RE: Oshi-dashi'd message

[Robert Hovestadt <Robert_Hovestadt@finance.neu.edu>]

Being a foreigner myself, I can not answer any of those questions, but I
would like to comment.

Yes Musashimaru, Asashoryu, many others, and [before them] Akebono,
Konoshiki, and Takamiyama are non-japanese, but they have/had been accepted
into the world of Sumo and have proven themselves many times on the dohyo.
They have or will bring more spectators to the sport, in my opinion.  Would
the right rather see sumo decline into nothingness?  It would seem that more
foreigners have been accepted into Sumo because fewer young Japanese are
willing to do what it takes to be a part of the National Sport [or am I
assuming too much].   There are few complaints [that I am aware] about
Ichiro tearing up the NL with his bat, or the way Pedro Martinez dominates
the A.L. with his pitching.  Why?  Because it is good for Baseball as a
whole.   It is not the Kyokai's fault that Musashimaru, Asashoryu, and other
foreign born wrestlers are doing better than their Japanese counterparts.   



Robert Hovestadt {Sherlockiama}
Canton, MA USA

P.S.  My apologies if the above offends anyone as that is not my intention.


-----Original Message-----
From: Basten [mailto:cbasten@sun01pt2-1523.statgen.ncsu.edu]
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2002 11:14 AM
To: sumo@statgen.ncsu.edu
Subject: Oshi-dashi'd message


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "John Racine" <gaijira@tky2.3web.ne.jp>
To: "Sumo ML" <sumo@statgen.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Sumo and the Right Wing
Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2002 07:14:45 +0900
MIME-Version: 1.0

Sorry if you received this twice.  My last post my have been oshidashi'd
into the ether....


This issue came up on a list-serve unrelated to sumo.

Doreen made the comment that the black buses of the Japanese right chose not
to torment the Sumo Association because they had been paid off.

My questions (for Doreen, or anyone else who may want to take a shot at it):
How 'public' was this transaction?  How much did they pay?  Other than being
loud, what did the right threaten to do, if they hadn't been paid off?

Can we assume that the kyokai are paying through the nose right now because
foreigner Musashimaru is continuing to dominate the sport?  Because
Asashoryu is likely to become the next foreign Ozeki?  Because Russians and
Mongolians are steaming their way up the lower divisions?  Is there anything
else the kyokai has done to p*ss off the right, other than to accept and
allow the success of foreigners?


Sukebeejima