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Game of Shadows (Abridged): Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,956 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The complete inside story of the shocking steroids scandal that turned the sports world upside down For years, in the shadowy reaches of the world of sports, there were rumors that some of our nation’s greatest athletes were using steroids, human growth hormone, and other drugs to run faster, jump higher, and hit harder. But as track stars blazed their way to Olympic medals and sluggers brought fans back to baseball, sports officials, the media, and fans looked past the rumors and cheered on the athletes to ever-higher levels of performance. Then, in December 2004, San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams broke the story of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, a tiny nutritional supplement company that, according to sworn testimony, was supplying elite athletes with banned drugs. The stories shocked the nation and the exposés led to congressional hearings on baseball's drug problems and a revived effort to purge the U.S. Olympic movement of drug cheats. Now, in GAME OF SHADOWS, Fainaru-Wada and Williams tell the complete story of BALCO and the investigation that has shaken the foundations of the sporting world. And at the center of the story is the biggest star of them all, Barry Bonds, the muscle-bound MVP outfielder for the San Francisco Giants whose suspicious late-career renaissance has him threatening Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record. Shocking, revelatory, and riveting, GAME OF SHADOWS casts light into the shadows of American sports to reveal the dark truths at the heart of the game today.
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"Stunning, eye-popping account of the true world of sports. As a major sports fan, this book both sickened & educated me. Additionally, Bonds is a racist piece of shit that loathes white people. Note to Barry: Hank is still the home run king, you retarded fuck!"
— Joshua (5 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
Game of Shadows Listener Reviews
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" Very readable, perhaps too long and I guess I came out of it knowing more detail but really not learning anything new. "
— Jerry, 2/4/2014 -
" Stunning information, with plenty of evidence to support it. "
— Dan, 2/3/2014 -
" This is a complete inside look at how steroids has turned professional sports upside down. "
— Stephanie, 1/24/2014 -
" Extremely well researched. Not sure how anyone can read this book and not be disgusted with Bonds. "
— Jason, 1/22/2014 -
" Great book, information that Sports fans needed to know, but it strikes a nerve with me knowing how many people CHEATED. "
— Sean, 1/5/2014 -
" Read on vacation. So disturbing and disappointing for any fan of sport, especially baseball and track & field. "
— Karis, 12/31/2013 -
" Not bad, if you like this sort of thing. "
— Jeanne, 12/21/2013 -
" The Balco story got a lot of coverage but this is where it all began. I disliked Barry Bonds before I read this book - it just intensified my disrespect for him. What a waste... "
— Diane, 11/24/2013 -
" Very well done. Excellent investigative sports journalism. More sportswriters should read it. "
— Tad, 9/6/2013 -
" Barry's a cheat and his records should not stand. Case closed. "
— Phil, 7/27/2013 -
" Victor Conte is a fascinating little man. This book delves way more into track and field than it does into baseball. But it's an interesting look at Balco, Bonds, and the steriod scene. "
— Steve, 4/27/2013 -
" I never liked Bonds but after reading this detailed account of his arrogance and lack of accountability I dislike him a lot more. Very descriptive book of the balco scandal and the athletes involved with performance enhancing drugs "
— Jonathan, 3/10/2013 -
" Barry Bonds is a terrible person...enough said "
— Eric, 2/28/2013 -
" Great uncovering of a cheater "
— Luigib, 11/30/2012 -
" For any baseball/ Giants fan/ Bonds disbeliever... this is a great one. "
— Colleen, 9/23/2012 -
" His skull grew!!! And he was 35!!! "
— John, 7/11/2012 -
" Barry did steroids and so did a lot of other athletes. After reading this, there is no doubt about it. "
— Peter, 5/11/2012 -
" Very informative with a great insight, seriously disturbing as well. "
— Navajojim, 4/12/2012 -
" A must-read for baseball fans. Really, for sports fans. "
— Jennifer, 1/28/2012 -
" Quite eye opening to the lengths that some athletes are willing to go to attain "greatness" in their sport. Also, the trainers that don't seem to have a problem helping them cheat is extraordinary. "
— Jeff, 12/20/2011 -
" Very interesting book, I didn't think I could dislike Bonds any more than I did, but I do after reading this. Shows the prevalence of steroids in both baseball and track and field, tying in well with the recent news of Marion Jones. "
— Mike, 9/17/2011 -
" You have to wonder how much of this book is honestly true and how much is just stringing together events to make it look good. However, I found it very entertaining and somewhat convincing. "
— Jenny, 8/15/2011 -
" Investigative journalism at its finest. Even though we all know the outcome, it's paced in such a breathless manner that your brain tricks itself into thinking all the "bad guys" are going to get caught and pay for their indiscretions. If only... "
— Mark, 6/30/2011 -
" This book makes true sports fan feel robbed by all the "steroid stars". "
— Roberto, 5/25/2011 -
" Quite eye opening to the lengths that some athletes are willing to go to attain "greatness" in their sport. Also, the trainers that don't seem to have a problem helping them cheat is extraordinary. "
— Jeff, 4/24/2011 -
" Very well done. Excellent investigative sports journalism. More sportswriters should read it. "
— Tad, 4/16/2011 -
" Once you get used to the terminology used it can be a pretty interesting and at times gripping story "
— Steven, 12/11/2010 -
" Barry did steroids and so did a lot of other athletes. After reading this, there is no doubt about it. "
— Peter, 10/14/2010 -
" a bit boring, only read it to see what they had to say about Bonds "
— Marc, 8/3/2010 -
" Badly written, but well thought out. "
— Matthew, 2/14/2010 -
" Barry Bonds is a terrible human being and a cheater. Also Marion Jones is a liar. "
— Kevin, 2/3/2010 -
" Fascinating, the lengths to which these people will go to protect their lies. This is a simple read and will only take a few hours. If you love sports, it's worth the time just to know how this steroid stuff works. I was riveted. "
— Tajma, 9/21/2009 -
" The title is missleading in that it does not address the Bonds issue until chapter 5. It was a good read and informative. <br/> "
— Ken, 6/28/2009
About the Authors
Mark Fainaru-Wada is an investigative reporter for ESPN. With his colleague Lance Williams, he coauthored the New York Times bestseller Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal That Rocked Professional Sports. He lives in Petaluma, California, with his wife and children.
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.