were i teaching soc of deviance this semester, i might build an assignment around paul farhi’s fine washington post piece on the early deaths of professional wrestlers.

if you read closely, you’ll find a subcultural/network story, a biological story, a psychological story, a masculinities story, an institutional story, a macro-structural story, and a very sad story.

but this is good journalism as well as good data for a sociology assignment. as my local dailies have been cutting bone and muscle for about a year now, i’m all the more appreciative of a well-written and carefully researched feature article.