Power Slap: Violence and the Viral Knockout

What happens when a sport removes the very thing that keeps athletes safe—defense? In this episode, we dive into the explosive rise of Power Slap, America’s first official slap-fighting league, created by UFC president Dana White. With nearly half its matches ending in knockouts and mounting fears over brain injury and CTE, the league has become one of the most controversial spectacles in modern sports. Its TV debut bombed, but TikTok turned it into a viral juggernaut, reviving the franchise on Rumble and drawing comparisons to the UFC’s chaotic early days. Critics argue that slap fighting can never follow MMA’s path to safety—because the danger is the appeal. So what does it mean when the future of a sport depends on how much risk we’re willing to watch?https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/02/01/the-violence-of-power-slap-is-part-of-its-allure