Armstrong was never a role model except for marketing. I don't know who is the other guy. I don't care. *googles* Still don't care. Ha...
It's a pretty cool story, check out this film if you can find it somewhere on the net. eta: maybe "cool" is the wrong word, it's a touching story anyway.
He did survive cancer even though everyone told him he wouldn't. And the Livestrong Foundation isn't a bad thing either. People now act like he's the Hitler of Cycling. Calm down.
What Armstrong did was shameful, and even illegal, but hardly the worst thing a sports figure has ever done, and cheating at sports ranks rather low in the list of things that make one a bad person, somewhere above not flushing the toilet in the locker room and below whacking your competition in the knees with a lead pipe.
Works only for people who were naive enough to believe him. I disliked him before his cancer, it didn't change after. He's just another customer of Michele Ferrari anyway.
This is also a Star Trek board. What did Captain Kirk, fictional inspiration for millions, do again back at the Academy days that was so cool?
Meh... in the sports world winning usually trumps ethics... if you want a role model in life, looking towards sports celebrities isn't it.