[sumo] Asashoryu and Soccer

[Kuramarujo]

On Tue, 2007-07-31 at 16:41 -0700, Lon Howard wrote:

> Just guessing here K-jo, but I think that yokozuna and ozeki are  
> pretty much expected to figure out what's right and wrong by  
> themselves.  It's just that when they go to a foreign country where  
> they don't speak the language, their interpreter will automatically  
> go into 'minder mode' and I'll guess that Taiho has not been the only 
> yokozuna who's been 'rescued' while overseas. 

and

> I don't feel you can't blame his oyakata either.  He may come off as  
> milktoast, but Asashoryu generally does that to everybody.  If a  
> yokozuna doesn't want to listen to his oyakata, he doesn't have to.   
> It's all up to him, and it's all about the decisions he makes.  If he 
> feels he doesn't need any help making them, so be it...but they had  
> better be good decisions.

	I love the Sumo culture as well as the actual Sumo.  But it's known
that professional athletes are often people who haven't quite grown up
(actors can also be lumped into this category).  I mean, they're lives
are basically about playing a game or pretend.  Sumo "should" be
different but human beings are human.  Just because there are rules
governing proper conduct and professionalism doesn't change the nature
of humans.  When one can overcome this nature and be the epitome of what
they are it can put them on a higher lever than their peers (see Jacky
Chan in the actors category).

	Should Asa "grow up" and act right?  Yes.  Should be be summarily
roasted on a pit every time he sneezes wrong?  No.  Should the entire
organization of Sumo, from the very top to the very bottom, work as one
to make sure that everyone behaves good and proper in their position?
Yes.

	And that is my opinion on this.  Is it right?  Who knows?  But it's as
good as anything else.  :-)

K-jo, the omniscient (and then he woke up)

-- 
Joe "Kuramarujo" Klemmer
http://www.webtrek.com/joe/sumo