Gravity Collapse » sports

Don’t take our naked fat men!

gravitycollapse — Fri, 25 Mar 2005 21:56:11 +0000

First, let me just say to the BBC, kudos on the “cheeky” headline: “Sumos Split Over Shorts Squabble“.

So, it appears that in japan they’re thinking of allowing a replacement for the Giganto-Thong that sumo wrestlers have traditionally worn in competitions, but of course the old guard doesn’t like it. On the one hand, this dispute is kind of interesting, but on the other hand, it’s just the same old story: we find a replacement for something traditional, and people who are used to things a certain way just resist. Ultimately, I don’t think it would matter much to the sport if they changed from Giganto-Th….errr…mawashi to shorts, since it’s not the pants (or lack thereof) that make you able to push someone out of the ring.

Personally, I’m not really losing sleep over this issue, but I do find it a bit humorous that the trend worldwide has been for people to be more and more naked (witness women at the beach, for example 50 years ago, and today), but as for our fat men? Cover them up. I couldn’t agree more.

Best quote from this article: “We have no intention of allowing children with pants into the ring.”

So there.

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Post tags: japan, sports, tradition

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Moneygrubbing pigs take us back to the 1950s

gravitycollapse — Fri, 25 Jun 2004 09:18:26 +0000

Yesterday I was listening to England vs. Portugal on BBC5 Radio’s live Web feed. You might say, “what a triumph of technology; nowadays you can listen to radio broadcasts from around the world from home!”

That’s one way to look at it.

Here’s the problem: Here in the USA, there’s this scumbag company called Setanta which owns exclusive rights to the Euro2004 games. They have chosen to only offer the games via satellite and digital cable on PPV ($179 for the whole package or $20 a game, or via direct broadcast to pubs, where there is also a $20 cover charge! (The cover charge goes straight to Setanta.)

So, basically, it means normal Americans can’t watch these games at all.

Also, UEFA has blocked ALL web streams of the event (they don’t even offer a games stream from their own web site, though they offer a package of ‘highlights’ and bullshit I don’t care about, as I just want to watch the games.

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Post tags: business, media, sports

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Book Report – Among the Thugs

gravitycollapse — Fri, 11 Apr 2003 09:07:09 +0000

I watch English football.

I’m not religious about it or anything, but I find European soccer leagues interesting for basically one reason: their complicated league structure, complete with promotions and relegations, and the pan-national cup matches (my favorite is the UEFA cup, since it initially contains teams from the most countries).

And, so, I watch English football. I sort of root for West Ham United, principally because they have a silly name (in American English) and I envision changing the logo to….well…a big steaming ham (maybe on a plate, maybe not…I haven’t decided). Like I do in pretty much every sport, I just root against the big boys…so…ya know…fuck Manchester United and Arsenal and Chelsea and Liverpool and Newcastle.

Anyway, a guy from the basketball league I play in recommended, upon hearing that I like English soccer, that I read Among the Thugs by Bill Buford [shameless amazon.com link], because it’s both well-written and eye-opening.

He was right on both counts. This is a damned fine book.

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