Anyone know anything about this?


When the World Sumo League was publicizing its inaugural show of Oct. 22, 2005, at Madison Square Garden in New York, a large contingent of media members not usually associated with wrestling or any of the combat sports covered these happenings. A photo of several sumo wrestlers, clad only in their mawashis (sumo "diapers") crossing Manhattan's 7th Avenue in broad daylight proved to be a public relations bonanza, and was widely reproduced.


At the event itself, which featured a one-night tournament involving sumo wrestlers from around the world, some eight to ten thousand fans were cheering gleefully almost nonstop throughout the show. The sport was fun to watch, easy to understand, and, on top of that, placed in a family-friendly environment.


ESPN later ran a tape-delay telecast of this event, and an old combat sport from Japan seemed to have found a new life in America.


For 2006, the World Sumo League planned to have a major tour culminating in another championship tournament in Madison Square Garden in the fall. However, after a few shows, they still had not lined up a television deal. While the shows were well-received by those who did attend, there were just not enough people who knew about them or bought tickets, and the tour was cut short midway through its run.


Buoyed by the critical success of this first run of shows, and armed with the lessons of the mistakes of the abortive 2006 tour, some of the same people who put on the World Sumo League shows are back, and with revised plans.


According to a source who is working directly with them, the new organization plans to be named the International Sumo League. The first show is planned for Sunday, April 5, 2009, at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. A national tour will follow, again with a planned championship tournament in Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 7, 2009. Of course, these plans could change, but that is the working plan as of now.


This time, also, a television deal is in the works. The organizers hope to be able to sign a deal with CBS Sports to telecast their events, although that deal has not been signed yet. But if CBS does agree to air these shows, even if only on tape-delay at first, sumo will have a found a mass audience in America.


Again, anything can happen, especially in sports and television, until a contract is signed. But the original organizers of these shows demonstrated that they have what it takes to begin to create such a league. With better local promotion of the live shows, keeping costs low, and a major TV deal in place, they stand a much better chance now of establishing a league which can endure.


We will keep you informed about the progress of this new International Sumo League. Expect them also to launch a league web site shortly.

It won't survive in this country unless they have sexy ring girls in bikini's with tramp stamps and raging/screaming competitors flapping their arms up and down to some cheesy nu metal bands.

Don't forget t-shirts with skulls f-ing skulls, with daggers through their eye sockets, and more skulls!!!!!

those skin tight glittery affliction numbers are gonna look great on all the sekitori.

Hey Tim,

Where does a Sumo put his mawashi when it's dirty?

Oh, oh, oh I know I know!!

In the mawashing machine.

Yes.

All hail Dave Nelson, the funniest person ever born- and one of the coolest too. He once said that to a sumo fighter at a demonstration. I wasn't there but I heard that Tim couldn't stop laughing for days.

Bob#2

The joke itself was spectacular (one could wait a lifetime for a setup like that) but the fact the Sumo wrestler did not think it was funny made it hilarious.

Big Dave is da man.

Is Dave the only person with a Shen Wu logo tattoo?

Shane

As far as I know. I encourage everyone to get one though.

can't come back to haunt you