Lost ballet fan

It would also be a distinct advantage in asinine posting.

Hakuho is quite scary in this basho. It's clear he's determined to win and I must admit that those claims of him occasionally leaving openings for other guys in the past may hold some water after all - there is a different vibe about him right now and the gap to the rest suddenly seems even wider. Was he like that in his most dominant phase (before my Sumo-watching time)? Or am I imagining things?

My thanks as well, this was (for me) the best lower division coverage ever. Especially having the top MS and Juryo fights in a Kinta-like format is incredibly useful. If you found a way to continue to do this it would be much appreciated. There are some real gems in the other divisions too - one of my all time favourites is the day 13 JD 77 Tochigenbu vs JD 80 Harada fight, about 6 minutes in on part 1, which just may be the funniest Sumo bout I've seen. Is there a way to at least pay something towards your subscription fees? I for one would be very happy to do so.

Just a thought about the banzuke in general: The injuries really have made quite a difference. If you think about a line-up 2 or 3 bashos down the line where the lower sanyaku could be held held by a reasonably healthy Tochiozan, Ichinojo, Myogiryu and Tochinoshin for example with guys like Ikioi, Aojama, Terunofujii, Takayasu, Endo, Osunarashi etc. rounding out the top Maegashira ranks it suddenly doesn't feel particularly weak anymore. One or two of the Ozeki could also be in trouble then.

Extremely glad you're doing this. Many thanks!

Maybe a bit of a side track, but just looking at those projected top Makushita ranks, these are all pretty decent guys, aren't they? Is it just me or has the overall quality of the Banzuke risen quite a bit recently? I'm also surprised how much former solid Makuuchi wrestlers like Daido or Fujiazuma or most recently, Single Masu struggle in Juryo, not to mention Takanoyama, Sagatsukasa and so on. On the other hand, the ease with which Tochinoshin comes back up or the performance of Sokokurai would contradict this to some extent. Most of you have been following this a lot longer than I have - what's your take on it?

Another great thread. I'd vote for one more inclusion though: http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Rikishi.aspx?r=12044 I think he could be forgiven the false start, no?

Well, I’d say he has a fair chance at this stage (which, incidentally, contradicts every theory I heard before the tournament). But now it ultimately comes down to people. These guys know and possibly like each other well, they are part of a unique micro cosmos that sets them apart to begin with and there has to be some group bonding effect somewhere. No idea how much the nationality plays into it as well. I haven’t got a problem with that. In many sports, athletes can be generous in certain situations. The tour leader in cycling who will usually let the other guy win if they arrive together is a good example. What I do have a problem with is the notion that bashos and even Sumo as a whole have a scripted storyline to decide who wins, who gets promoted etc. Especially in face of the overwhelming failure to produce any desired results in such a long time. But single rikishi helping each other out here and there? It would only be human. Human is fine by me. And Sumo, happily, still seems to be unpredictable enough to most of us. Three months ago, who would have thought that we would have to seriously consider Kakuryu for Yokozuna yaocho theories? Will he make it? I really have absolutely no idea. And that is exactly as it should be.

I used to be depressed about the conspiracy thing. But I’ve long since come to appreciate them. Especially now. Never has there been such a variety and such a steady flow of new, exciting prospects. We are treated, among others to The Never Must There Be A Third Mongolian Yokozuna Be Allowed Conspiracy (There was one to not allow a second one, either, Can’t remember what happenend to it.) The Let’s Create A Third Mongolian Yokozuna Conspiracy. It’s only just sprung up. Good stuff! The Let There Be A Japanese Yokozuna Or At Least Basho Winner Conspiracy. Everyone is in on that one. It’s so popular that it’s entering it’s 11th and 7th year respectively, and has fairly recently spawned a cute litte offspring, the Always Keep The Leaderboard Close Conspiracy. The Never Let Hakuho Get To 31, 32 Or 33 Bashos Conspiracy. Engineered years ago, deviated from the then fashionable Hakuho Must Never Get The Most Zensho Yushos Movement. Plus of course the Always Let Goueido And Kisenosato Win Conspiracy, which has taken a few hits recently, but is due for a happy resurgence. And that’s just on the top of my head. I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few. It’s all so exciting! (Source: well, you know...)

Good point, thank you. Cycling and Track and Field definitely pay better, Volleyball (all markets combined) and Alpine Skiing probably too, especially if you look at the sport as a whole (including women). But the Sumo niche is small, that's true. I guess what makes me still cringe a bit is the harsh regime they're exposed to plus the way they have to blow their bodies up beyond all healthy parameters. I think I've read somewhere that the life span of a Sumo wrestler is nearly 20 years lower than average (can someone confirm this?) so the price they pay seems a lot higher than Dartists (or whatever they're called) or Snooker players have to.

It's a little disturbing, actually. Breaking down what most of these guys make on average per career year and considering what they have to do to their bodies to get it definitely makes me appreciate my paycheck. Takanoyama for example - ouch. I assume at least the more popular among them will have additional sources of income - promoting Hakuho Rice, participating in those surreal TV shows and so on? (Oh, and hi everybody, by the way. Soft spot for Sumo since the Eurosport years and arrived here mainly thanks to Kinta's videos.)

For the service they're currently offering I wouldn't mind paying up to 25 Euro per Basho. Anything more is just too much out of sync with comparable sport offers. Hockey for example is my biggest sport, and 110$ gets me the full season with over a 1000 matches in HD, live and archived...

Thanks Kintayama, much more than I expected. Can we all pool together and buy you the seasonal pass or will that jeopardize your account too much? (I'd be happy to front the next day...)