The fall of a hero?

OK, well as it was recently commented on our blog, we may have been wrong - it looks like "our true American sports hero" may have had a wee bit too much testosterone in his urines. Frankly it is hard to say at this point. The jury is still out, I suppose.

"Innoncent until proven guilty", certainly! but what I find interesting in the meantime is that whereas the French media seem to lean towards the guilty side, America's media portray him not only as innocent but also as a victim of some sort of French anti-American conspiracy (CNN, Foxnews). Of course, French-bashing has been one of Armstrong's favorite sports since he retired.
At the same time, it is true that the French media somtimes seem to be enjoying it a little bit too much. What was true last year is true this year, the jingoism of the media regarding sports news is pretty amazing and that is true on both sides of the Atlantic. It must also be said that everyone knows that cycling is ridden with cheating and dopping.
Greg LeMond himself seems very skeptical:

In a veiled reference to seven-time winner Lance Armstrong, long dogged by doping allegations, LeMond added: "I hope that (Landis) won't do what another American did: Deny, deny, deny."

It seems that people too are also often in a state of denial - Armstrong and Landis's stories of courage and come back (cancer, hip problem) is exactly the sort of stories people want to believe. It reaches mythical proportion and it is very hard indeed to put someone down from their pedestal. It is also hard to think that good guys can do bad things.

"I know Floyd, he's a good guy, he comes from a good family. If all this is proven, it will be a part of the tragedy that crosses this sport: Even good people are obliged to deceive," LeMond said, according to Le Journal du Dimanche."It is cycling as a professional sport that represents the problem. It can transform someone into a liar."

At the same time, those athletes are only human beings. Something the French should understand quite well. After all, their national soccer champion Zidane also had a bit too much testosterone the night of the World Cup final game. Only it seems all too natural to Zidane.