What do we make of the inspirational Lance Armstrong now?
The great Lance Armstrong was once an American hero. Question is, is he still? (AP photo)
Lance Armstrong was more than a guy on a bike. Indeed, he titled his as-told-to autobiography, “It’s Not About the Bike.” And he wasn’t just a guy who had cancer and lived to tell the tale. He was an inspiration, a role model, an object lesson regarding the power of the human will.
He beat testicular cancer and didn’t just go on with his life. He became bigger than life. He won the Tour de France seven years running. He was named Sports Illustrated’s 2002 sportsman of the year and took multiple ESPYs as the male athlete of the year. Above and beyond all that, he was the guy who gave us the yellow bracelets, the ones bearing the name of his foundation — Livestrong.
And now he stands revealed as … what? A craven cheat? The hypocrite of all hypocrites? The guy who swore his innocence right up until the point where he decided to stop swearing?
“I am … finished with this nonsense,” was Armstrong’s rationale for dropping his fight against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which took his words as an admission of guilt and moved to strip him of those seven Tour de France titles. (Though the International Cycling Union is waiting for further information to take action.) The USADA has vacated, to invoke the college sports word, everything Armstrong achieved in his sport from 1998 on.
And we’re left to do … what? To recall all the good will and admiration we directed toward Lance Armstrong all these years? To feel cheated ourselves? To feel — diving deeper here — that this beacon of hope actually was a manifestation of everything we have hoped against hope isn’t true? That the games aren’t rigged, that sports are indeed a measure of character, that the bad guys don’t always (or ever) win?
If we’d been honest with ourselves, we might have wondered if the Livestrong story was the stirring saga it appeared to be. Armstrong was under suspicion even as he was winning those Tours. (This being cycling, everybody is under suspicion.) He would dispute every allegation, but the weight of the whispers began to give some among us pause. But not, I would suggest, the masses.
Most of us still saw Armstrong as a hero. He had cancer and still he became the world’s greatest cyclist. That was the more gripping narrative, and also the more palatable. Reality, alas, tends to get complicated.
Armstrong insists that he has admitted no wrongdoing, that he has simply chosen not to keep fighting the USADA. In a statement, he said this: “USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours.”
And now we’re again scrambling for purchase on that slippery slope. Did Southern Cal win the 2004 BCS title or not? (The Trojans were stripped of the title owing to sanctions involving Reggie Bush, who has since returned his 2005 Heisman Trophy.) Who’s the real home run king — Hank Aaron or Barry Bonds? We have reason to suspect that Bonds didn’t generate all 762 homers on the up-and-up, but MLB kept letting him play, did it not? And, for further discussion: Should Mark McGwire be in the Hall of Fame? Should Rafael Palmeiro? Should Roger Clemens? And what of A-Rod, who might well hit 763 home runs?
This is a terrible time to be a sports fan. (Last week Melky Cabrera, this week Bartolo Colon and now Armstrong.) For all the joy that’s supposed to come from following these athletes and their trivial pursuits, we keep slamming into chilling truths, or half-truths, or truth laced so heavily with fiction that it’s not true at all. All any of us can know for sure about Lance Armstrong is that the first part of his stirring saga stands: He did beat cancer. Everything afterward is open to interpretation. Everything afterward could well have been a lie.
And all among us who have, over the years, sported those yellow bracelets? We could have shared his lie. Some feel-good story this is turning out to be, huh?
By Mark Bradley
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337 comments Add your comment
Hamad Meander
August 24th, 2012
2:34 pm
I’ve got a great idea for the sport of cycling. Allow doping. Then the playing field is equal again and the best guy will win. It’s probably what is going on there anyway, so why not allow it out in the open. If these guys don’t care about long-term effects of doping, then let them have at it.
Aren’t steriods used to treat certain diseases, maladies, etc? Let them use! Let them pump their overblown legs up and down and ride those bikes as fast as they can.
Maybe by allowing it out in the open, we all could learn how to use certain drugs to the benefit of mankind, not just the benefit of sport.
Truthiness
August 24th, 2012
2:37 pm
Come on now, sports are just a part of the entertainment industry. Armstrong gave us a great story we wanted to see. Like any actor, he hid his flaws by relying on good camera work and a receptive audience willing to suspend disbelief. He was also smart enough to play this out to the point where he made his millions before the truth caught up with him. He’s a rich celebrity. It’s the American dream. Maybe he can still preserve some semblance of honor thru his charitable work.
The Carnivore
August 24th, 2012
2:41 pm
@Ken – I actually agree that the process is and always has been a huge mess. There should be a statute of limitations on testing of some sort. It is true that it really isn’t fair to go after someone 13 years after the fact. If you can’t prove it within a week or a month, then they guy should be allowed to keep his titles/money/etc. For this reason, I think that Lance should be allowed to retain everything and the case should have been dropped years ago.
However, that discussion is completely different to the question of “did he dope or not”. On this point, he is guilty as hell, but so is nearly every other Tour de France rider. Like the guy above said, if you know cycling (and I do), there isn’t any legal way to do what these guys do day in and day out.
There are many cases where two guys of equal ability ride together for years (in larger groups and in races), always within 0.1 or 0.2 mph of each other. Then one of them starts doping and quickly is 3.0 to 5.0 mph ahead of the other guy. It is very obvious when this happens. Sadly, the general public doesn’t follow cycling and thus believes Lance is clean because he beat cancer and founded Livestrong.
Old School
August 24th, 2012
2:43 pm
Like the judge said, I have to wonder about Tygart’s motives. And how does the USADA have the authority to strip Tour de France titles? We’re not receiving the full story.
Who Cares?
August 24th, 2012
2:44 pm
@ CheatStrong, August 24th, 2012, 1:16 pm. To quote you “Hopefully his cancer returns…”. As a guy who has lost his youngest brother to cancer, and is currently watching his other brother suffer through this horrible disease, you’re an insult to humanity. Please keep your mouth shut and make people question your ignorance, arrogance, and hatred. You are an inhumane waste of human tissue and cells.
David
August 24th, 2012
2:46 pm
Carl – Where can we read George’s testimony?
Sceptic
August 24th, 2012
2:48 pm
Do remind us of a)how many drug tests he failed in all those years b)why does due process not apply here c)how many athletes who DID NOT fail drug tests give evidence that Armstrong doped. It is unlikely he would be convicted in a court of law but the doping agency obviously has a much lower standard of hearsay. Maybe he did. Maybe he did not. Show us the proof as is required by any court.
Steve
August 24th, 2012
2:50 pm
Armstrong didn’t admit to anything. The press has gotten out of hand by convicting people who have never failed a test. Look no further than this article and Skip Bayless saying Jeter might be on something because he is having a good year.
Sad state of journalism today…..oh wait…their opinion writer’s so they can just make stuff up.
Rp
August 24th, 2012
2:51 pm
I guess most will believe the people at the government agency USADA, becuase they are perfect people and never lie.
Another life destroyed by a nameless, faceless government agency. The world is a better place. What happened to facts? What happened to facing your accuser? Where do you go to get your reputation back?
JD
August 24th, 2012
2:51 pm
Show me the results of ONE failed drug test and then I will be convinced he cheated. Hearsay and innuendo is how they are trying to convict him. The Feds found that even that wasn’t good enough and they can convict a ham sandwich if they want to. The USADA doesn’t need evidence beyond a reasonable doubt or convince a jury, so it’s easy for them to do what they want. Mark, don’t ever get on the bad side of someone with the power to abuse their authority.
JD
August 24th, 2012
2:53 pm
BTW, he still beat cancer and won the Tour de France multiple times after doing so.
commoncents
August 24th, 2012
2:53 pm
Splavistic @ 1:23 – If Lance is so ’strong’. Why can’t he keep fighting the good fight? What’s a few more hearings and proceedings? Was USADA stalking his wife and children?
What’s a few more hearing and proceedings? Probably a few million dollars, seeing as the hearings and proceedings would continue for the next decade or until a judge decides the USADA’s case is baseless.
Are they stalking his family? He’s been pursued since 1999 with nonstop accusations from either a ridiculous agency or from fellow athletes who were busted but are throwing him under the bus in order to get a deal for themselves
Adam
August 24th, 2012
2:53 pm
Show me he failed a drug test!! I know you can get around drug tests but the USADA is taking the testimony of admitted and convicted drug cheaters above someone who never failed a drug test and didn’t get convicted or even charged by the federal government. The same people who found evidence to charge Bonds and Clemens. I guess the USADA is above those people and need less evidence to throw out a lifetime of achievements. Everyone knows who won and that even if he did do it, everyone else was found to have doped as well. My thought is that he was the best of the dope heads.
Pat
August 24th, 2012
2:58 pm
One thing is absolutely certain, USADA would never have even begun any type of investigation of Lance Armstrong looked like Obama.
Pat
August 24th, 2012
2:59 pm
that should be “if” not “of”
BJ
August 24th, 2012
3:00 pm
So the Justice Department did not see sufficient evidence to pursue Armstrong’s alleged doping, but low & behold… hotshot Travis Tygart and the USADA violate their own rules in proceeding with their attempt to nail Armstrong.
Armstrong filed two lawsuits against the USADA but both were thrown out by a judge, who by the way noted “It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that USADA is motivated more by politics and a desire for media attention than faithful adherence to its obligations …”)
What a sham.
failed drug test
August 24th, 2012
3:05 pm
he DID fail at least one test …
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-05-22/sports/29996169_1_international-cycling-union-tyler-hamilton-clean-rider
Strange Murphy
August 24th, 2012
3:10 pm
He still has not FAILED A DRUG TEST!!!
Oh by the way Floyd Landis who DID fail a drug teat has had all charges dropped.
This is total BS!
jim
August 24th, 2012
3:20 pm
What muddies this further is USADA. It does not oversee or own the Tour de France, so how does it intend to strip Armstrong of anything? Drug testing in cycling is so political that I’m now sure there is a grain on honesty to be found anywhere in this sad story.
TB
August 24th, 2012
3:27 pm
Maybe we and the media should stop putting athletes on pedestals and making them into what they are not- never were-never will be. Maybe we should put everyday heroes on the pedestals- the kids who complete school against all odds and make something of themselves; the single om rasing kids all by herself; the guy who stays married to his wife and doesn’t cheat; those people in LA who got electrocuted trying to save an accident victim; the whistleblower risking his job to do the right thing; the soldier who is killed in action; the soldier who comes home maimed/crippled…nah, let’s just praise our NBA stars, even though they act more like thugs and have more fatherless children than we can fathom, let’s demand our SEC football teams bring home winners and look the other way even though the athletes don’t leave school with skills to survive outside of football, let’s create these fairytales of athletes who are looked upon as ideal models of the human race simply because they can run faster, hit the ball further, dunk better, throw more touchdowns…etc…unfortunately this is or reality, we live through our Sunday afternoon heroes, the Friday night game champions, the Saturday afternoon victors……..it makes our Mondays and Tuesdays easier to deal with, it gives us watercooler conversations and lunch time discussion points……I guess it allows us to dream of what isn’t and never will be…it takes us out of our realities……..
JC Boscan III
August 24th, 2012
3:29 pm
Unless there is evidence of a failed drug test, the most logical conclusion is that there is some form of vendetta against Armstrong by this USADA organization. It has the smell of something like the IRS or the EPA would do — once they have you in their cross-hairs, they won’t let you go until they destroy you. That’s what this sounds like so far……… especially, now that this group is also seeking to take Armstrong’s money.
Rudy Abarca
August 24th, 2012
3:29 pm
why do we spend our hard earned cash on these issues? we should feed the poor, clothe the children, take care of the elderly, fix our own house and then help our froends. We all are gulty but to make him such a valued asset in the eye of the jsutice. Shame..
Shaman
August 24th, 2012
3:33 pm
People at USADA were after Armstrong because he was so good. they threatened lesser riders with sanctions and suspensions if they did not make statements against him. Many of those statements came from riders who did fail drug tests. What kind of deal was given in return for their “testimony” against Armstrong?
Joey
August 24th, 2012
3:36 pm
Amazing how the Armstrong team infiltrates and even attempts to take over conversation about their almighty one – hey a little similar to the almighty one’s team in the White House . . .
Common Sense
August 24th, 2012
3:41 pm
@carnivore – the fact that you lecture someone as to a one dimensional view is laughable. You are solely convicting LA on testimony without any hard evidence. How would you like to be the defendent in a case where “x” number of acquaintances lined up to say you were guilty, even though you proved through tangible evidence that you weren’t, just because your were either successful, an @$$hole, wealthy, etc…. Based on your logic the accused would be terminated only to have those who terminated him come back later and say oh we made a mistake.
None
August 24th, 2012
3:42 pm
Not sure if he is guilty or not, but I certainly don’t feel “cheated” as you put it Mark. I did not and will not put that much emotion into how I feel about a celebrity I don’t even know. I get my inspiration from my kids, loved ones, genuine people. Sorry your heart is breaking. You’ll be just fine.
A. Bishop
August 24th, 2012
3:46 pm
Please stop writing. It is a waste of our time.
Montana Transplant
August 24th, 2012
3:49 pm
With the current state of athletics, it seems all are assumed guilty if charged. In this case, charged over and over again to no success. An organization comes along and declares him guilty with no realistic chance to have a decent defense so he chooses not to go through the charade. That means he MUST be guilty. Really? Guilty until proven innocent is the rule now? Is that where drugs and sports have taken us?
This case is built on others who cheated and want an out. It is built on a presumption of guilt not on evidence leading to the charge, but trying to find evidence to prove the assumption. And we are to buy it not just because he chooses no longer to fight, but because if someone exceeds, there must be cheating. Let’s condemn all the new world record holders from the Olympics as they can’t have honestly set new records above what others could have accomplished.
The frank truth is that we DON’T know if he’s guilty or not given the state of things. I just don’t like that the media and the general public has become so cynical that greatness has to mean cheating. Kinda makes one wonder why you’d want to excel as it just means people will say you cheated.
bikerdave
August 24th, 2012
3:53 pm
Should Phelps be scared now too? After all he did dominate mens swimming through three Olympics plus other world championships and collected how many Olympic medals?. In our ” hate successful people ” USA society there’s no way he could have accomplished that on his own correct? Had to be some locker room pharmacist helping out or as presbo likes to claim, nothing great is possible without the federal governments help.
I admit it looks bad on Lance’s part to quit like this but before I believe USADA, and throw him under the bus as just another cheater, I want to see the evidence. How does the guy pass all those drug test over the years, get acquited by the european drug testing agency, get his case dismissed by our own government for lack of evidence, yet USADA says he’s lying and everyone else is wrong? Show me the smoking gun and then I’ll believe. I really hope the media doesn’t give USADA a pass on this and digs in to force USADA to turn over what proof they claim to have.
We’re innocent until proven guilty in this country so bring it on and lets see the proof!!!
weena
August 24th, 2012
3:54 pm
True, it’s not about the bike. It’s about the money. He’s banked enough and been a poon-hound to rock stars and Hollywood loyatlty. At this point he probably just wants to take ambien and be left alone. I still think he’s cool for facing the cancer thing the way he did. Wear that braclet with pride for you too may one day be faced with a cancer scare. Just please, dear God, stop clogging up the streets with those damn boob-walks.
Jim
August 24th, 2012
3:59 pm
How can people call this a good article? Where is the proof that Lance ever cheated? Had he failed a drug test during any of his races, especially the Tour de France races, it would have come out. The French hated the fact that an American was dominating their sport and race, they would have nailed him to the side of the Eiffel Tower if they had proof he failed a test.
This is a witch hunt and it is pathetic. Why should he have to spend millions of dollars to keep defending himself against no proof? There are two former disgruntled cyclists accusing him of cheating. They are mad they tested positive. Lance has not tested positive in hundreds of tests.
And to imply he gave himself cancer by using steroids? That is a slap in the face for all the other people getting cancer! What have they done to themselves?
Aren’t people innocent until proven guilty?
Leave him alone!
Ghost of Eddie Merckx
August 24th, 2012
4:06 pm
He won 7 Tours de Fance with one nad and slept with Cheryl Crowe. I should be such a badas**
reclaim the NFC South
August 24th, 2012
4:08 pm
Enter your comments here
David
August 24th, 2012
4:10 pm
WOW! Look at all the support for Armstrong. So many people are so sure he did not dope. I don’t have to wonder what color the supporters. Probably the same supporters that tried to crucify Barry Bonds. Pathetic! The guy’s a cheat plain and simple and that’s why he’s giving up the fight. What a coward!
TommyP
August 24th, 2012
4:12 pm
Pretty disgusting to see the masses (as evidenced by this blog) covering their eyes and screaming Lance is innocent. Do you people know about masking agents?
If Armstrong was black, this country would vilify him. I believe it was 60 Minutes that ran a story on Armstrong years ago and had a lot on him (except for the positive test). His trainer was throwing out doping paraphernalia in dumpsters…..but I guess it wasn’t being used on Lance.
I think he’s the greatest…..cheater in the history of sports. Did Clemens fail a drug test? What about Bonds? How about McGwire?
Misty Fyed
August 24th, 2012
4:18 pm
What a crock TommyP….Why don’t go pick some guy up off the street and throw him in jail? I’m sure they did something wrong at some point in time. You have no proof of course…you just know it. That’s the same logic here.
TommyP
August 24th, 2012
4:20 pm
Here’s another sad situation…. Jose Canseco was ostracized by the nation and his sport for not only admitting he took steroids but saying that a lot of other players took them as well. He was “the bad guy.” So he cheated….then admitted to cheating and said half the sport was cheating. Others cheated and lied about it over and over and over.
How is Canseco the bad guy? He turned the sport of baseball around single-handedly. But he’s a snitch, right?
At least he was honest about it.
TommyP
August 24th, 2012
4:24 pm
Misty Fyed: Then clear Barry Bonds’ name and Mark McGwire’s name. They never failed a test for steroids.
X-cyclist
August 24th, 2012
4:25 pm
As a former competitive cyclist who, at my best was lucky to be on the same pavement as Lance, I forgive cyclists who did PEDs. If your goal is same as any other aspiring athlete – to be at the top of your sport, you really had no options. It is important to understand that Lance and others didn’t do drugs to avoid training hard, they did them in part so that they could train even harder. I don’t think it is fair to take away from Lance either that he started genetically gifted or that he trained harder than the other guy. Both are true.
Lance’s unforgivable crime is not cheating; it is maintaining his innocence as the icon he has become. He is a truly unique role model with a higher obligation. Aspiring 14 year old cyclists look to him as an example that 7 tours can be won clean. They simply can’t. Not under today’s system.
Lance coming clean would be a step towards fixing this and not placing that 14 year old in Floyd Landis’s unenviable position many years later when he realizes that he must do drugs to compete at the highest level. I am not a physcian, but in as much as some PEDs are recognized carcinogens or their impact not fully understood, it is just unforgivable that he perpetuates this message.
As with many things the true offense isn’t the crime, its the cover up.
TommyP
August 24th, 2012
4:27 pm
X-cyclist: Well said.
Ted Striker
August 24th, 2012
4:30 pm
USADA doesn’t move me on this. Unimpressed with the witch hunt. Unimpressed with the decision.
4dabirds
August 24th, 2012
4:30 pm
As a long time cyclist, I have always believed that Lance used PED’s, but I also assume that every top cyclist does as well. It’s the culture of professional cycling. The ones who know what they’re doing don’t get caught, because they have a full understanding as to when you use and when you don’t.
The PED’s are really just a small part of what it takes to win the TDF. Lance trained for months on end, he weighed his food, and surrounded himself with teammates that he paid out of his own pocket. His accomplishments led to deals with Nike that provided him with the very best apparel and Trek who gave him the most dynamic bike you could ask for. Being a smart rider with better than normal conditioning along with good business sense allowed him to grow larger than the sport. IMO, anyone who is winning in cycling is on a doping program, so why try to punish someone who is doing what many others are but doing it better?
Ken Stallings
August 24th, 2012
4:38 pm
I’m starting to wonder whether enough people in our society are now conditioned to convict without hard evidence that our liberties are truly threatened? Knowing that the sun rises and sets is not the same as knowing someone surfed on it! Meaning, knowing of the existence of masking agents does not mean someone in particular used them. What I do know is that plenty of athletes tested by the same standards Armstrong withstood had their titles vacated because they busted the tests.
The two people who have publicly come forward both were busted.
Everything else is innuendo, and people should not be ruined or declared guilty through innuendo.
I have a problem with some private company taking on the role of the judiciary. I have not heard of USADA trying to confiscate property from Armstrong, and I doubt that could happen, but if they tried to do that through a civil court action, it would be laughable. But, it would at least force USADA to present whatever evidence they claim to have.
While USADA is falling over themselves saying Armstrong’s actions exhonerate their evidence, I want to see USADA pony up everything to the UCI. I’d like to see a truly independent review of it. I suspect it is nothing more than rehashed information that UCI long ago knew about.
There is a reason why juries tend to discount testimony from people who face legal trouble. People with a motivation to point a finger at others to escape punishment for their own misdeeds have a clear conflict on interest.
So, I’m sorry “X-cyclist,” your words don’t sway me. What you say is innuendo. It is like a former A-ball baseball player saying all MLB players juiced. I live in the world of innocent until proven guilty, and I like to have the proof come in the form of objective arbiters who don’t have a dog in the fight. Travis Tygart has a clear motivation to hang Armstrong. He’s been on this crusade for well over a decade and it seems clear to me he wanted that scalp on his wall no matter how it was done.
Vain Jangling
August 24th, 2012
4:39 pm
@ Vain Jangling. Absolutely brilliant comments! Your insight is simply amazing. The ghosts of William Faulkner and Grantland Rice sing your eternal praises. The blogosphere, sir, bows before you.
bro
August 24th, 2012
4:57 pm
Looks like the usada was going to keep after him until they could come up with a reason to rip him to shreds. If he passed all the required tests, how can you by word of mouth take away what he earned. Why did they spend so much time and money on creating a reason to attack Lance. Can’t put much strength behind what the usada does or says. His a thought for you: WHITCH HUNT……………..
Trevor
August 24th, 2012
5:07 pm
Bob, UGADawg and DawgDad, you guys are clueless. The sport is tougher than anything you might imagine. Comparing it to twirling seriously? The training a cyclist has to go pushes passed pain barriers and effort that is beyond anything a pro football player can even imagine. And yes the sports top event is in France, what’s your point? As for Armstrong, he has never failed a test so that should end it. I don’t know if he cheated, but if you can’t prove it, move on. Stop spending tax payer money on a vendetta.
Trevor
August 24th, 2012
5:11 pm
Actually SK, a lot of cyclists get testicular cancer due to spending so much time sitting in the saddle. It doesn’t have to be due to steroids. It has happened to many amateur athletes as well.
Daniel
August 24th, 2012
5:12 pm
guess its time to educate all the Armstrong supporters here..
IN the world of doping, its a cat and mouse game, the dopers take dope that cant be detected, and the officials try to develop new methods of testing, this is one reason why they keep a cyclist urine frozen for years after a victory, so that when a new method of testing can be found, they go back and check urine samples. This appears to be what happened with Lance, they went back to the 2009 and 2010 urine samples, and they all tested positive. Add the fact, that almost his entire cycling team testified that Lance was a doper, it isnt good for Lance. He got caught cheating, and he should be punished for it, Lifetime ban, strip his victories.
Bill
August 24th, 2012
5:12 pm
My guess is that he was told that they finally had rock solid proof and that if he didn’t surrender, they would release it and positively destroy whatever good reputation he had left.
The Carnivore
August 24th, 2012
5:17 pm
@Ken and @X-cyclist – I agree with both of you even though you disagree with each other. One is making the legal argument. Is their enough hard evidence to convict Armstrong in a real trial? Not really. You would have the testimony of 10-20 eyewitnesses, but most of these could be shown to have somewhat dubious credibility by any decent defense lawyer. You don’t have a confirmed failed test, and even if you did, it could probably be thrown out based on shoddy handling arguments. At a minimum, you could create enough doubt that a jury would favor Lance.
The other side is plain hard cold reality. Any endurance athlete knows that the performances of Lance and other top cyclists are utterly impossible without a solid regimented doping program. He had access to enough money and enough doctors to make detection virtually impossible. Like others have said, you have to be a fool to get caught, because the doping tests are always 5-10 years behind the doping programs, not to mention all the masking agents. USPS had its own drug van during the TDF for years. So did all the other top teams.
The best you can say about Lance is that while he doped, so did everyone else, and thus he should be allowed to keep his titles. It is wrong of the USADA to go after him this long after the fact, and in the end, cycling is a niche sport that is rarely in the public eye. The NFL players use tons of PEDs too, but the money there is so big that no one in their right mind would dream of upsetting that apple cart. Lance is only getting this much attention because he is the biggest fish in a very small pond.