Why?
Because I don't want to hear him say 'sorry'. It is far too late for that now.
"No question is off-limits", we've heard Ms. Winfrey say in a grab to attract viewers. Highly dubious that, considering the interview will not be broadcast live, nor will it appear in full. Maybe Lance needs to practice some carefully rehearsed lines of contrition, sincerity and regret. And tears. If a full confession could apparently land him in jail, you can bet we'll hear the usual repeatable platitudes. They will go something like this:
"I've only got myself to blame."
"I've hated myself for not telling the truth."
And the classic non-apology: "I understand that I've hurt a lot of people..."
Well even if he does utter an apology, it would be entirely for the wrong reasons. The fact that he is being interviewed by Oprah, a close friend and long-time supporter of Lance, instead of a judicial body, is a cop-out and is providing air-time and significant celebrity gravitas to a man who simply doesn't deserve it.
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| nydailynews.com |
Supporters may cry admonishments to those who are interrogating the issue. "Trash him all you want, he won the Tour de France seven fucking times. And if everyone was doping like they say, then he was still the best of the dopers. It doesn't take away from the training required or the mental and physical exhaustion and blah bleh bluh..." This kind of argument seems to me tantamount to Lance's guarded admissions. It is stating, in opaque roundabout ways, that if one wants to be the best (and even merely being considered to compete with the best) in the world for cycling, one must ingest (or inject) performance-enhancing drugs.
I suppose that corruption is inherently institutionalised and entrenched at all levels, not just in sports, so it might be unfair to victimise Lance so much. Scratch any surface and you'll find all sorts of disingenuous aspects. But this is different. Lance is such a larger-than-life character that it's more like the public are watching a character from a fictitious story fall from grace. That he has made himself (not to mention his charity donations and awareness-raising for cancer and research) so frightfully conspicuous over the years compounds the need for justice. Even if that justice comes in the form of a sentence that you'll never hear leaving the lips of Mr. Armstrong: "I will donate every cent I make from now on to reimbursing the funds that have been fraudulently paid to me."
Maybe I'll tune in after all.
