Anecdotally, this really began picking up when Novak Djokovic, the #1 tennis player in the world, began giving it such large press. When asked about his string of successes at the time, he told the press that he changed his diet, and completely cut out gluten. What he failed to mention during those initial interviews was that he was allergic to the stuff, which was the most likely cause for his inconsistent performances. The media, however, took the gluten-free diet and just ran with it... and here we are!