society to man that now has hatred associated with his name. Countless
articles about Lance have been written evaluating his performance as a cyclist, as a role model
and a cheater. It is truly up to the beholder to determine how to view such a person. To some he
remains their American hero while to others he represents everything wrong in sport. In the end
Lance Armstrong is simply an imperfect guy in an imperfect world.
Purpose
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The purpose of this research is to examine if Lance Armstrong should be considered a
role model for the population in today’s society. In my analysis I will attempt to prove that Lance
Armstrong should not be considered a role model at this point in his life.
Methodology
To demonstrate that Armstrong should not be considered a role model I will be using a
philosophical analysis. Analyzing the abundance of articles and interviews conducted on
Armstrong I will attempt to with draw information to solidify my purpose.
Analysis
As most know Armstrong is no stranger to the public eye as the stubborn cyclist out of Ausitn,
Texas has experienced success since he first stepped on the bike. Armstrongs list of
accomplishments runs long but I will only scratch the surface of his resume.
In 1996 Armstrong found himself struggling for his life as he battled testicular cancer
which rapidly spread to his brain, lungs and abdominal region. Armstrong aggressively engaged
himself into his diagnosis and treatment procedures as he battled against overwhelming odds.
The odds were so great it led Armstrong to wonder “how much was I a factor in my own survival
and how much was science”. Without technology would Armstrong still be alive today is
unknown. What is known is that Armstrong developed a win at all costs mentality from his time
spent in the hospital and understood the impact of science.
After beating up cancer Armstrong took the world by surprise by declaring he would
compete in the hardest cycling race on earth, Le Tour de France. All eyes were on this man who
just barely escaped his death bed a short time ago. He rode the flats, battled the conditions and
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climbed mountains like a fine tuned cyborg machine. The performances he strung together led
followers of the tour to build speculation that Armstrong was doping. When asked Armstrong
stated “ that his current body type after treatment is far better suited to the mountains”. Before
his treatment he looked more like a football player then a cyclist and because of the additional
weight had no hope in winning the tour. From no hope to winning 7 consecutive titles had cyclist
enthusiasts wondering about the purity of Armstrongs words.
During Armstrong’s own battle with cancer, he saw that there was a lack of resources for
those fighting the disease. In an effort to help fellow survivors, the Livestrong foundation was
established and has raised more than $500million to help serve survivors. Livestrong is more
than writing cheques for cancer organizations it allows survivors to meet others, share stories and
gather more information about survivorship. At one livestrong event one participant stated that
“13,00 strangers become connected immediately”. The bond survivors and cancer struck families
share is truly amazing.
Father- One of the most personal aspects of Armstrongs life are his five beautiful innocent
children. His mother was only 17 when she gave birth to Lance and soon after they were
abandoned by his father who he has never seen. During his dignosesis Armstrong was informed
that one of the side effects of the disease is the inability to conceive a child. Armstrong froze his
sperm for a day where he would be ready to have children.
All of this was done by one man and it is fair to say that Armstrong has quite an impressive
resume.
Slide 3
But as we stand here in 2014 we now know that Armstrong lacked the ability to tell the
complete truth. All eyes were the King of cycling but for all the wrong reasons. After defiantly
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denying all acquisitions of doping Armstrong got together with Oprah Winfrey for the Lance
Armstrong World Wide Exclusive. In Lances own words his “mythic, perfect story” was “one
big lie”. He admitted to cheating during most of his career and he bullied people who set out to
tell the truth. Since then Armstrong has received a life time ban from the sport of cycling. So
with this baggage should Armstrong be considered a role model? To know for sure we must
understand what a role model is.
The Construction of a Role Model
What is a role model? According to Webster’s Online Dictionary they are “a person whose
behavior in a particular role is imitated by others”.Found directly below this definition it states
that “Athletes should remember that they are role models”. In Armstrong’s situation he had
cyclists of all ages dreaming to have a life with the same success as the great Lance Armstrong.
He demonstrated super natural powers equivalent to the Gallant Knights and Nobel Kings heard
about in the mythical tales as children. According to Rusu “a hero that represents the ideal for
part of society and their mythic behavior represents the well-known desire to overcome the
human condition and the limits imposed on one”. During his reign as champion Armstrong was
truly on top of the world and had a following of millions.
In times of hardship individuals can look to others for inspiration to overcome struggle. A
study conducted by Sparks, Perez and Smith examined how cancer patients use social
comparison to shape their cancer experience. They conducted multiple interviews with one of
Armstrong’s followers who happened to be an elite Spanish cyclist. Not only did he participate
in the same sport as Armstrong, David was battling cancer too. Armstrong’s story provided
inspiration for this young man to fight each waking day in the hope that he could pedal his bike
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across the finish line once again. Using a narrative map to help guide him through his own
journey with cancer he was quoted saying “if lance could do it I can do it”.
After Armstrong admitted to his wrongs the media scrutiny was fierce to say the lease.
Due to the increased negative attention Lance initiated an image repair process, and according to
Hambrick “The word repaired was used because with such strong allocations against him his
reputation could never fully be restored”. Using social media Armstrong began apologizing
while pleading his case. But to no surprise including his own there was only so much he could do
at this point in time “this is too late for most people and that’s my fault, I view this situation as
one big lie that I repeated multiple times.” By admitting his wrong doings some may still believe
he should be a role model but at least we can now agree that he is at least human.
.When asked under oath in 2005 that if he was caught doping would he loose his
sponsors? Armstrong responded with the following statement
.“All of them, and the faith of all the cancer survivors around the world. So everything I do off of
the bike would go away too. And don't think for a second I don't understand that. It's not about
money for me. Everything. It's also about the faith that people have put in me over the years”
A power statement for a man that was so sure of himself. In the end Lance Armstrong will have
to rely on time to heal the wounds he created. Like a bull sees red Armstrong saw Yellow and
adopted a win at all costs attitude to wear the highly decorated yellow piney of the tour de
France.
Conclusion
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In the end, Armstrong cannot deny that he lived one of the biggest lies in sporting history.
There is the good to go along with the bad but the negative aspects seem to always over shadow
the positives. When comparing Armstrong to other athletes that have gone through similar
hardships I compare him to Terry Fox, Saku Koivu and Mario Lemeaux, Except these
individuals lack the turmoil lance has caused and because of such turmoil I believe that
Armstrong is not sited to be a role model at this point in time. Everyone connection with
Armstrongs is different and the time that it is going to take to forgive him will also be different.
In the end Armstrong has to rely on time to heal the wounds he created and begin to make
amends to those he hurt.
Terry Fox
Future Research
With regards to future research on Armstrong I am personally interested in the strides he
takes to repair his mistakes. The future is unknown for Armstrong but judging from his past it
might be fair to assume he will return to the lime light, this time for all the right reasons. No one
can take away the fact that he did beat cancer and started a foundation that has helped millions. I
hope that if I was to conduct this analysis ten to twenty years from now that the man who I once
looked up has regained his title as a role model.
Armstrong’s admittance to doping is still fairly new and the wounds are still fresh for some of
his former supporters.
Reference
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Butryn, T. M., & Masucci, M. A. (2003). It's not about the book: A cyborg counternarrative of
lance armstrong. Journal of Sport and Social Issues,27:124,
Filo, K. R., Funk, D. C., & O'Brien, D. (2008). It's really not about the bike: Exploring attraction
and attachment to the events of the lance armstrong foundation. Journal of Sport
Management , 22, 501-525.
Hambrick, M. E., Frederick, E. L., & Sanderson, J. (2013). From yellow toblue: Exploring lance
armstrong's image repair strategies across traditional and social media. Communication &
Sport,
Rusu, I. (n.d.). News stories and the creation of myths: The media portrayal of lance armstrong
as a modern icarus.
Sparkes, A. C., Samaniego, S. P., & Smith, B. (2012). Social comparision processes, narritive
mapping and their shaping of the cancer experience: A case study of an elite
athlete. Health (London), 16(467),