Spitting in the Soup: Inside the Dirty Game of Doping in Sports

As a long time amateur athlete I was surprised by the early history of drug use contained in the book and how much politics played into the various positions taken by all interested parties. Lots of detail makes the book slow reading bi worth it.

Lance isn't as bad as you thought, and the Olympics are a whole lot worse. This book sorts out the moral complexities of winning in sports, and really all aspects of life. I've joked that; in 1992 I was 16 and in a small town and my football team could get steroids. Therefore all college and pros we're on steroids. Not just football players I'd say, golfers and ballerinas too. Apparently I wasn't joking, apparently I was understating the issue.

The book very successfully goes through all the aspects of doping in and outside of sports on all levels of society and examines the reasons and history behind the issue. It is an easy read and the presentation is logical and comprehensive. Excellent work by the author.

Lots of fascinating information, but in my view presented with a bit too much bias against the Olympic ideals and the value of keeping sports as PED-free as possible.

A thorough and insightful look at not just PED's but drug use in our country. Non-judgmental assessment of performance enhancement, which in an unexpected sense is refreshing. The dirty business of drugs isn't limited to sports performance. This book is well written and such an eye opener.

The analysis is definitely extensive, but sometimes almost seemingly too extensive. Case in point is the chapter on EPO. It almost seems more intent on disproving or pointing out flaws in past assertions about the use of EPO than in illuminating the truth.

From the perspective of an amateur competitor in sports, I find this book a sad implication of the sometimes toxic side of sport. The conclusions in ring depressingly close to home.

A complete description of doping in all types of situations with comparisons to current life

Wow, the info contained in this book isn't just about doping but rather how the IOC and IAAF played all of us for fools. No wonder so many people want the IOC and IAAF to just go away . They not only lied , played along and enabled the athletes to cheat but also helped cover it up and used their PR spin doctors to make it go away. Now look at what is now a total fraud paid for by each country and are youth cannot have a dream of just wanting to compete in an arena of just fair play. The greed and money with the help of the IOC has ruined it all . I spoken with so many peers who have all said "no won't watch it and never will" ever. Great read with so many insights it is hard to believe we were all hoodwinked. A must read for any person who loved sports.

I am just over half way through this book but absolutely love it. Johnson effectively explains the context with which decisions were made and objectively reports on the development of performance enhancing drugs in general, when/how they became utilised by athletes, where their stigma originated, and how the views on doping have been perceived from the level of the fan, the athlete and the government (and how those perceptions have evolved over time). A great writer and a fascinating topic, I highly recommend!

A real eye opener. Anyone who thinks that doping is exclusive to pro cycling should read this book. It certainly opens a person's eyes to the hypocrisy that pervades all pro sports. The bigger the financial rewards for the athletes the greater the incentive to get an 'edge' on competition. A very interesting read.

This book explains how drugs in sport and life have been around since the beginning of time and will never disappear.

If the author had stuck to the corruption and hypocrisy at the head of sports governing bodies such as the IOC, or FIFA, this would have been a compelling read, instead it seems to save all it's fire for anti-doping. I think someone from WADA once spilt this authors drink, because he has a real grudge against anti-doping authorities. Right from the start, he talks about anti-doping missionaries, evangelicals, and crusaders. He even describes them as "quasi-religious" at one point. It continues (repetitively) like this for almost 400 pages.It seemed that doping was bad when Europeans did it, especially those shifty East Germans, but USA sports seemed to get off lightly in comparison - baseball fans supposedly expect to see doping enhanced performances and so the sport must comply.For a whole chapter he'll tell you that the evidence that EPO can be harmful is anecdotal at best, but a sentence about the "devastating health effects such doping can have on youngsters" (referring to AAS) is tucked away at the very end of another chapter, and almost as a afterthought that can be disregarded.His sources seem to be Sports Historians rather than scientists, so his science is second hand at best. He doesn't mention the death of Birgit Dressel, never once uses the word cheating, and seems to prefer to train his fire on the people trying to clean up sport, rather those profiting from the corruption.He did explain the origins of the term "Snake Oil" which is something I didn't know before - he's earned an extra star for that!