Re: Yaocho - whose fault is it really?

["G. Jay Walker" <walker@NHRC.NAVY.MIL>]

Yaocho may always be with us, but the degree to which it 
exists will mainly be a function of what the Kyokai 
decides to allow.  With tournament sites still at 85% 
or more of capacity, the Kyokai has opted for the denial 
mode.  I'm not sure we'll get to see how low the 
percentage of capacity would need to get before they 
decide to adopt a superficial enforcement mode, and how 
low it needs to get before we'd see some actual 
enforcement (investigations/suspensions).  The Kyokai 
could always do something about it now, but like many of 
us, they don't always get around to doing things they 
really don't want to do until there is no other alternative.  
Besides, there may be a lot of skeletons in those closets.

American baseball witnessed a parallel scenario in the 
early 1900s where gambling and fixes became increasingly 
widespread, finally culminating in one team throwing the 
World Series in 1919.  With the integrity of the sport 
at stake, to say nothing of the potential revenue loss 
from the abandonment by disillusioned fans, a new 
commissioner was brought in with marching orders to 
clean house.  His 25+ year reign was controversial, 
but he did purge this evil from the game, leaving a 
legacy that largely still holds sway today.  Of 
course the potential for mediocre players to retire 
from the game as millionaires, along with the 
still-threatened and sometimes enforced loss of 
livelihood are powerful reinforcing mechanisms.  
Which brings us to...    

>In Maegashira, top rikishi and bottom rikishi are paid 
>equally. There are no benefit to be promoted to very high, 
>unless you believe in your ability to get to Sanyaku level 
>or your chance to receive Sansho prize.  On the other hand, 
>getting kachikoshi or winning record will increase your 
>base payment and it's very important for each rikishi.

The pay structure for Maegashira rikishi along with the
kachikoshi/makekoshi system is further encouragement for 
the continuation of yaocho.  In fact, for a Maegashira 
rikishi with little hope of rising to sanyaku or falling 
to juryo, there is little reason not to engage in yaocho, 
except perhaps for the sake of being honest.  Without pay 
being at least partially tied to incentive (i.e., winning 
bouts and achieving higher ranks), most of the potential 
for making more money is via yaocho.  

The one time that there is a true incentive to win is 
when the maegashira rikishi sits with 7 wins on Day 14 
or 15, and then the rewards become great enough that the 
rikishi will go "out of his way" to ensure victory.  While 
the whole idea of kachikoshi/makekoshi is superficially 
interesting, why in practice should there be so little 
difference between 6 and 7 wins and so vast between 7 
and 8 wins?  Why necessarily should 8 wins be the criteria 
for moving up in rank rather than compiling a superior 
record to rikishi of similar rank?  If the construction of 
the banzuke was such so that the difference between 7 and 8 
wins was no more than the difference between 9 and 10 wins, 
and if part of salary was tied to attainment of higher 
ranks, you'd take away part of the incentive for yaocho.  
Tie in an additional percentage of salary to the number of 
wins attained and you'd remove more incentive.  At minimum, 
you'd be establishing a floor (minimum going rate) for yaocho.  

Of the 17 yaocho rikishi at Kyushu listed by Itai, twelve
definitely fit the category of Maegashira rikishi, and a case 
could be made for one or two others.  Maybe Itai is 100% 
right, maybe he's only 50% right.  But as long as the Kyokai 
continues with procedures that encourage yaocho, all the 
while keeping their head buried in the sand ("we interviewed 
the accused and they all denied it"), the blame lies 
foremost with them rather than with any particular rikishi.

-G. Jay Walker