World Sumo Challenge on ESPN 2

[nytemare]

This is actually pretty entertaining.

[sasquatch]

1. It is because the rules are easy to explain

This should be an American Sport. Hell we could even have political sumo wrestling: Rush Limbaugh vs. Michael Moore.
:bounce:

[nytemare]

2. Moore could take him.

And Limpball wouldn't even feel it afterward due to the hillbilly heroin.

:)

[Metta]

3. Sort of a cross between tv wrestling and sumo for me.

This pales in comparison with Japanese sumo. The announcer here is stoking the crowd as they do in tv wrestling. The wrestlers don't look at each other when they bow; almost none of them have any dignity or grace when they bow and there's way too much posturing. I think it's because they're from traditions where these things aren't understood and valued and because they're young. Aside from that, I'm enjoying it. :)

[BigMcLargehuge]

4. If they aren't Shinto priests, it's not Sumo

period

[GOPisEvil]

5. Hey, these guys have two names.

No Akebono or Onishiki.

You are right. No shouting Shinto priest, not sumo. This is sumo-esque.

[BigMcLargehuge]

6. My favorites were Wakanohana and Takanohana

the Wako/Tako Boom. Little guys by Sumo standards, yet both made Yokozuna.

[GOPisEvil]

8. Oh yeah, I remember them.

My parents used to have TV Japan on satellite, so we'd watch the English broadcast of the weekly matches, but we haven't done that in years.

[nytemare]

11. It is too bad ESPN doesn't show the Japanese matches!

This was entertaining, but I would like to see a full version of the sport from where it came from.

[necso]

7. I really like Sumo.

But I've never watched anything but the stuff from Japan (and even that I haven't seen in a while).

Japanese Sumo's cool, it's (or was) very formal, reserved and stoic (both wrestlers and audience), and there's an award for fighting spirit along with one for technical skills (as I recall). And sometimes when a junior wrestler puts up a really good fight and beats a higher ranked one, the crowd goes (relatively) nuts and throws their cushions and stuff.

Cool, and very Japanese.

And, of course, I refuse to pay for TV, so nix on ESPN.

[Metta]

9. The westerners have macho attitudes outside the ring. The asians don't.

Once again, this speaks to cultural differences and understanding the value of their feminine energy. They have all of this mass, force and power so the ones who understand that realize they don't have to parade that around all the time. Quite the contrary, they can leave that inside the ring and during practices and be other, i.e., balanced outside. Biiig difference between this and Japanese sumo.

[0007]

10. While watching these two big gas bags, I wonder if they blow

anyone away that sits ringside, when they break wind.