# Is Lance Armstrong about to admit he cheated? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 5, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159 "2013-01-05T15:09:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/81 "2013-01-15T01:43:31Z")
[AP is reporting that he does admit doping in his Oprah interview.](http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/01/14/in-oprah-interview-lance-armstrong-confesses-to-doping-ap-source-says/) ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/82 "2013-01-15T05:11:57Z")
That makes Oprah the last person in the world to know. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/84 "2013-01-15T13:48:40Z")
> [@chargerrich](#): > > I know I am in the minority here but would it not just be easier to just legalize all of it? Ah, the good old ‘let’s just legalize it all’ meme. No cycling thread would be complete without it, I’m surprised we went a full 50 posts before someone brought it up. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/85 "2013-01-15T21:52:19Z")
I made a T-shirt that looks like the Nike Armstrong shirt. Only it has a syringe instead of the swoop. And it says LIVE **WRONG**. I only wish I had done it earlier, because it would look great on me tomorrow. Timely and all. But CafePress charges 21 bucks for express shipping, and humor ain’t worth 21 bucks. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/86 "2013-01-15T23:05:52Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > I made a T-shirt that looks like the Nike Armstrong shirt. Only it has a syringe instead of the swoop. And it says LIVE **WRONG**. I only wish I had done it earlier, because it would look great on me tomorrow. Timely and all. But CafePress charges 21 bucks for express shipping, and humor ain’t worth 21 bucks. Alternate version: LIE **STRONG** ETA: Anybody know when the Oprah interview is supposed to be on TV? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/87 "2013-01-15T23:39:33Z")
9pm (EST) on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Adjust for your time zone. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/88 "2013-01-15T23:45:15Z")
Just saw Oprah on Sportscenter and heard the following exchange: “Did he come clean in the manner in which you expected?” Oprah: “I would say he did not come clean in the manner that I expected. It was surprising for me… all of us in the room … were riveted by some of his answers.” She (Oprah) would not say that Armstrong was contrite. “Thoughtful”, “Serious”, and “he prepared himself for this moment.” OW was asked why he chose this moment to make the confession. OW said that she asked Lance this question, and is still unclear as to why he chose to do this. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/89 "2013-01-16T00:36:20Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > 9pm (EST) on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). > > Adjust for your time zone. Tonight? What day? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/90 "2013-01-16T00:44:32Z")
This Thursday. Sorry 'bout that. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/91 "2013-01-16T01:17:03Z")
Despite being interested, I won’t watch it “live”, I think. I’ll just watch at most the first 15 minutes, and watch the rest later or catch the highlights on other shows/youtube. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/92 "2013-01-16T01:21:57Z")
I wonder if this is going to turn out to be a huge deal for Oprah’s network. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/93 "2013-01-16T01:49:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I wonder if this is going to turn out to be a huge deal for Oprah’s network. Well, it’ll be the first time my TV has ever tuned to that channel, if that’s any indication! ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/94 "2013-01-16T01:57:08Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Tonight? What day? > [@JohnT](#): > > This Thursday. Sorry 'bout that. And Friday. The interview is being split into two parts. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/95 "2013-01-16T02:17:10Z")
He might win me over a little bit if he jumped up and down on her couch and yelled “I love this doping!” ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/96 "2013-01-16T03:08:52Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > Very good rebuttal. > > The “level playing field” argument is right up there with “well everyone was doing it” in fallacy terms. If anything, it would make it worse. You’d always have those who’d choose not to, making things that much more uneven. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/97 "2013-01-16T03:13:42Z")
> [@Implicit](#): > > And Friday. The interview is being split into two parts. Really? This makes my interest in actually watching it drop to 0, as it is very likely that the “did you cheat?” question will end segment 1, with the answer leading segment 2. ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/98 "2013-01-16T03:55:36Z")
From what I’ve been reading, it appears Armstrong is coming clean and will supposedly offer to turn against the other dopers in the hopes of having his lifetime ban reduced significantly so he can participate in sanctioned Ironman contests as a way to earn money. It seems all about his selfish needs and wants and not doing something because it’s the right thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/99 "2013-01-16T04:12:44Z")
> [@computergeek](#): > > From what I’ve been reading, it appears Armstrong is coming clean and will supposedly offer to turn against the other dopers in the hopes of having his lifetime ban reduced significantly so he can participate in sanctioned Ironman contests as a way to earn money. It seems all about his selfish needs and wants and not doing something because it’s the right thing to do. Is there that much money in Ironman competitions? I can’t imagine sponsors are going to be beating down his door, confession or no, and I don’t usually associate them with a big purse. (googling, it looks like the top purses are in the range of 100k for first place, and drop off pretty steeply below that.) Plus, I have trouble seeing them letting him compete, confession or no. If he wins, even if he wins clean, its going to be impossible for people to shake the suspicion that he’s doping. I can’t imagine anyone associated with Ironman wants to let Lance trash the reputation of another sport. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/100 "2013-01-16T05:03:04Z")
> [@computergeek](#): > > From what I’ve been reading, it appears Armstrong is coming clean and will supposedly offer to turn against the other dopers… What’s your source for this? It seems implausible at least as far as cycling is concerned: almost everyone with any association with LA from LA’s era has been busted or has confessed. Now perhaps he could offer to give evidence against team management or cycling’s organisers. That might be something. ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159/101 "2013-01-16T06:38:43Z")
Dean Woods told me the other day, the only reason Marion Jones got 6 months instead of 6 years is because she spilled the beans on everyone at BALCO. Well, in that context, we’re not at the formal perjury stage - yet. However, Armstrong has played a poor hand well. He knew all along the Landis whistleblower Qui Tam case was the end game - hence the USADA Arbitration matter was a body blow he could cope with. He knew he needed to keep any remaining bargaining leverage up his sleeve with regards to doing a Marion Jones. I’m not quite sure how the Oprah angle fits into this however. I’m thinking, he knows he’s probably going to have to face the music with regards to the Qui Tam case - hence he’s decided he would have had to have to fess up to save his fortune and avoid potential jail time by not committing perjury. Ergo, mea culpa on the Winfrey Confession Channel. Get the public relations rubbish out of the way before moving onto the heavy lifting in the Qui Tam case. That’s where he’ll do the dirty on absolutely everyone he’s met in his life so he can come out of this as though his shit don’t stink. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lance-armstrong-about-to-admit-he-cheated/646159.md?page=6)