The Squared Circle: Life, Death, and Professional Wrestling

A Deadspin and Grantland correspondent presents a breakthrough examination of the professional wrestling, its fans, and its wider cultural impact that does for the sport what Chuck Klosterman did for heavy metal.The Squared Circle grows out of David Shoemaker's writing for Deadspin, where he started the column 'Dead Wrestler of the Week' (which boasts over 1 million page views). There he featured weekly wrestling superstars who have died young because of steroid use and the abuse their bodies take. Shoemaker's sportswriting has since struck a nerve with generations of wrestling fans who like him grew up worshipping a sport often derided as 'fake' in the wider culture. To them, these professional wrestling superstars are not just heroes but an emotional outlet and the lens through which they learned to see the world.