The Squared Circle
Life, Death, and Professional Wrestling

A breakthrough examination of professional wrestlingits history, its fans, and its wider cultural impactthat does for the sport what Chuck Klosterman did for heavy metal The Squared Circle grows out of David Shoemakers writing for both Deadspin, where he started the column Dead Wrestler of the Weeka feature on the many wrestling superstars who died too young because of the abuse they subjected their bodies toand Grantland, where he covers the pro-wrestling world and its place in the pop culture mainstream. Shoemakers sports writing has since struck a nerve with generations of wrestling fans who, like him, grew up worshiping 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. Starting in the early 1900s and exploring the path of pro wrestling in America through the present day, The Squared Circle is the first book to acknowledge both the sports broader significance and wrestling fans keen intellect and sense of irony. Divided into eras, each section offers a snapshot of the wrestling world, profiles some of the periods preeminent wrestlers, and examines the sports influence on our broader culture. Through the brawling, bombast, and bloodletting, Shoemaker argues that pro wrestling can teach us about the nature of performance, audience, and, yes, art. Full of unknown history, humor, and self-deprecating reminiscencebut also offering a compelling look at the sports rightful place in pop cultureThe Squared Circle is the book that legions of wrestling fans have been waiting for. In it, Shoemaker teaches us to look past the spandex and body slams to see an art form that can explain the world.