Few athletes in recent memory have provided a better case-study for American hero worship than Lance Armstrong.

Not only did was he able to captivate the American sports psyche despite participating in a sport that is well beyond the mainstream, he did so while battling an illness that has become synonymous with a shared experience.

So as we watched Armstrong battle the disease with such fervor and seemingly put it to rest, only to learn of a history of doping, lies and a tarnished stardom, we were left with a simple yet agonizing question: what do we think of Lance Armstrong, now?

Most athletes – those who run afoul with the law, or continuously engage in unsavory behavior outside the venue of competition – make it easy on our consciences by committing transgressions away from sports that far outweigh their value as entertainers during the game.

Armstrong is the opposite.

While his rampant cheating to win cycling races is now undisputed by everyone aside from the man himself, the work of his Livestrong foundation to curb the effects of cancer and raise awareness around the world cannot be overstated.

And is there any doubt it outweighs a few seconds shaved off his time in a race we otherwise don’t even care about?

Perhaps, but the integrity of the race and Armstrong’s unvarnished perseverance in the wake of his diagnosis were all part of the package that we collectively came to admire.

While the Tours are forever stained and the status as an elite athlete always viewed through the prism of “performance enhancing drugs,” the portrait we are left with is a confused one, but should be spotlessly transparent.

Athletes are entertainers. Their competitive exploits, while lucrative and a magnet for fame, should always pale in comparison to their standing as husbands, wives, sons and mothers.

Anyone who remembers Lawrence Taylor more for his dynamic style of play than his promotion of underage prostitutes does themselves, and LT, a great disservice. It is the same, if opposite, story for those who focus on Armstrong’s illicit training practices instead of his foundation and the people it has helped.

The incredible emotional, psychological and financial investment we have in sports is the root of the culture that makes athletes larger than life. But when we look closely, their portraits are just like ours – a classic Picasso.

For the Love of the Game is a Reporter column by sports and recreation reporter Josh Suman. 425-453-5045 and jsuman@bellevuereporter.com