For perhaps the first time in his life, Lance Armstrong has stopped fighting. After nearly a decade at the pinnacle of competitive bicycle racing, the seven-time Tour de France champion and Livestrong founder called it quits in his legal battle against the United States Anti-Doping Agency, declining to rebut their claims that he had taken performance-enhancing drugs, according to the Washington Post. The Guardian reports that in a statement given to the press Aug. 23, Armstrong announced “There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ For me, that time is now.” 

Wow.

Yes, the man who has climbed more literal and metaphorical mountains before breakfast than most of America did in the last year is stepping down from the bike. Because of his decision to forego the legal fight, the USADA declared him guilty, stripped him of his seven titles and barred him from ever having any involvement with the sport again. Although its jurisdiction in this matter hardly stands on solid legal ground, Armstrong appears to have ceded the fight – at least for now.

So, did Lance enhance? If you think no, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. The man won his sport’s most challenging event seven years in a row. Seven! During that time period, between 1999 and 2005, 16 of the 38 racers who finished in the top ten at least once were doping, as noted by The New York Times. If Armstrong’s trial had taken place, there would have been a line of cyclists, including several of his former teammates, who would have testified against him and argued his guilt. Also, does a man who has based his entire brand and life story on the qualities of perseverance and determination fold his hand when he is holding the winning cards and the pot contains every chip?

Here’s the real question: Does it matter? Apparently not in the court of public opinion, where unlike other contemporary sports icons such as Barry Bonds or Marion Jones, Armstrong has enjoyed far-reaching support. Fans and sportswriters alike have rushed to Armstrong’s side to champion his foundation’s work in combating cancer, lambast the questionable legal process employed by the USADA and stress the rampant corruption and cheating embedded in the culture of the sport. In fact, USA Today reports donations to the Livestrong foundation went up by more than 25-fold the day after the announcement, from an average of $3,000/day to $80,000 on the Aug. 24. I would like to suggest the new catchphrase, “If cancer won’t play by the rules, neither will Lance – Livestrong.”

Not all reactions were glowing. “I’ve never met an innocent man who stopped fighting for his innocence because it was ‘taking a toll’ … ” tweeted professional soccer player Alecko Eskandarian. Many were funny. “Thinking of taking up cycling … ” Aussie football player Shannon Byrnes quipped, “Just found out I’ve won as many Tour De France’s as Lance Armstrong.” 

The difficulty with characters like Lance is their actions raise existential questions about the value of the sports they play. Sports are just games, but people still obsess about them because they give us insight into the triumph of the human spirit, something all of us identify with and celebrate. Shouldn’t the confirmation that our Real McCoy was only a carbon copy mean something to us? Does it not cheapen the path that Lance has taken, even if it does not detract from his extracurricular achievements?

Here at Madison, we take sports fairly seriously. But would we feel differently about Montee Ball’s touchdown records if he was juicing? Would we still identify as the Big Ten champs if Brett Bielema had stolen Michigan State’s playbook? Once you’ve started thinking of someone or something in a favorable light, it can take some serious cognitive restructuring to accept that what they did was wrong, even if their follow-up actions were virtuous. Lance has inspired millions to live with his story. I just hope he doesn’t inspire people to cheat, too.

Nathaniel Olson ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science, history and psychology.