The Silent Gladiators, a new and controversial biography by Nicholas A. Hopping, provides a matside perspective of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team as its members endure a grueling training cycle and compete on the world stage in Athens, Greece.

The book focuses on the athletes and coaches, but the author becomes part of the story as he sacrifices four years of his life disregarding previous obligations while sleeping on floors, sitting in airports, writing in sleazy bars, and generally living like a bum for sake of the book. The book's preface (opening with "Wrestling is not sexy