Discussing
Lance Armstrong and faith in athletic greatness

A really great analysis!

Because I live in Nike's home town and have been peripherally involved in their story for years, I followed Lance quite closely. It really was inspiring and amazing when he beat testicular cancer and came back to win. However I always felt somewhat uneasy that he pointedly never gave any of the credit to God. He steadfastly refused prayer and preferred to go it alone. When he was miraculously cured it seemed to me that some humility was in order. But that never happened. Instead, yellow bracelets were printed sold and worn to support cancer research that said Live Strong. Imitate Lance's kind of strong stoicism. That is kind of the warrior ethos of Nike. Just do it. No one is going to help you. No excuses. I'm not surprised that someone under this kind of pressure to be strong, to be a superman, would secretly blood dope to maintain a competitive edge. I hope Lance gives his life to Jesus one day. But in the meantime, Nike seems to worship a strong pagan expression of self actualization.

Anyone who sees Jesus Christ when they look in the mirror can say something negative about someone else! Perhaps we need to give away mirrors to all those who speek about others as if their life is so wonderfull?
Lance is a Man like any other and his dream put him in the spot litght, he has done so much more good for the sport of Cycling and for people in general who choose to take care of their Temple andf for those with Cancer.

William Leon/Miami,FL- Believer in Christ and a Cyclist

I was not much of a fan of Lance after his marriage fell apart.  I've been married for more than 25 years.  That is harder to do than any tour.

You shouldn't rely on your news from 60 minutes. Swedish officials deny the claims by 60 minutes. Lance Armstrong never tested positive and Hamilton admitted in front of a Grand Jury that he lied. End of story.

I read Armstrong's autobiography "It's Not About the Bike" and I was inspired. I cried reading his story. In the book, he explicitly states that he is not a Christian, that he, essentially, "believes in belief" because he developed a distrust of organized religion. I also have alway believed in Armstrong's innocence. I really think he believes that because he has never tested positive, that he has not done anything wrong. I don't know if he has. I will probably never know. Some facts came to light demolishing aspects of Tyler Hamilton's claims, so his credibility as a "witness" is suspect at this point. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

The thing is that I never really worshipped him. I see him as a flawed human being (That whole marriage-falls-apart and dump Sheryl Crow thing never sat right with me). I never really worshipped athletes, because they are human, bestowed with genetics, discipline and a work ethic. I don't see athletes as role models, people to revere or anything like that. I love the sport more than the athlete, I think.

There is a better example. At the turn of the 19th to 20th Century, Marshall ("Major") Taylor became the world's first sports superstar as a world champion bicycle racer  while confronting terrible race prejudice with true Christian fortitude. His example lends another dimension entirely to the expression "sports hero". You may read more about him here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M...

Amen....I had the very same thoughts!