The Big Bout and the Evolution of Sporting Tastes

Apart from a certain fascination with Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" movies, I've never been much of a fan of the fighting sports. It's not that violence repels me (I grew up playing American football, after all), but it's more my perception that the brutality on display lays bare too much of humanity's dark side. For those who haven't seen a mixed martial arts (MMA) match, for instance, it quickly becomes clear that the institution deserves its moniker of blood sport....