The Sport of Lying

This week's news events seem to demand a post, though it is often difficult to add to what's already been said by dozens of news sources by now about either Lance Armstrong's belated doping confession or Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend, but perhaps there is yet more to consider. Lance Armstrong's confession by Oprah interview to taking illegal substances in order to win seven Tour de France races is a baffling move, explained in this article as a delusional attempt to make a clean comeback in cycling. Why would any cycling association allow a man who successfully hid his illegal doping for twenty years allow him to have any association whatsoever with any sport? Certainly delusion must be involved, excessive pride that becomes delusion given enough reinforcement. Perhaps sports should not affect their spectators so much, but many have been betrayed who believed that Armstrong honestly overcame all obstacles to become the world's greatest bicyclist, and were convinced that they could, perhaps, achieve anything with hard work.

Much of the above language is sappy and sentimental, but the sentimental is what made Armstrong a millionaire. Armstrong's story led directly to celebrity, endorsements, and the wild success of his livestrong organization. Of less obvious purpose is the other big hoax story of the week, the revelation that Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's deceased girlfriend never existed. Questions abound as to whether Te'o was complicit in fabrication of the tragic story, or was himself duped and actually in love with an internet fabrication. It is possible that the story, claiming his girlfriend and grandmother had both died within a few days or weeks of each other, helped Te'o gain national attention and eventually become a Heisman Trophy finalist, which might also answer some questions concerning why the nation is finding out about this now, only after the college football season and BCS championship game. If he was unaware of the hoax, what gain was someone else getting? Is national attention enough, especially when it is essentially anonymous? Or perhaps malicious manipulation of a semi-public figure is enough, even without national attention. I expect it will soon be revealed that Te'o helped concoct the story to help his own football career, but if not, the story is a bit more bizarre.