Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, Balco, and the Steroids Scandal That Rocked Professional Sports Paperback – Illustrated, 22 Mar. 2007

Sports drug-testing really was a mess at the turn of the century and this book shows how easily a chancer like Victor Conte could subvert the system and assist athletes like Marian Jones, Dwain Chambers and most famously (allegedly, of course, should his solicitors be reading this) Barry Bonds to cheat their way to success.Aside from his general unpleasantness, this fantastic book (written by two good old-fashioned investigative journalists) strips Bonds down to the insecure, bullying thug who will forever have an asterisk against his name. Hall-of-famer? Please, no. Anyone who thinks otherwise should read this great book.

Great read..and an insight into the drugs scandal of US sports,

A very interesting read. Lots of detail on Balco and Victor Conte. It's fascinating how it all fits together and the different athletes get involved in doping and PED's. Marion Jones, Barry Bonds, Dwain Chambers and plenty more household names. Particularly relevant with the current headlines involving Paula Radcliffe, Monday Farah etc. Highly recommended!

A tremendously interesting book about the dark side of professional sports.

as a baseball and general sports fan, this book appealed to me for a number of reasons. it did not disappoint. considerably well researched, game of shadows does a great job of explaining the steroid contribution to sports during the late 90s and early 2000s. balancing historical context with recent perspective, the two authors have managed to produce a page turner that will have many non-sport fans looking forward to the next chapter. to gain a fourth star, the book would have to make me want to read it for a second time, which because of its quality and easy read style is simply not required - a strangely ironic vicious circle.

Really good read

A great book for those interested in the darker side of sports and for any budding sports journalists.

I'd heard much about this book but I still wasn't prepared for the strength and conviction of the accusations made by the authors.I chose a good time to read with Marion Jones being sent to prison for her role in BALCO affair.The two authors have a story to tell and despite their obivous disdain for Victor Conte and Barry Bonds, you never get the sense they are trying to manipulate the readers feelings. Even if you don't understand the science behind the doping scandals (I certainly didn't.) It will enlighten you and make you question the world of professional sport. for any fans of athletics and baseball, this is a must read.

A real good look at the steroid scandal. Enjoyed this read

Interesting book. Very quick delivery, Book is almost as new, Seller is highly recommendable, Very good price. Both seller and book recommended.

You don't have to be a baseball or track and field fan to enjoy this read. The American athletes have this holier than thou attitude with regards to doping, but they're just as guilty as the former East Germans! The journalists who wrote this book deserve a medal for exposing the athletes that cheat and for turning me into an informed skeptic. Barry Bonds will probably never be prosecuted, but on the basis of the evidence presented in this book, he is obviously a cheat.

You get to know the world of PED's and those that took them.

Before reading 'Game of Shadows' I had pretty much already formed an opinion on steroids in baseball. Watching Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire crush the home run record and then seeing Barry Bonds make a joke of said "untouchable" records only a scant 3 years later, I was not surprised 1 iota when it was revealed that abuse was rampant in the major leagues. Seeing the physical changes in players such as Barry Bonds and the aforementioned athletes only solidified that opinion, and to be honest, I really didn't care. Why did I not care? Simple, because baseball ITSELF didn't care. MLB had been promoting the cartoon-like statures and performances of these players for some time, and the long ball had become the #1 selling point of the entire sport. So when I read about the evidence that was dug up on Barry Bonds and all these other players, I said to myself that baseball was the exception, not the rule.WRONG.After reading this book, the saddest thing that stands out is how prevalent illegal drugs are in all sports. Basically, if there is a way to cheat, people are going to find, abuse it, and keep doing it. It's a continual game of cat and mouse, where the Tom can never catch Jerry. It doesn't matter if you are male or female, it's quite clear that the human desire to get ahead by any means possible will always be in existence, and who knows how many records have been tainted because people just cannot play by the rules.Baseball, the NFL, Olympics, it doesn't matter what sport/league, because in any physical competition, there is always a pro in becoming bigger, stronger, faster. As long as that desire and need is around, there will always be cheats, and this "success" of Victor Conte and Patrick Arnold will only spur more business people and scientists to create the next designer steroid, just probably without as much flamboyance as Conte sought which helped lead him down a path of destruction.If you want to learn more about the history of illegal drugs in this business and how good investigative work is done, you owe it to yourself to read 'Game of Shadows'. Unless you are a total mark or blind, it is QUITE clear that more than enough evidence exists that ignores Mr. Bonds' denials and paints a bright picture that not only has he used steroids, but he has for quite some time.An entertaining read that is well structured, researched to a tee, and in my opinion just a sliver of things to come in the future as it relates to using performance enhancing drugs in all sports.**** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED