They make the world go 'round. They add interest when otherwise there would be none. Just look at the evening news (if you can bear to watch). Even the Beach Boys sang a song about them. Good guys used to wear white hats and bad guys black in early cinema. WWE has made BILLIONS using this simple formula.
I remember back in the early 60's when a young Cassius Clay proclaimed himself to be the greatest. I think I was 10 or 11 when I first heard his boastful descriptions about himself. My first reaction wasn't positive. Back then we used to have to listen to championship fights on the radio. I tuned in hoping the Louisville Lip would get buttoned up. There was a scene in one of the Ali movies where a lady was at ringside waiting to get an autograph. When he passed Cassius gladly obliged. She said (I'm paraphrasing) " I come to all your fights". Clay replied "thank you for being such a great fan". The lady said "I'm not a fan, I come to all your fights hoping to see you get carried out of the ring".
Football has Richard Sherman. "Bad Boys" from Detroit made basketball interesting when they went up against "show time". Hockey has had more "dirty" players than I can name. Good vs evil used to put people in the seats. Now it sells PPV subscriptions.
When Holly Holm beat Ronda Rousey last year the internet went crazy with support for the newly crowned bantamweight champ. Finally someone had knocked that scowl off of Rousey's face. What has happened since that November night? Ronda went into seclusion and the bantamweight crown has been passed around like a hot potato. Interest in the sport has waned. For those of you "old schoolers" that say MMA will never be as popular as boxing especially two women fighting get with the program! UFC and MMA has left boxing in the dust especially with the younger crowd. I have watched the sweet science all my life. Sometimes I spend hours watching great bouts from the past on you tube. The truth is with the exception of Floyd Mayweather I'd have to google the current champs in ALL weight classes. This includes the coveted Heavyweight champion.
Tonight Ronda Rousey tries to regain her tittle and the moniker "the baddest woman on the planet" vs the current champ Amanda Nunes. The scowl returned at the weigh in yesterday and it got my heart pumping! There are a few other really good match ups on tonight's card but this is the bout that's making bank for Dana and the UFC principals. I can't wait for Bruce Buffer to utter the words "IT'S TIME"!