Lance Armstrong and Teaching Students the Meaning of Integrity

By Joseph W. Gauld

The saga of Lance Armstrong continues. Still attempting to rehabilitate himself, he most recently said in an interview in Texas Monthly that former President Bill Clinton was a hero of his—identifying himself as a phoenix who will rise once again. “Ultimately, people forgive and forget and remember the good stuff you did,” he told the reporter.

Whether or not you agree with his line of reasoning, my concern is how do kids, who once idolized the cyclist feel today about Lance Armstrong? The short answer is: probably confused. This longtime national hero has admitted to masterminding a massive cheating system over a number of years, in which he lied and even sued those who accused him of cheating. Yet kids still don’t know if he has told the whole truth.

As a kid myself, I remember seeing Jimmy Stewart in the 1939 movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” triumphing over corrupt politicians, reaffirming that good ultimately wins...