[sumo] Re: (sumo) Yaocho Story

[Joshua Maciel]

I'd be quite reluctant to state absolutely that NO money is changing
hands. There are a LOT of bouts -- I wouldn't be shocked if there was
a little yaocho going on, though not at the level the article reports.
Cheating exists in ANY sport -- sumo is not likely going to be an
exception, no matter how much we romanticize it.

On 2/7/07, Barbara <barbara at technogirls.org> wrote:
>
>
> 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
>
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