Villain-status itself functions as the draw that monetizes audiences

Evidence

Boxing became his most successful grift—part sport, part WWE-style entertainment. He “inspires a lot of vitriol,” noted Gen Z analyst Kelsey Weekman. “He is the villain in every single matchup—but people tune in specifically to see him get punched.” — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 828

Categorization

• XREF: The hate-watch economy relates to strategies of distinction inverted: watching to see the ‘sellout’ punished is itself a status performance.