Oprah And Lance -The Non-Story Of The Month

Maybe by the end of the week Lance Armstrong will finally fade away.  Until then we will endure the hype of his upcoming appearance with Oprah on a network that probably has about the same number of viewers as the now defunct Current.

The purpose, as the teasers would have us believe, is for him to confess that yes, he did use performance enhancing drugs during his years of competitive cycling which allowed him to win a record number of Tour de France races.

Since just about every other cyclist who has been on the winners stand also used them I'm not sure why it's such a big deal.  Well, actually I do.  It's because he denied it so vociferously for so long and even figured out a way to beat the random testing.  Unfortunately he didn't repeat the lie convincingly enough for it to become the truth.

The payment for that lack of talent has cost him every title he ever won and a life time ban from competing not only in cycling but other sports too.  How the mighty do fall.

He hasn't much left from those glory years.  He has even been distanced from his own Foundation in order for it to continue the good work it does - once under his lofty name.  It is a tragedy of immense proportions considering what could have been.  It's a shame ego and greed had to intervene.

I've gotten a bit ahead of myself here.  Armstrong hasn't yet admitted to wrong doing though everything brought forth from numerous governing agencies indicates he is guilty.  I would guess the teasers are partially correct.  He is going to appear on Oprah in hopes of finding redemption.

But is he?  I expect her questions to him will be pointed.  I expect his answers will only hint at guilt while seeking forgiveness for something he still maintains he didn't do.  It depends on what the definition of 'guilt' is. Maybe it will be the type of drug he used that's questionable. Maybe it wasn't specifically banned but only categorically or some such.  I'm not familiar of all the nuances except to believe there are many.

Will Oprah forgive him for bad behavior because he had good intentions?  Will whatever he says open the door to deeper investigations?  No on the first, quite possibly on the second.  So why do it?

Beats me.  I know a little bit about confessions from having been raised Catholic.  Way back then penance amounted to reciting various numbers of 'Our Fathers' and 'Hail Marys'.  That was for everyday little sins. If I remember correctly the penance for mortal sin was denial of communion.  It's been years.

To equate that priest/sinner relationship with the Oprah/sinner relationship perhaps she will tell him to go forth and cycle without reward and forsake all competitive impulses for the good of his soul .

One more thing about confessions, though, even though confessions are required to keep you in God's good graces, when you thought the priest might know who you were you sometimes tended to lie. That negates the confession and defeats the whole purpose doesn't it?

I have no expectations that any 'truth' will ring true therefore it's a non-story; just one more attempt at obfuscation of what's already known.  It's over Lance.  Oprah can't fix it.  Maybe now it's a story and hopefully the end.