[sumo] Making money out of sumo - not the issue

[Scott Kahn]

Hi Doreen,

Thank you for a very informative post on how the Kyokai contracts itself 
out.  This is extremely interesting, especially considering the many 
tabloid publications that erroneously report on sumo.

My critical comments about Mr. Buckton's piece, including that he would 
not want to bite the hand that feeds him was not meant in a financial 
way.  Although I would guess that certain financial tidbits could come 
his way, it was meant to stress that the Kyokai could easily label him 
as persona non grata were he to ruffle feathers and to deny SFM access 
to sumo.  Being that SFM is an international endeavor, I would have 
expected its editor in chief to at least present a scholarly discussion 
of the trials and tribulations of Asashoryu's position as a Mongolian 
citizen.  That he did not, gives the perception (and this whole issue is 
about perceptions, isn't it?!) that he sold out to the Kyokai on this 
issue by authoring such a one sided hatchet job on Asashoryu.  He could 
have maintained his perspective while incorporating a balanced reporting 
of the issue, and if space limitations are a concern, my posts are so 
short that I could offer to edit his future columns. ;-)

Sukubidubidu



Doreen Simmons wrote:

>
> On 2007/08/14, at 3:46, Lon Howard wrote:
>
>>
>> On Aug 13, 2007, at 8:32 AM, Scott Kahn wrote:
>>
>>> In any event, may I propose that we come up with our own solutions 
>>> to this situation, with hopeful wishing that there are influential 
>>> members from among the mailing list who might have the ear of the 
>>> Kyokai.
>>
>>
>> I could be missing something here Scott (wouldn't be the first time), 
>> but I strongly believe that the tally of members like this would come 
>> to less than 1 - with apologies to anyone who does fit the bill.
>
>
> Sorry to be a day late with this -- day-long  temperatures of 35-36C 
> have something to do with it -- but to the best of my knowledge Lon is 
> correct. The number of people on this list who have the ear of the 
> Kyokai,  including recent and long-time retirees, is somewhere between 
> nil and one. If we include the people who at one time thought they had 
> a unique  'in', I would make a rough guess of three to five. (Hint: 
> being in charge of one of the big prizes helps, but only as long as 
> it's actually being presented.)
>
> And while we are on the subject, AFAIK  the Kyokai does not, in 
> principle, give anything for nothing. Nobody makes a clear profit out 
> of sumo by writing or producing pictures. Editors, photographers and 
> artists are expected to pay a percentage for the privilege of sending 
> in reporters or using images. Writers of books and articles are dealt 
> with on a case-by-case basis. In the past I myself have had some 
> success in negotiating special terms for the use of images (out of the 
> Sumo Museum collection, for instance) to illustrate an article I have 
> written for a learned publication. It helped to have a contract that 
> showed how much they intended to pay me! A special deal for a 
> foreigner can often be negotiated, provided that the foreigner is not 
> making a pot of money out of it and can prove it. The idea that Mark 
> Buckton, or anybody else who writes about sumo, is in the pocket of 
> the Kyokai, won't hold water.
>
> Now, back into the oven that starts just outside my widow. :-}
>
> Doreen Simmons
>  jz8d-smmn at asahi-net.or.jp
>
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