Why America Hates Greatness

Why does everybody hate Lance Armstrong? What the guy has done is amazing. I think it boils down to this- America hates greatness. Let me explain.

We are now a country that loves the underdog. I'll use the Patriots as my test case. When they won the Super Bowl in 2001 as 14 point underdogs, they were America's darlings. They were lauded for being blue collar, gritty, and playing the game the the right way. They were the epitome of team work. When they kept winning, people begain to tire of them, to the point where the whole country was perfectly happy (even eager) to turn their back on them by the time Spygate rolled around.

Back to Lance. When he beat cancer, started the Livestrong bracelet trend that refuses to go away (I'm guilty of wearing them), and started winning the Tour de France, he was the biggest thing since sliced bread. He was coronated as a larger than life American hero, and became the poster boy for courage. He was perserverance personified, a testament to the heights you can climb with a new give up attitude.

Flash forward to present day. Now arrogant is just as likely the adjective being used to describe Armstrong as amazing. His achievements haven't changed, but people are now bored of him. They want the next story. He was crucified for divorcing his first wife (she left him, by the way). They say he can't give up racing. Why should he!? He is still among the best in the world (finishing third in the 2009 Tour de France). The fact is, we hate Lance for the same reason we hate the Yankees, Patriots, Lakers, Bulls and Cowboys (of the 90's). He had the audacity to win too much. He killed the precious underdogs that we as a nation now cherish. It's just too bad we can't root for the underdog while still appreciating true greatness, which is considerably more rare. Maybe someday we will find that happy medium, but that day is not today.