Armstrong nominated as Texan of the Year

Lance Armstrong has been nominated for Texan of the Year – but not as a sterling example of the Lone Star State's population. The Dallas Morning News has nominated him for its award as a top newsmaker who has had a great impact.

“Armstrong’s crash to Earth in 2012, with all its painful reverberations, leaves a Texas-size crater that qualifies him as a finalist for this year’s distinction. His fall wasn’t pleasant to behold,” the newspaper said in an editorial. “If nothing else, it’s a lesson about the perils of hero worship.”

The title is one which does not necessarily reflect well on the recipient. “The Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year is a distinction we bestow for impact, be it for better or for worse. It reflects the prominence of what Texans do, not what we’d prefer them to do.”

Armstrong, a lifelong resident of Texas, first came to notice in the state as a teenage triathlete. He enthralled millions of Texans and fans around the world as he came back from cancer to win seven consecutive Tours de France, and raised millions of dollars from this Livestrong Foundation.

But the legend came to an end in 2012. “This year came the epic fall, a legacy imploded in weeks. The head of the U.S. anti-doping agency revealed him as a serial cheat, the enforcer of 'the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.' Sponsors abandoned Armstrong. Nike said he misled the company for a decade.

“Now the Armstrong brand will forever be that of a fighter, a survivor and a cunning, steely-eyed liar.”