Lance Armstrong - what does it mean for devoted fans to hear him admit he was a cheat

MMXIV

Anyone interested in sport will be aware of Lance Armstrong's final admission to taking banned substances to win the Tour de France 7 times. He was a fraud. His many fans, fans of cycling and people who also suffered cancer that looked up to him and his incredible achievements have given lots of different reactions to his confession. Support, disappointment, anger.

I'm not comparing him to the WBTS but what would it be like for it's followers to hear an admission of guilt that they had misled people - that the truth was a lie? Most on this site have come to that understanding - but to hear the GB admit they misled and are a fraud? How would it really make you feel?

mmxiv

james_woods

Most of the really deluded fans I have heard are saying that it doesn't matter that he took the drugs because everybody else took them too - and he still beat them.

People who are capable of a little more objective thought have long had the suspicion that he was lying about this, and a pretty phony example of a basic prick on many fronts - so they were not surprised at all.

He did not convince me that he is sorry at all that he did this - he just convinced me that he is angling around for whatever sympathy he can get and hoping to avoid lawsuits in the future. Maybe even actually hoping to get back into cycling...

The man is obviously a self-serving jerk.

fakesmile

im on the verge of suicide. because we all know you cant enjoy a sport without forming a creepy bond with a pro. lance can take a long ride off of a short pier with oprah on the handelbars.

sir82

Lance is still a bully and still hiding things. I got a dirty feeling watching him - I don't think he is "sincerely repentant" (gag - to borrow a WT phrase). This "confession" is self-serving - he's hoping it will benefit himself. Maybe get his "lifetime ban" lifted, or get other endorsement deals.

How would JWs react to a an admission of deception by the WTS?

One, I can't conceive of it ever happening. But if it did, there'd be an initial feeling of shock, but then there would be X% who would react gratefully and leave immediately, Y% who'd join up with each other and form new groups with the same beliefs, and Z% who would join other high-control / cult groups.

Lore

I'm not a devoted fan.

It made me wonder what he was taking and where I could get some for myself.

No seriously. He's like the new posterchild for PEDs. Took them for years with no noticable detrimental effects and they made him awesome.

I forsee an increase in dopers.

fakesmile

and he ruined my cycling fantasy team. seriously guys get off of his nut. you are either a competitor or a spectator. if you are faster, grab a bike and prove it.

Gopher

:what would it be like for it's followers to hear an admission of guilt that they had misled people

I suppose many JW's would probably just view this as new light and still look to them as a spiritual "mother". Such a confession might scare away only those who were on the fringe and considering leaving.

MMXIV

"I told a lie and just repeated it" Really? He continued taking drugs for a decade, he lied about it a dozens of different ways to many people over many years. He is keen on politics - he is trying to save his future political career. I think his line of justification shows he has a considerable aptitude for the job - but may never be trusted enough to hold office.

If the WBTS made a completely honest confession "we don't know what we're doing - we made it all up - we're a bunch of fake rich men." I'd tip my hat to them and say thank you very much. They'd never hear another word from me. It's their blatant arrogance, brazen dare I say, that makes me think they'll refuse to ever apologise until they're forced into a corner when even their followers know they're lying. Then it will be too late to be forgiven.

mmxiv

james_woods

Bottom line - quite simply: He has cheapened not only the sport of cycling, but also cancer research and support charity.

It is really not far different from discovering that the beloved local priest is actually a child groper behind the altar.

The most disgusting part is that he does not even make the attempt to pretend to be sorry for what he has done.

sir82

That's what was missing from the interview. Any sense of remorse.

He screwed over dozens of people and just sort of shrugged it off.

Lance Armstrong - what does it mean for devoted fans to hear him admit he was a cheat

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