[sumo] Sumo and Money

[Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]

Is there money to be made in Ozumo?

As a cash generating machine, they are just breaking
even but this only after getting a favorable tax 
consideration as a non-profit organization registered
with the Minstry of Education and Science in Japan.

Whether as an entertainment or sports point of view,
it's rather poor choice to build wealth. Those who
still hold the view that it's all about the money are
reading the old newspaper or magazine clips from 30
years ago or reading out of print books.

In this Kyushu basho, they only managed to have one
sell out - the last day when the Yusho winner was  
decided.  Mostly they could draw only 40 to 60%
capacity, averaging only 4500 people. Now compare this
to a typical J-League or Japanese baseball game or
pro-resu or tennis or golf tournaments.  

Even during the bashos, sports papers relegate sumo
news well deep inside their papers. Most sports
programs on TV, possibly exception of NHK the sumo
news don't come up as leading items.  Is there any
private network willing to broadcast sumo bouts live
or even on a tape delay basis?  None (not even a
sports satellite channel).  TV Asashi could not even
continue half an hour digest show in the middle of
night any longer as they could not line up a decent
number of sponsors.  More people watch high school
baseball tournaments than sumo in Japan. More people
watch university Ekiden running events than sumo in
Japan. Most universities and colleges don't even have
a sumo club in Japan. It's just not the Prime Time
material as their demographics don't sell soaps nor
video games. 

Akebono could make a couple of million dollars easy
for that many bouts in K-1 so he left Ozumo.  If there
are enough money in sumo, he would be pretty rich by
now and no need to do this.  If there is enough money
in sumo, Ichinoya should be independent wealthy with a
couple of condos in Odaiba. Well he doesn't and still
lives in the heya. There just isn't money in sumo. 

You could have literally walked up to the Fukuoka
Kokusai Center on any day except the last and propped
up your 40,000 Yen or so to get Masu seats.  I don't
know what's real or not in Ozumo or which bout has a
Yaocho riding on it but I can tell you a typical
Jonokuchi bout would have had about two dozen people
watching it, including dohyo judges and gyoji, a
couple more waiting rikishis. Now who wants to place a
Yaocho bet on this? 

There are certainly more money can be made on betting
a horse/bicycle/boat race on a typcal day as there are
more people watching these events than Ozumo.  Even
those anti-Ozumo editors at Weekly Shukan Post and
Gendai have not come up with any Yaocho story since
the Itai revelation and they don't even put as many
Ozumo scandals as before as they came to realize that
sumo just does not sell anymore.


=====
.....Jonosuke 
  <  Heart  Technique  Physique     ?S   ?Z   ?Ì  >

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[EndPost by Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]