The Good, The Bad, and The Corrupt
A hero, revered by many, has officially admitted to obtaining his godly feat through cheating and coercion. After years of prosecuting those that have announced his guilt, he has finally admitted to it. Lance Armstrong has finally confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France seven times in a row after defeating testicular cancer. What seemed impossible to accomplish was truly impossible without the aid of these drugs. Although this is terrible for the sport of cycling, it has completely tarnished the reputation of a man who was awarded millions of dollars of sponsorship revenue, and also raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer research.
Lance Armstrong repeatedly attempted to maintain his innocent image, but his unethical decisions, which resulted in his victories, eventually caught up with him. His personal brand and legacy have been tarnished beyond repair. Moreover, from his successes he earned sponsorship deals with various companies, such as Nike. He then falsely represented these corporations, and the foundation Livestrong, since his success was largely due to his victories in the Tour de France.
Traditionally, ethics in marketing has referred to companies promoting products; however, in this case, it is a dishonest athlete falsely promoting himself and his personal brand. Lance Armstrong sponsored various companies, fully knowing his accomplishments were a result of his cheating. His personal image and brand will never be the same, and this man, who was once a hero who defied the odds, has fallen. Although the foundation he initiated has raised almost half a billion dollars for cancer research, it will be difficult for him to overcome his newly tarnished image.
By knowingly misleading companies to earn millions of dollars, his acts were heinous. Unlike another well known advocate for cancer research, Lance Armstrong’s actions were centred around personal greed, as well as unethically presenting himself as a cancer survivor who was thought to have accomplished the impossible.
Article Sources:
Los Angeles Times, Lance Armstong on Sponsors leaving: A $75-million day in losses, 2013
CBC, Lance Armstrong Admits to Doping in Oprah Interview, 2013
The Vancouver Sun, Lance Armstrong naked, exposed as the author of his own scam, 2012
The Difference between Lance Armstrong and Terry Fox
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