Aug 7, 2020

I learned a new word today: kayfabe. At first glance I thought it would be pronounced /keɪˈfɑbeɪ/ or /kɑifɑb/ or something, but it’s actually a very American /keɪfeɪb/. Later I found this unsurprising because according to Merriam-Webster, the term originates from the world of professional wrestling (e.g. WWE), a “form of spectacle or performance art, relying on showmanship for its appeal” (“spoiler alert”, Merriam-Webster warns those among its readers who are innocent and naïve, “the matches are […] scripted”). The linked article has some interesting speculation about the unclear etymology of the word.

But about kayfabe itself: “When you know you’re faking and the audience knows you’re faking and you know the audience knows you know you’re faking because the fact that pro wrestling is fake has been documented, verified, and repeated to the point of cliché, and yet you stay in character on the walk from the locker room to your Mazda just in case someone is pointing his phone’s camera at you from a window above the alley—that’s kayfabe.”

I came across this word while reading about two other ‘sports’ that have gained some attention in this time of COVID-19, seemingly relying on their audience’s desire to participate in kayfabe, even when it is quite an explicit premise of the sport. I’m talking about the Marble League (teams of marbles ‘compete’ in events like relay races and high jumps, in a world of Legos and other mechanical contraptions) and Blaseball (“baseball perfected”, in their own words; simulated games in an ecosystem of betting where your ‘money’ buys you influence on “everything from rules to rosters”). What I’m trying to decide is: did I become aware of these only because my social circles are more prone to engaging in a satire of the American obsession with sports? Or is it because to sports fans, this actually feels no different from (or better than) the actual sports with actual humans? Or is it because the entire culture of sports fans is willing to poke fun at themselves and wholeheartedly enjoy the kayfabe?

(P.S. Although I knew about the general concept of WWE, the first time I remember actually watching an entire episode was this January. The person who showed it to me was a fan when they were a kid but were now commenting on the “homoerotic undertones” of the show.)