[sumo] asashoryu and soccer

[Scott Kahn]

I think many still miss the point.  Asashoryu did not break the law as 
did Dice K.  As much as I love Japan, this result is unquestionably 
societally based.  Face, especially to the Kyokai and its financial 
sponsors, supercedes good.  Even if it can potentially create an 
international incident. 

A major question that still I have, and which remains unanswered is 
whether playing soccer would have put the stress fracture at further 
risk.  This is a foregone conclusion of the public, but due to fracture 
angles this may not necessarily be true.

Sukubidubidu

Pardoe, Richard (RPardoe) wrote:

>>If Asa were Japanese, would the punishment have been so harsh?
>>    
>>
>Probably not.
>
>And I would disagree with you.  As was noted in the Sumo Forum, a very
>similar thing happened to a Japanese Baseball player (Daisuke Matsuzaka)
>when he was caught driving on a suspended license:
>
>Hananotaka posted
>(http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=12990&view=findpost
>&p=121764):
>**********
>When it came out that he'd driven with his license suspended, the
>reaction was swift and immediate. The courts let him off with a 195,000
>yen fine (roughly $1,800) for driving without a license and parking
>illegally. A hefty fine, but then Matsuzaka was making plenty of money,
>and it didn't really hurt him. But then the baseball team stepped in.
>They confined him to his house for the remainder of the baseball season
>(about a month). He had to cancel his trip to the U.S. to see the World
>Series, and did not participate in that year's all-star series between
>Japanese baseball and Major League Baseball, despite his appearance
>being much anticipated. His endorsement contracts were cancelled,
>costing him millions of dollars. The president of the team, the manager,
>and other executives publicly apologized at a press conference, with the
>obligatory deep bow for the cameras.
>**********
>
>Seems to be of similar harshness to me.  This is not an issue of "let's
>get the foreign Yokozuna".  In my mind this is an issue of an employee
>"calling in sick" to get out of some work but then being caught
>red-handed being all but sick embarassing his superiors.  I know I would
>be reprimanded at my work if I did that, and I think it is fair that
>Asashoryu get reprimanded for showing the flouting similar rules.
>
>- Rich Pardoe
>  
>
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