The Emergence of Sports Cardiology as a Specialty.

W hen the Greeks won the battle against the Persians in Marathon, an Athenian foot messenger named Pheidippides ran all the way back to Athens to deliver the news. Legend has it that upon arrival at Athens, he shouted, “Joy to you, we’ve won,” after which he collapsed and was pronounced dead on the spot. Even though it was not obvious at that time, this event likely marked the first reported exercise-related death in history. The Greek physician Herodicus (480 BC), who tutored Hippocrates, is generally considered the father of sports medicine (1). Herodicus, a physician who taught gymnastics, proposed the association of good diet and therapeutic exercise with good health. Galen of Pergamum (131 to 201 BC), a Greek physician who rose to become one of the most respected physicians in the Roman Empire, was the first team doctor in history. He held the enviable position of being a physician for the gladiators (2).