Days before the new year, USA Today writer Sharon Jayson dubbed 2012 as the “Year of the Cheater.”

Among the participants of this allegation were David Petraeus’ love affair, the Goldman Sachs investment scam and of course the recently uncovered doping scheme of Lance Armstrong.

I will agree that scandals were ever present in 2012. But further investigation of the facts begs the question: Do those involved in the scandal bear full responsibility or is cheating an accepted medium behind the curtain of a competitive society?

Well, for Petraeus and Goldman Sachs, I don’t think there is any denying that the individuals involved were the only ones at fault, however, Armstrong’s case may be more complex.

Perhaps there is more to this case than one dishonest man hiding behind the illusion of a miracle.

In October 2012, The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) released a report claiming that Armstrong and several members of his cycling team used performance-enhancing drugs that ultimately led to Armstrong’s victories in seven Tour De France races.

Despite Armstrong’s confession to these allegations in an in-depth interview with Oprah Winfrey, I am skeptical about placing all of the blame on Armstrong.

Armstrong stated that in taking performance-enhancing drugs he wasn’t gaining an advantage but leveling the playing field. And he might be right. Cycling is definitely not a sport new to doping.

According to the New York Times, all but two Tour De France winners since 1995 have been involved in doping scandals.

And Armstrong’s teammate George Hincapie told the USADA, “…given the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs by cyclists at the top of the profession, it was not possible to compete at the highest levels without them.”

In a sport where cheating is the only way to win or even perform decently, Armstrong cannot be the only one to blame.

Six of Armstrong’s own teammates were suspended for doping and yet the media paints Armstrong as a cheater in the company of honest people.

Now this doesn’t justify his actions; doping is still dishonest and should come with consequences.

But this scandal is not just about the faults of an individual or even a group of individuals. It is merely a sign of a flawed system.

And yet the media, in search of a good story, will continue to show Armstrong as the monster who fooled us all.

But I still believe him to be a good man caught up in a bad system. In fact, given the same situation, I think that most of us would have done the same thing, as much as we would want to deny it.

So I guess, in the end, I will agree that 2012 was the year of the cheater. But I don’t think it was Armstrong who cheated the public. I think it was the public that cheated Armstrong.