# Would you want to be Lance Armstrong? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 17, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205 "2015-03-17T15:44:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [March 18, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/21 "2015-03-18T02:03:17Z")
> [@feppytweed](#): > > I would if I’d never had to go through chemo or surgery for cancer. You do understand that you would be a Texan, right? That’s gotta be right up there with cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/22 "2015-03-18T02:29:49Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > If you’re a loser you can’t hold your head up high either; at least in this country. Yeah maybe they’re is something to be said for being an honest, nice guy you can feel in your heart you’re a good person blah blah blah. > > I myself am not one to cheat or lie, ever; but I don’t think it really offers any sort of great reward - it’s just how I am for better or worse. But the goal is not to be an honest loser but to be an honest winner. How good do you reckon it must feel to be a Tour de France winner who did not take drugs? That would be the reward, winning knowing you played by the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/23 "2015-03-18T02:49:42Z")
No I would not want testicular cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/24 "2015-03-18T03:25:02Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > But the goal is not to be an honest loser but to be an honest winner. How good do you reckon it must feel to be a Tour de France winner who did not take drugs? That would be the reward, winning knowing you played by the rules. Of course the best option is being an honest winner. Then, the question is, is it better to be the nice guy finishing last or the cheater who wins. I really don’t think being the nice guy who finishes last is such a great life - even though that’s the option I would choose. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/25 "2015-03-18T06:19:34Z")
The first time he set someone else up to take the fall for him (a test came back dirty - the solution? Forge a post-dated prescription for a drug which could have caused the test result), he lost all semblance of human integrity. He reminded me of Nixon throwing people to the wolves. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/26 "2015-03-19T01:08:10Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > Of course the best option is being an honest winner. Then, the question is, is it better to be the nice guy finishing last or the cheater who wins. I really don’t think being the nice guy who finishes last is such a great life - even though that’s the option I would choose. What about being an honest guy who finishes in the pack? I suppose the fact you are competing in a sport in the first place means you are a competitive person but in terms of a life philosophy it is pretty straight forward being successful on your own terms (meeting personal life goals) while maintaining integrity. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/27 "2015-03-19T01:46:10Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > What about being an honest guy who finishes in the pack? It depends on the financial rewards to me. I guess there is some ratio of effort to reward you could come up with; kind of like how I always treated GPA’s. If I get a 4.0 but its only going to slightly enhance my odds of getting a good job I would just aim for the the next cutoff 3.5 or whatever and not waste too much effort on doing better than that. For the record I would always be the honest guy, no matter what. I think the thing that I take issue with is people thinking there is some sort of reward or benefit or inner peace that inherently comes with that. I don’t think there is, and I am this way(honest) because it is just how I am. I am this way despite maybe not living as good, happy, fulfilling or financially rewarding a life as others who have a different path. I am this way despite the limitations it can have not because it is a rewarding existence, and I don’t feel I am necessarily any better or worse than others who are always not so straight and narrow. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/28 "2015-03-19T02:16:51Z")
Hell no! He was an asshole to begin with. Now he’s a pathetic asshole. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/29 "2015-03-19T02:26:59Z")
He was a sociopath on a bicycle, we got off lucky: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O9YL04v-J5U](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O9YL04v-J5U) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/30 "2015-03-19T03:20:10Z")
I like how the poll results look just like someone is giving me the middle finger. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/31 "2015-03-19T12:57:33Z")
I like Lance Armstrong and don’t care about the doping, lying, cheating, etc. He has helped a lot of people with cancer and even records personal messages for them. I’d never want to be him though. I don’t want cancer, to be hypercompetitive, or to have to hear random strangers bitch their idiotic opinions of my personal choices at me everywhere I go. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/32 "2015-03-20T01:34:39Z")
No! He’s a narcissistic asshole who craves competition & limelight. Remember when he came back & he had to wear his own helmet & socks? Even from the helicopter shots you could definitively pick him out of the peloton. Not being able to compete at all & being a pariah is probably eating him up more than the money is worth.\* - At least I hope so. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205/33 "2015-03-20T05:50:15Z")
> [@pool](#): > > He was a sociopath on a bicycle, we got off lucky: > [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O9YL04v-J5U](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O9YL04v-J5U) ‘Our roided up guy beat your roided up guy’ is a fair cop, but his behavior off the bike is the deal breaker. He’s right that bike racer was not the worst thing Lance could have done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-be-lance-armstrong/715205.md?page=1)