[sumo] Please update- Time for a SML moderator???

[Clay Holden]

On 9/6/08 1:41 PM, "Jeanne Hedge" <jhedge at rcn.com> wrote:

> I would respectfully suggest that most people have this thing called
> a "life," and can't devote every moment of it, or spare any bit of
> income, to something that at best will never be anything beyond
> something of moderate interest every 2 months.

I like to think I have something called a "life" as well. My wife is
Japanese, and we watch TV Japan largely because of their live broadcasts of
NHK news, as well as enjoying the Taigodramas, movies, specials, and other
programming that can't be found elsewhere. The bi-monthly basho broadcasts
are obviously a source of great enjoyment for me, but that's not the only
reason we consider the subscription a good value for the money.

My interest in sumo began about 5 1/2 years ago, when we first got a house
where we could put up a satellite dish and get TV Japan. That's also about
the time I first subscribed to the Sumo Mail List. Before that, all I saw
was the brief coverage at the end of the Fujisankei News broadcast each
morning during the bashos, and until I saw the NHK live broadcasts, I
couldn't fathom how anyone could find the sport interesting.

> I would wager that sumo is just another professional sport to the
> majority of people here.  You should feel blessed that you feel you
> have the interest, income, and inclination to follow a sport so
> closely. 

If sumo is of such slight interest to people that they don't care enough to
find out what is going on via freely accessible sources, I can't imagine why
the longest thread this list has seen in weeks is over what it would take to
bring back the posters who clearly *do* have more than a passing interest.

Especially when it's abundantly clear where they are now, and that none of
them appear interested in returning.
 
> You're probably in the same category as those guys who
> dress up and sit in a special section at the NFL games or soccer
> games to cheer own their teams with the other major fan(atic)s.

Doesn't sound like me. Sumo is the only sport I follow at all, and I do love
it, but outside of my family in Japan, I am not personally aquainted with
anyone else who shares my interest. So no mawashi parties for me, thanks ;-P

I work a regular 40-hour a week job in the computer industry, and don't have
time to scour websites or forums during work hours either. Or check my
personal email, for that matter. And while I have been a member of the Sumo
Forum for 3 1/2 years, I have yet to post there at all. In retrospect, this
seems pretty stupid on my part, and I'm only now discovering how much I have
missed by not visiting regularly. My posts were intended as a contribution
to the discussion, rather than painting myself as some sort of sumo otaku.

Back when I was a journalism major in college, I discovered the benefits of
searching out and reading multiple sources for any subject that interested
me if I wanted to be accurately informed. I didn't wait for someone else to
spoon feed me, and then complain that those who were freely sharing the
information I wanted to read were holding a private party, because I didn't
care for the venue they chose to share it.

There is certainly a lot of traffic on the Sumo Forum, but as the only
topics I'm really interested in there are the Professional Sumo forums
("Ozumo Discussions" and "Honbasho Talk"), neither one takes a significant
chunk out of my day to peruse periodically, and neither one seems to be
particularly plagued by off-topic junk posting.

YMMV, of course, and clearly people who don't like the format aren't going
to go there. No skin off my nose either way.

I'm glad that there are still folks here like Doreen and yourself, but to be
honest, I am also glad that the list is quieter and less filled with hateful
flameage than it was a year ago at this time.

Clay