Is admitting to the world that you lied, but not completely doing it, enough to make up for everything Lance Armstrong had done? Hopefully not, but in this world, you never know. Maybe talking to Oprah can somehow make him less of a cheater and fraud than he seems to be.

For about 99% of the people that follow sports, there isn’t a single thing Lance Armstrong can do that will put things back to where they were. Cheaters in sports shouldn’t be forgiven, and as the evidence from the USADA investigations clearly showed, Armstrong was much more than a cheater: The man behind the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen

Nothing Armstrong says will change that all of his seven Tour de France titles have been taken away from him. That every accomplishment he has every been proud of is now gone down the waste bin of history. His Olympic medal has now been taken away from him. Everything he earned from endorsements and sponsors was done by cheating, lying and deceiving millions. Nothing he ever says or does can turn everything that’s happened in the past few months around.

How much does Armstrong care? I guess we’ll now in these interviews. Oprah spoke about feeling he did leave it all on the table, but not giving her and the public the answers they want to hear. The manner in which he speaks about his actions, be it acting or actually honest portrayal of emotions, will be a key component of how the public perceives this man after Thursday and Friday night.

It wasn’t too long ago that this picture symbolized everything Lance Armstrong thought about the public and the revelations about the depth of his doping ring. Yes, he still has the 7 yellow jerseys, so everyone can go f$%^ themselves. Except for the cancer patients, who many of them still believe in him, because by being so awful towards the sport and its fans, he became an industry, and vicariously a symbol for hope. He cheated his way too it for years upon years, but it can’t be said that he didn’t do a world of good through the Livestrong foundation and the Nike bracelets.

Armstrong doesn’t care about forgiveness, but he cares about being a part of sports again. Unless he begins some sort of apologetic process, his goals of returning to official competitions (not necessarily in cycling) will be denied. Still, this isn’t about clearing his conscious. This is about doing just about enough to get the technical permission to race again: The limited confession reportedly would be done with the goal of mitigating punishments Armstrong has received that have prohibited him from participating in competitive athletic events.

Once a hero, now a fraud. A sad story of a man who became an inspiration, among the greatest athletes who ever lived, only to be brought down shamefully, while he simply ignored the accusers and later the blatant facts. He chose a comfortable stage to make his “confession”, with an interviewer who just wants ratings, not the actual, deep truth.

It’s still interesting to hear what Armstrong has to say. Liars and con-men make for the most charming and interesting of characters to listen to. That’s is what Armstrong is, or was: A con-man, who fooled the world for a a few years and then some, only to be caught, but still not make him repent for what he has done, or at least not for the reasons we want him to.