Say It Ain’t So!
link Sumo Hit By New Match-Fixing Allegations in Japan – WSJ.com.
With all due respect to traditional Sumo fans, the entire sport of Sumo can be summarized by the following sentence. Two semi nude fat guys grapple in a circular ring until the biggest of the fat guys pushes the smaller one down and out of the ring.
That’s it. That’s the sport. Of course that greatly glosses over the history, tradition and protocols observed in preparation for and during the matches. There are people whose entire lives and careers are consumed with the tradition of Sumo. Many ritual elements surrounding the sport are considered sacred and performed much as they were centuries ago when the sport originated. Apart from their R -rated attire contrasted with their massive size, the exquisitely lacquered hairdos are signature elements of the sport. Feeding just one of these massive blobs of humanity could engage the entire breakfast shift at a McDonald’s store. But through the centuries, the sport has endured. As we know, the Japanese are big on tradition and custom, consequently such attributes as honesty and integrity are prized in that society.
While there are and have been foreign participants in the sport, oddly sumo hasn’t really caught on in any other part of the world and remains peculiar only to Japan. This may have something to do with advertising space. You could imprint a logo onto the surface of the grappling ring, but that would offend those with traditional sensibilities. Despite the billboard sized expanses of flesh available on the wrestlers, having logos of McDonald’s or Coca Cola tattooed on their backs would also raise some eyebrows. While I’m sure there are subtleties to the sport, it’s a fair guess that the bigger guy usually wins. You would think then that the smart money is on the fattest guy; how much drama can there be? If the 300 pound guy regularly beats the 400 pound guy, well that could be suspect.
On the other hand, if two equally robust wrestlers went at it and one tripped and fell, is that a fix? If the average match lasts about 3 seconds, about the time it takes to play a round of rock-paper-scissors, how can you tell if there’s a dive happening? I suppose it comes down to the personal honor of the wrestlers, but if someone paid you oodles of money to take a dive in a 3 second match, it’d be tempting. But this is Sumo! A sport rich with history, tradition and honor. This is not baseball with their corked bats or cycling with rampant steroid use. This is not some crass commercial sport! To paraphrase the kid who pleaded with Shoeless Joe Jackson when he was rumored to have been involved in fixing World Series games in 1919, “Say it ain’t so Musashimaru, say it ain’t so!”