The media's double standard detracts from sumo
The
banzuke is great, ticket sales are soaring, television ratings are up, big-name
sponsors are in, and the quality of sumo is better, so I just don't understand
how two weeks prior to a hon-basho the media can actually focus more coverage on
a complete non-event instead of hyping the basho, producing better keiko
reports, and focusing on the Japanese up-and-comers. The non-event I'm talking
about was Asashoryu's attendance at a yearly event in Tokyo called the Shibuya
Girls Collection where women's fashion and a few music artists were on display.
As widely reported in the Japanese media, on March 8th, Asashoryu headed home to
Tokyo to film a commercial for the soft drink Fanta after which he made an
appearance at the fashion event still in costume dressed as a junior high school
exchange student named Fantaro.
The first few days in Osaka, the media tried to create a mountain out of a
molehill stating that Asashoryu was being irresponsible, that he was
compromising sumo for his own interests, that he was not taking his preparation
for the basho seriously, and that he was up to his usual bad behavior unbecoming
of a Yokozuna. They were skewing comments from members of the YDC and
fabricating ridiculous headlines, all in an effort to discredit the Yokozuna's
achievements atop the dohyo. The Daily Yomiuri's sports page, called Sports
Hochi, summed up the attitude of the media with this paragraph in an article
published March 3rd:
"His participation in the event shows his popularity, but the problem is day 1
of the tournament is just one week after. It is abnormal behavior for a rikishi
to go back to Tokyo for his "side job" during this most important time of
preparation, and the stress on his body will be big. He is scheduled to appear
at the event at 6 PM, so he may be able to practice that morning, but if he
misses practice on the morning of the 9th, it will surely raise voices of
criticism. He is coming off of a comeback yusho that included some tears after
defeating his rival, Hakuho, in a playoff, but along with the return of his
strength, he is creating problems once again that show a lack of dignity like
giving a guts pose atop the dohyo. He is just returning from a vacation from
Hawaii. He does have approval from the Sumo Association, but this is
unacceptable behavior. Is he really in that good of shape? Or is this just
another case of negligence on his part? It looks as if once again we will be
unable to take our eyes off of this "troublesome Yokozuna"."
Asashoryu had had enough and finally rebuked the media in a press conference
correctly informing them that it wasn't ethical that they were implying he was
selfish and putting his own interests ahead of sumo. Asashoryu had the blessing
of the Sumo Association from the beginning and emphasized that both parties
decided on the move even though the reporting in some publications implied
otherwise. After Asashoryu called the media out, the negative reports ceased
until after he actually attended the event. Asashoryu was scheduled to fly back
to Osaka after his appearance, but he ended up taking the stage about an hour
after he was originally slated, and as a result, he opted to spend the night in
Tokyo and fly out first thing in the morning where he went to the Sakaigawa-beya
directly from the airport for keiko. So what is the headlines from Sport's Hochi
the next day? "Asashoryu is a liar."
Asashoryu is a liar because he adjusted his schedule and spent the night in
Tokyo instead of Osaka? Who cares whether Asashoryu takes a late flight and gets
to bed late or goes to bed early and catches the first flight out in the
morning? Is this really what sumo coverage has come to? Since when does holding
press credentials in Japan give one license to stalk an individual? As I've
blogged and correctly stated over and over, the media is trying to tear down
Asashoryu's character in order to belittle his accomplishments in the ring
because he is
a
foreigner.
What was the Sumo Association's reaction to Asashoryu's behavior? As quoted by
Ayako Suzuki, head of the Association's PR office, "The Association, his stable
master, and Asashoryu all understood his keiko schedule. The event was aimed at
young people, and it was good PR for us to win new fans." Yuh think? With sumo
suffering from bad publicity as often as Mitsuru Yaku regurgitates an uninformed
sumo take, they have to market themselves to a new niche of fans. It was an easy
call for the Sumo Association, so to see the Japanese press completely twist
things around in their attempt to soil Asashoryu's character further is
despicable. If you think I'm overstating things, consider these examples.
When a rikishi besides Asashoryu takes a day of keiko off, the press uses the
word "yasumu," which means to sit out or take a break. When Asashoryu
takes a day of keiko off, they use the word "saboru," a negative
connotation which means to slough or skip out--a clear double standard.
Hakuho sat out practice on March 3rd. The headlines surrounding his day off?
"Hakuho performs a dohyo-iri and prays for the safety of the rikishi." Where's
the outrage? Hakuho is failing to seriously prepare for the basho! How
unbecoming of a Yokozuna! Asashoryu practiced on March 3rd and then took March
4th off. So the resulting headline from Nikkansports on March 4th? "Asashoryu is
already skipping out on practice!" using the term "saboru" of course. In
the March 3rd article, Hakuho stated to the press that "he would begin his
practice sessions tomorrow." So the next day comes around only to find out that
Hakuho's practice mawashi wasn't packed, so he's unable to do any keiko. Does
that make Hakuho a liar? According to Japanese media logic it does. The media
reported Hakuho's mishap as a matter of circumstance, but if that had happened
to Asashoryu, the headlines would have been sensational asking how a Yokozuna
could have been so careless.
Now let's talk about troublesome behavior. It was reported prior to the Hatsu
basho that Kotomitsuki was suffering from gout, a condition brought about by
excessive consumption of alcohol. The news was reported as matter of fact and
that was that. We all remember that Kotomitsuki came out in Hatsu a paltry 2-9
and then withdrew from the tournament altogether citing an ankle injury that was
non-existent. So my question is...why isn't the media making a big deal out of
that? Talk about irresponsible behavior. Kotomitsuki was the highest-ranking
Japanese rikishi on the Hatsu basho banzuke. You'd think he'd take his
responsibility more seriously and lay off the hooch...what with the basho less
than a week away. How does the Japanese media jump all over Asashoryu for such a
non-incident where he is actually doing PR work for the Association, yet they
give Kotomitsuki a total pass? Don't bother answering that; I already know.
It just baffles me that Asashoryu's attending that event in Tokyo has generated
10 times the amount of press compared to the drug testing methods employed by
the Sumo Association back in September where four rikishi tested positive for
marijuana. The two foreigners were kicked out while the two Japanese rikishi
were let go. Sure, Wakakirin's bust for possession last month garnered headlines
for a few days, but the press never devoted a full article questioning the
circumstances surrounding the testing only opting to mention it in a passing
sentence near the end of a paragraph here and there.
The first keiko report I read in Osaka of course focused on Asashoryu when he
stayed at home to battle Makushita rikishi from his own stable. What made bigger
news was the fact that the Takasago-beya installed metal detectors at the
entrance to the stable and would only allow one reporter and one photographer
from each accredited agency in to watch keiko. The press of course seemed
annoyed by this, but what do they expect? They are the ones creating this
monster that really doesn't exist. Asashoryu received a death threat during the
Hatsu basho, and who knows what other threats the stable has received? Asashoryu
has to beef up his security for one reason: the Japanese media are inciting hate
and disdain towards him among the general public because he is a foreigner and
because he is threatening the records of the Japanese legends. A great number of
Japanese fans are thankfully filtering out the bias and the bullying, and this
shows in the increase of ticket sales, sponsors, and television ratings when
Asashoryu is present, so to see members of the Japanese media continue to push
the anti-Asashoryu agenda and employ their double standard by twisting the
truth, fabricating sensational headlines, and using tired quotes from an
anime artist of all people is outright embarrassing.
Bring the focus back to the dohyo!