We get worked up when grown men shoot up steroids to throw a ball harder, or run a little faster. But in Japan, the case of a dead sumo trainee is making our little sports scandal look about as important as a game of pick-up sticks.
Takashi Saito was killed by fellow sumo wrestlers at the order of their stablemaster (think of a boxing gym owner as a U.S. parallel). The punishment was handed out with lit cigarettes, baseball bats, and a beer bottle. All this because the 17-year-old trainee had tried several times to “run away” from his sumo stable.
To put Saito’s death in perspective, it would be like Isiah Thomas having the Knicks front-court beat Stephon Marbury to death after he skipped out on the team earlier this season. It would be like Al Davis having his offensive line murder JaMarcus Russell because of his holdout.
This is just the most dramatic example of a sport that is as corrupt as it is ancient. Sumo is run by a group of “elders” who act like worse versions of our most crooked boxing promoters. Tax evasion, match-rigging, and the occasional trainee death are par for the course.
So yes, our athletes are spoiled. Our athletes are rich beyond all sense. Our athletes aren’t the best role models all the time. But our sports are still good. If you doubt that, try being a sumo fan.
