In my two decades with the ABC I always wanted to interview two people – Sir Donald Bradman and Muhammad Ali. Regretfully, in thousands of interviews with sports personalities and athletes, I didn’t get the chance to do either.
But this week I could add another to the ‘never to be attained’ wish list.
As Lance Armstrong speaks publicly for the first time since he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles as a result of doping, I would love to have been the one to have fired the questions.
I am sure I am not alone in that desire. I would imagine thousands of journalists and broadcasters around the globe wishing they were also the ones conducting the interview.
But, as we know, the inquisitor will be Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah is entertainment’s true ‘Big O’ – a woman from humble beginnings who has risen to be a billionaire and possesses the power to turn an otherwise unknown author into a multi-million best seller just by saying she liked their book.
But, what sort of job will she do with the Armstrong interview? And what will she ask?
Armstrong has stated that he wants her to ask whatever she likes – that it will be no-holds barred as far as he is concerned.
Sources are being reported as saying that Armstrong will confess to drug use during the interview.
If that be so, I hope Winfrey asks the Texan these questions:
Q: Given you have shown yourself to be an inveterate liar, just what store should we place on your answers here today?
Q: Do you have any shame after all the years of lying and vilifying others who questioned your morality?
Q: Do you feel you have any credibility left in the eyes of the public?
Q: What is the motivation behind your admission today?
Q: Do you, even with your admission of drug use, still see yourself as a seven-time Tour de France champion?
Q: You effectively defrauded so many people along the way. You earned millions of dollars in prize money. Do you feel any need at all to pay that money back?
Q: You have publicly vilified so many people during your years of denial – the likes of David Walsh, Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, Christophe Bassons, Betsy Andreu – to name just a few. What do you say to them all now?
Q: Did you ever live in fear you would get found out or did you always believe in your own heart that you would never be caught?
Q: Now that you have confessed to being a drug cheat, just what was the motivation behind your $250,000 donation to the UCI that you said you made to help them improve their anti-doping operation?
Q: You always trumpeted the fact that you never once tested positive during your career. Is that actually true?
Q: What will you, or have you, told your children about the numerous lies you pedalled for well over a decade?
Q: Are you disappointed that Landis and Hamilton broke cycling’s omertà?
Q: You have so often said that you love cycling. That being the case how do you feel now as the man who has done more to hurt the sport than any other?
Q: Your closest friend in the sport is Johan Bryuneel, the man who was the team director for all seven of your Tour victories. He has chosen to fight the charges levelled against him through the court system. Have you spoken to him about the impact your confession will have on his future?
Q: Frankie and Betsy Andreu have testified that they heard you respond to a doctor’s enquiry whilst you were being treated for your cancer that you had in fact used various performance-enhancing drugs to that point. You have always denied that conversation. Were you lying, and if you were, do you feel that your drug use may have been a cause of your cancer?
Q: As one of your lines of defence over the years, you said that after all you had been through with cancer that you would never put untoward chemicals in your system. Now that we know that you did, did you have any fear doing so?
Q: What do you say today to the millions of people who suffer from cancer that believed your story and took motivation from your deeds even though they were based on a myth?
Q: How clean is the sport nowadays?
Q: What does the future hold for you now?
Q: How do you feel about having to go through the rest of your life as arguably the biggest drug cheat in history?
Q: You stood on the podium in the Champs-Elysees after you won your seventh Tour and were heading into retirement and uttered these words:
“Finally, the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the skeptics; I’m sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. I’m sorry you don’t believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people.” What do you now say to those cynics and skeptics, Lance?
I really hope Winfrey asks the hard questions. I hope she follows them up with hard questions. Oprah’s producers have been doing their research – David Walsh has been tweeting that he feels the right research is being done.
And I really hope that Armstrong does answer them honestly.
But, given his track record, should we really expect a complete mea culpa?
Editor’s note: Oprah’s Next Chapter featuring Lance Armstrong will be streamed on Oprah.com on (Australian time) Friday 18/1 1pm AEDT (US time: Thursday 1/17 at 9pm ET/8pm CT)
LukeC
Roar Rookie
All the questions I would have asked and more. I'll have the checklist out while I watch the interviews and, fingers crossed, all will be asked
ScrumJunkie
Guest
Jeez Gleen, I know it sucks that a sporting hero turned out to be a cheat, but he didn't do it to hurt you personally. Take a chill pill.
Mary
Guest
you got me.
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
How about croquet Marty?
Marty
Guest
Drug cheat or not, please don't forget all the other cyclists had a choice between what was right and wrong. They could have grown a set of balls and said no thanks. Instead they decided to profit from this and they obviousy did until they got caught. USADA has prosecuted him on liars and cheats evidence. What creedance does their testimony really hold for the honest person as they are now profiting from their stories that may not be 100% true after all they are convicted liars. Remember he apparently passed over 500 drug tests in his career. Except for only a few people all the companies who sponsored Lance Armstrong teams and himself have profited along the way thousands and million times over compared to L.A. and it is a bit rich that they all of a sudden grow a consience and want to be reimbursed. Are they going to then reimburse their customers that have paid higher prices in the past just because L.A. wore or used their brand? I don't think so. As far as cancer patients are concerned any hope or belief is beneficial. Just because he may or may not have taken performancing enhancing drugs dosen't change the fact that he to date has beaten cancer. This only gives some of us more hope. Maybe some of the drugs he has supposed to have taken actually help in the fight against some cancers. And I am sure some of the money he has helped raise for livestrong has helped plenty of research and the fight against cancer, please don't ever forget that. At the end of the day who really cares, cyclist have been cheating since the Tour De France started. Please show me a sport on this planet that is 100% clean and athletes who eat a normal diet and don't take a supplement or an injection for pain. No sport exists. It is history for a reason and even if he admits his guilt or not he will still make a profit out of some because we will keep reading about him or watching interviews that he will ultimately get paid for. Maybe don't believe in his success but don't ever give up on his cancer charity and cancer work. Wrongs or cheating aside he has done the cancer drive worldwide a huge service that some people only dream of and one in two people will need this one day. People, move on and get over it!
swannies05
Roar Pro
Tommy- 1pm on Friday AEDT
matt h
Guest
Yes, maybe Jerry Springer would have been a better interview
tommy
Guest
I understand this will be live streaming on Thursday on her website. What time exactly will this interview be on, Sydney time? Cheers
Mikey
Guest
LA will be trying to win back some public sympathy and he will most likely do this by admitting to a little, shifting blame where he can, highlight his charity work, talk about how much he loves his kids and that being a good dad is all he cares about now. I have never seen Oprah do an interview where the interviewee doesn't receive some sympathy and lots of good PR. That's why she is the preferred interviewer for many celebrities. Still it will make interesting viewing.
Marcus O'Callaghan
Guest
er make that 93
Marcus O'Callaghan
Guest
When did you take your first banned substance? Were you on PEDs in 92 when you won the Worlds?? Did you take HGH prior to your cancer diagnosis? If so, when was the last time you took it before being diagnosed? Do you believe this contributed to the growth of your cancer - which was (apparently) particularly aggressive. How do you think history will view you in say 10 or even 50 years' time? Hey Glenn, Lance only pedallled his bike but he also "peddled" lies...
DingoGray
Roar Guru
Did Cheryl Crow's music make you physically sick????
Australian Rules
Guest
The most galling feature of LA's career was the ferocity with which he attacked his accusers. He ended careers, savaged people in the media (including the media themselves) and litigated multiple times, often successfully. The London Times was forced to pay Lance $1.5M (plus legal costs) after he sued them. Q: Do you have a fund in place to return monies paid to you over the years?
Old Goalie
Guest
Oh the moralising
jameswm
Guest
His body responded to PEDs better than others'. Yes, there were clean competitors.
eric
Guest
Glenn you assume Armstrong is going to confess. Is that a given? I'd be surprised.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
What Lee said. +1
Steve
Guest
Spot on Lee, spot on. Armstrong apologists, read this and find a rebuttal that doesn't rely on strawmen or immediately dismissable arguments. (see liquor-box above)
Lee Rodgers
Expert
Definitely worse than the rest, no bones about it. Even other arch dopers such as Marco Pantani and Alexandr Vinokourov stopped short of deliberately bringing about an end to other riders' careers (check our Christophe Bassons and Filippo Simeoni) and calling into question the sanity of those who said he was a doper (Paul Kimmage, David Walsh and Betsy Andreu), and just about destroying professional reputations and businesses (Greg Lemond). Most dopers have kept quiet and offered mere lip service to calls for better tests etc, but not LA - he stood there and said 'I have never doped' - when he was juiced to the eyeballs. Bribed the UCI. Tried to bribe USADA. Lied on the Champs 'Elysee. He proved himself to be tyrannical, a liar, and a bully, in equal measure. And definitely, without a doubt, worse than the rest. Riccardo Ricco with a very, very good doctor, a highly polished PR team, and an American accent...
Me Too
Guest
Alternatively we could ask if he had any genuine competitors that weren't on the juice. I would think not. He is a product of the sport, no worse than the rest - simply a better cyclist. The sport then has to decide whether to anull all championships over that time or accept it and move on.