What is happening with Sumo?

**Lallans** · 8th March 11, 10:33 AM

I've been an occasional fan of the official Japanese sumo basho for some three years, or ever since I figured out how to make my TV speak English when tuned to TV Japan (ie, NHK)- the english-language sumo commentary is pretty good. NHK being a particularly expensive premium channel here, I didn't subscribe to it all year long but only when wanting 15 days of sumo-fix- but now it seems that every time I want to go back the upcoming basho has been cancelled! I was aware of the betting-on-baseball scandal but now it seems like something else is rocking the industry. Since there are members either living in or nearby Japan, I'm hoping someone can shed Western light on what's happening. Anyone?

**Whidbey78** · 8th March 11, 11:18 AM

Are you sure it's the event that's been cancelled and not just its broadcast?

I'd see if there is a good place to watch it online. I know it's not the same as on TV, but if the video is high quality it might do the trick.

**Lallans** · 8th March 11, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by Whidbey78

Are you sure it's the event that's been cancelled and not just its broadcast?

I'd see if there is a good place to watch it online. I know it's not the same as on TV, but if the video is high quality it might do the trick.

No there have been at least two complete national basho ie tournaments, cancelled by my reckoning, plus myriad other scandals that may have cancelled others (there's one every three months or so), and I don't have a home PC so it would in any case be TV or plane tickets and a 15 day stay somewhere in Japan.

**Whidbey78** · 8th March 11, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by Canuck of NI

No there have been at least two complete national basho ie tournaments, cancelled by my reckoning, plus myriad other scandals that may have cancelled others (there's one every three months or so), and I don't have a home PC so it would in any case be TV or plane tickets and a 15 day stay somewhere in Japan.

Sounds like Don King might have a cousin in Japan.

**Bugbear** · 8th March 11, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by Whidbey78

Sounds like Don King might have a cousin in Japan.

No! It can't be! *SCREAM*

**CDNSushi** · 8th March 11, 06:21 PM

No, Canuck IS correct... The March basho HAS been canceled, and the organization is in a world of s**t right now.

Problem is, it's not just ONE scandal, it's a series of them. This cancellation is merely a response to the latest of these, which is rooted in the fact that some high-ranking wrestlers and officials were caught in illegal sports betting, which inevitably implicates the yakuza (Japanese mob). That alone may not have canceled the event outright, but Japanese police seized cellphones and other evidence as part of their investigation and uncovered hard evidence of more match fixing. According to my co-worker, no one knows how deep the rabbit hole goes yet so until things get sorted out, no sumo for us!

Sumo has been being hit really hard in the past few years and its popularity has been on a severe decline. It's really sad to see, as I'm also a fan of the sport.

If that weren't enough, several wrestlers were implicated in illegal drugs (marijuana), hence tarnishing the image further. Plus, many Japanese people already think that there are too many foreigners involved in the sport, with no bright and coming Japanese stars headed for the top ranks. Sumo talent scouts and recruiters have a hard time getting Japanese youth interested in it, because let's face it -- how many Japanese people WANT to become that massive and heavy? It doesn't exactly attract all the ladies...

Some news links that help explain the situation:
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/...na021000c.html
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/...na005000c.html

Of course, this is NOTHING new. Authors Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner wrote about it in the book Freakonomics, years ago! It's just that now there is formal evidence and officials and authorities are forced to act, rather than having the option of turning a blind eye to something that MAY or may not be true...

**Whidbey78** · 9th March 11, 06:24 AM

I knew there was controversy over the number of foreign born wrestlers, but I had no idea there were that many issues right now. Maybe instead of trying to keep running but ultimately cancelling matches they need to shut down temporarily and clean house. Instead of treating symptoms find a cure.

**Lallans** · 9th March 11, 02:33 PM

Thanks for the clarification CDN. The fact that the lads let each other win unimportant bouts to maintain their standing is pretty well understood, but I picked up the impression there was a third scandal involving actually fixing sumo matches for gambling purposes- that would have been one bridge too far for sure. The pot is understandable if unforgivable because of the weight gain needed to compete- there are no weight classes so everyone bulks up as much as possible and then some. There are a lot of foreigners involved in pro-level sumo these days, notably Mongolians, Koreans, and an assortment of eastern European guys (who seem to have been the pot users). The foreign involvement is an odd thing considering that sumo embodies the mystical soul of Japan, starting with their founding myths and picked up by Shinto and I think Taoists. It's a fun sport to follow if you get to know the wrestlers by style, and a basho is three hours long each day, running for 15 days, so you get your sumo money's worth. I used to tape them and watch them right through to the next one, some months later.