[Sumo TV] Re: Eurosport comedy

["Nekonishiki (Bandey)" <bandey@mail.matav.hu>]

Hello,

I think Syd Hoare is in Japan now, with the British team at the world
championship, isn't he? So he couldn't comment Kyushu Basho this year.
This new guy was assigned to comment it.

Please bear it in mind, that many of Eurosport's reporters are thrown
into the deep water. They usually comment football, handball, boxing
etc. as well. Unfortunately Sumo isn't SO popular here in Europe to have
many reporters who sumo experts are, and what's more, they know
pronunciation of Japanese words as well. Many reporters get this job
without knowing anything about "su-er...-what?". They get a pagefax
every day, with results, names, heya, color of mawashi etc. And it's
all. If they have some time, they can search for some materials on the
Internet, but many of them don't.

Syd Hoare is an expert, and Czechs are lucky because Shiroi Kuma is an
expert, too. I don't know about the other national commentators, but I
suppose, there are not too much real experts among them. It depends on
the reporter, how conscientiously [??] he works. There are some who only
work their hours and hardly wait to finish :-(((, and there are some who
learn a lot.

For us, sumo fans, sumo is part of our life, but for most of the
reporters it's only a JOB, don't forget. For example the Hungarian
reporter comments many other sports as well, mainly football (soccer).
When he got this job (to comment sumo bouts), he hardly knew anything
about sumo. And of course it was annoying in the first times. But later,
he learnt more and more, and he's quite good now. When I was invited to
Eurosport this July, I saw that although he wants to do his best,
commentating of sumo is only a JOB for him, and it's not so important
for him, than for me.

A year ago, he had to miss a day because he had other job, and a woman
commented the broadcast. She was terrible. She was talking with the
Japanese-Hungarian former rikishi (who was mentioned once here in the
list), and she had many questions: "What is Juryo", "what does Yokozuna
mean", "what is that white thing they're throwing, rice, isn't it?" and
so on. Quite annoying stupid questions we don't expect from a sumo
commentator. I was very angry, and I wasn't alone with this. She had to
comment three days of Nagoya Basho this year, and -- see a little
wonder! -- she knew much more, because she knew that she will comment
the basho, and she had time to prepare for it, therefore I could write
her that she was good.

As for pronunciation of shikona and sumo terms, yes, they should be more
careful about it, I agree with you. But it's important not only in sumo,
but in other sports [and generally in every theme in the media] as well.
For example I have never heard the correct pronunciation of name of the
famous former Hungarian football player, Puskas, I always hear it as
[puskas], while it should be approx. [poosh-kash].

Don't misunderstand me, I *totally agree* with you that a bad reporter
is a big annoyance for the spectators. But next time be a little more
tolerant, and try to imagine that you are said "Joe, the reporter
couldn't come, you will comment darts in ten minutes". :)

Sorry for the babbling.

Best regards,
Bandey