Synopses & Reviews
Doping is a practice as old as sport. From baseball to track and field, cycling to horse racing, doping to win has been a part of sports for over 150 years. Today, the athletes caught using performance enhancing drugs are villainized as cheaters and morally flawed people whose presence in sports is an affront to the athletes who don't take short cuts.
But this tidy worldview cheats sports fans. Doping in sport is certainly an individual decision, but to blame only the athletes ignores decades of historical context and the cultural ecosystem in which teams, coaches, athletes, sports federations, and even spectators play a role. The truth is messy--and more shocking.
In Spitting in the Soup, sports journalist Mark Johnson explores the dirty game of doping, its underground methods, the deals made behind closed doors, and the insidious cycle that keeps drugs in sports. Johnson unwinds the doping culture from the early days when pills meant progress and uncovers the complex relationships underlying today's sports culture.
It's easy to assume that drugs have always been frowned upon in sport, but for two-thirds of organized sporting history, that is not true. Drugs in sports are old. It's banning drugs in sport that is new. Spitting in the Soup offers a bitingly honest, clear-eyed look at the dirty game of doping in sports.
Review
Praise for Argyle Armada by Mark Johnson"A happy medium between writing and photography...An insightful journey." -- BikeRumor.com
"Johnson goes behind the scenes, beautifully documenting the ups, downs and sideways moments of Slipstream Sports' 2011 season." -- Paved magazine
"Mark Johnson has done a great job portraying an unrestricted view of the inner workings of the annual traveling circus that is pro cycling." -- Peter Stetina, professional cyclist for Team Garmin-Barracuda
"Johnson weaves a narrative of physical pressures and business stresses...Johnson takes full advantage of his special access." -- American Society of Media Photographers
"Johnson is a fine writer....
Synopsis
Doping is as old as organized sports. From baseball to horse racing, cycling to track and field, drugs have been used to enhance performance for 150 years. For much of that time, doping to do better was expected. It was doping to throw a game that stirred outrage.
Today, though, athletes are vilified for using performance-enhancing drugs. Damned as moral deviants who shred the fair-play fabric, dopers are an affront to the athletes who don't take shortcuts.
But this tidy view swindles sports fans. While we may want the world sorted into villains and victims, putting the blame on athletes alone ignores decades of history in which teams, coaches, governments, the media, scientists, sponsors, sports federations, and even spectators have played a role. The truth about doping in sports is messy and shocking because it holds a mirror to our own reluctance to spit in the soup--that is, to tell the truth about the spectacle we crave.
In Spitting in the Soup, sports journalist Mark Johnson explores how the deals made behind closed doors keep drugs in sports. Johnson unwinds the doping culture from the early days, when pills meant progress, and uncovers the complex relationships that underlie elite sports culture--the essence of which is not to play fair but to push the boundaries of human performance.
It's easy to assume that drugs in sports have always been frowned upon, but that's not true. Drugs in sports are old. It's banning drugs in sports that is new. Spitting in the Soup offers a bitingly honest, clear-eyed look at why that's so, and what it will take to kick pills out of the locker room once and for all.
Synopsis
- Advance media campaign to broadcast and sports media.
- Media consideration in mainstream sports, health/fitness, and endurance sports media.
- Print and online advertising with top endurance sports magazines and websites.
Synopsis
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About the Author
Mark Johnson has covered cycling as a writer and photographer for national and international publications since the 1980s. His work has been published in cycling titles including VeloNews in the United States, Cycling Weekly in the UK, Velo in France, and Ride Cycling Review in Australia, as well as general-interest publications including The Wall Street Journal and the San Diego Union-Tribune. A category 2 road cyclist, Mark has also bicycled across the United States twice and completed an Ironman triathlon. He has a PhD in English literature from Boston University and has worked as a freelance writer and photographer for the Slipstream Sports cycling team since 2007. His other passion is surfing, which he does frequently from his home in Del Mar, California.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: When Pills Meant Progress
Chapter 2: Good Becomes Evil
Chapter 3: Horses, Aristocrats, and Amateurs
Chapter 4: Moral Panic
Chapter 5: Image Management and the Olympics
Chapter 6: The Race to the End