[sumo] Re: (sumo) Yaocho Story

[Barbara]

Takanomizu wrote:
> I can't believe than rikishi who train so hard & compete through such pain would give away a win! 

I don't think there's a bit of truth to it - at least, the part about 
money changing hands.  Matches are not being bought and sold between 
rikishi I'm sure.  Maybe once in a while a wrestler might have his will 
to win slightly deflated due to reasons - like the desire to not be the 
one who causes another to be demoted.  Or the desire not to aggravate an 
injury (about which he has revealed nothing to anyone else) for no 
reason.  Or, simple intimidation.  For instance, I think it is obvious 
that Kotomitsuki is fairly well intimidated by Asashoryuu. Or at least 
he has been so in the past - perhaps he is slowly getting over it more now.
   In any sport where money changes hands, it quickly ends up being the 
money of organized crime.  Once that happens the information is 
unbottled and leaks happen.  The fact that the "source" claims that it 
is all internal and between rikishi makes me believe that it is all a 
fabrication, because that is not human nature for the criminal elements 
who have the really big money to stay out of the picture. So to me the 
whole thing sounds phoney.
   Everyone points at the ozekis.  If they were taking money from 
Asashoryuu, though, they would lose to him but try to make up for it in 
matches against others.  But it looks like to me for the most part that 
they are fighting as badly against others as against Asashoryuu.  So 
it's got to be just a fabrication.  If the JSA sues the paper, I would 
think they would win pretty easily.

Barbara Murasakihana