Introduction

Abstract

First paragraph: To borrow a phrase from Jeff Hill, there is a certain 'unevenness of coverage' in the history of drug use in sport. If we begin by considering that drug use can include alcohol, recreational drugs and performance-enhancing drugs, then it is clear that most of the analysis and debate has been skewed towards the last of these, with some recent studies on the first and almost none on the second. Another consideration is one of time-frames: most of the alcohol studies are rooted in early modern periods, while the 'doping' studies tend to focus on the post-war period of policy, regulation and scandal. Which leads to a third difference, that of subject matter. Alcohol studies tend to focus on individuals who had sporting careers blighted by addiction, on the contributions made by members of the alcohol industries or on spectator consumption. Doping studies tend to focus on the formalities of ethics, punishment, rationales for legalization/liberalization and moments of scandal.