There is a certain kind of sportswriter who worry greatly about What Is Happening To Our Games. They pander to a false nostalgia of a time The Games were pure and noble. When football players where chaste, baseball players spent the offseason volunteering at orphanages and hockey players couldn't imagine anything better than settling in with a James Joyce novel after a long practice.
Sadly, their narrative continues, that grand legacy has been destroyed by terrible people like Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh. Unlike the poet-warriors of yesteryear, Suh plays the games in a most ungentlemanly manner. The cad.
Grantland breaks down cynical moralism-for-profit into its paint-by-numbers essence. If you, like any sports fan with critical thinking skills, have tired of this trope, Joseph Conn's essay is a must-read. Conn breaks down the logical fallacies, echo-chamber confirmation bias, and maudlin claptrap required for every Ndamukong Suh (or insert favorite manufactured villain) Is bad story ever.
Grantland: Step No. 6: Put Together a Villain "Origin Story"
Find a way to transition into a section on Suh's background. Long before he destroyed quarterbacks, Suh once destroyed his own toys. Maybe something less over-the-top, but you get the idea. And here's the best part: It's true. "I always loved to tear stuff apart," he says.
This is perfect because it establishes a lifelong theme of destruction — Suh ripping to pieces whatever object, human or inanimate, happened to be within grasp. Toss in some examples and you'll be rolling. There was the time he yanked out the parts of the family telephone. How about his onetime hobby of building toy Ferris wheels with K'Nex, just so he could smash them to pieces? Even as Suh got older and started playing soccer, his kicks broke the miniature goals.
Oh my God, he's a monster!
