Re: [sumo] Sumo and Soccer

[Earle Jones <earle.jones@comcast.net>]

Regarding the conduct of sumo fans and soccer fans, I have had 
opportunities to witness both on a couple of occasions.  I was in 
Japan through most of the Chiyonofuji years -- 1983 to about 1990 and 
in London back around 1980 and '81.

I saw what one would have to call hooligans running the streets of 
London (I also saw them in Munich) following a soccer match.  I heard 
about riots in the stands where people were injured.

On the other hand, at the Tokyo bashos I was the guest of my friend 
(also my landlord), who was on the yokozuna committee for many years 
and had fantastically good seats.  I sat with the best of the 
citizens, it might be said.  And on every occasion, the fans were 
very well behaved.  The loudest outbursts seem to come from teen-aged 
girls in full kimono, cheering for rikishi Terao.  He was such an 
idol for these girls, that it even carried over to his rikishi 
brother, Sakahoko, for whom they cheered almost as fervently.

Soccer is of course an international competition -- frequently 
country against country where nationalism peaks up.  As WC Blank 
says, ozumo is primarily a one-country event without so much 
nationalism.  Although this is certainly (slowly) changing.

Just a couple of anecdotal stories based on personal experience.

Yosakoiboi
earle
*



At 4:43 PM -0400 8/10/04, William C. Blank wrote:
> First off, soccer is the biggest "national" competition there 
> is...by far.  There is no comparison at all to sumo, an individual 
> sport, mostly performed in a single country in the world.
>
> Secondly, it seems that with the US getting "Osama" chants from the 
> Mexicans, the French getting whistled by the Algerians, and the 
> Japanese getting hissed by the Chinese, that it has sadly become the 
> norm at these events to disrespect the flag and the representatives 
> of other foreign countries.  I hope that the Olympics in a few weeks 
> show a different global spirit.
>
> But finally, I want to point out that despite the problems, soccer 
> has been a great vehicle lately to cause interaction between 
> different countries, and is overall a boon to friendly global 
> relations.  Fighting on the pitch and booing each other in the 
> stands is a much better way to express hostilities than missiles and 
> car bombs.  International soccer leads to goodwill, imho.
>
> 	-Tetsuonoumi, a sumo, New England Revolution, US National 
> Soccer team, and "Les Bleus" fan
>
>
> [EndPost by "William C. Blank" <wcb@BostonDynamics.com>]


--
                _
            _/\_\
          /\_\/_/
          \/_/\_\     earle
               \/_/     jones
[EndPost by Earle Jones <earle.jones@comcast.net>]