The Court of Public Opinion

[Peterao 3]

Yesterday the Nikkan Sports paper's website had another recent questionaire regarding the Nagoya Basho. They received 840 responses between noon and 5pm.

On the question of "What do you think of the Kyokai's punishment?", 75.5% replied "It is light." Regarding whether or not the basho should be held, 81.3% said the basho should be cancelled, while only 16.9% said it should go on as scheduled. In a similar survey taken on the 24th, before the punishment to be handed down was announced, 79.2% said the basho should be cancelled, so it does not appear that people are satisfied by the proposed measures.

Though the Kyokai itself believes the punishments are draconian, this opinion runs strictly in counter to what those outside of sumo are saying.

Some other comments:

"I am so fed up with Musashigawa oyakata's demeanor!" - 50's female

"Before you question the hinkaku of the yokozuna, question that of the Kyokai!" - 40's male

[Takamizawa 0]

"Before you question the hinkaku of the yokozuna, question that of the Kyokai!" - 40's male

Haha I love this quote! :-P I wish there was some sort of super ultra-thumbs up I could give this.

[kawika 123]

"Before you question the hinkaku of the yokozuna, question that of the Kyokai!" - 40's male

Haha I love this quote! :-P I wish there was some sort of super ultra-thumbs up I could give this.

Same here! I loved it so much I went ahead and twittered it. LOL

[Kotoviki 16]

"Before you question the hinkaku of the yokozuna, question that of the Kyokai!" - 40's male

Haha I love this quote! :-P I wish there was some sort of super ultra-thumbs up I could give this.

me as well!! (Sign of approval...)

[Kintamayama 47,402]

I wouldn't attach too much (any actually) importance to these instant on-line polls. I'll bet 90% of the voters don't care about sumo or are totally not interested or are under 18. If there was a choice of "Let's close Sumo forever" it would have received 80% easily. This of course doesn't mean that I don't agree that those eggheads in charge should be really punished etc.., but seriously - this doesn't mean anything..

[kawika 123]

I wouldn't attach too much (any actually) importance to these instant on-line polls. I'll bet 90% of the voters don't care about sumo or are totally not interested or are under 18. If there was a choice of "Let's close Sumo forever" it would have received 80% easily. This of course doesn't mean that I don't agree that those eggheads in charge should be really punished etc.., but seriously - this doesn't mean anything..

Fair enough, but 100% of them pay their NHK viewer fee, so they may care a little...

[Kintamayama 47,402]

I wouldn't attach too much (any actually) importance to these instant on-line polls. I'll bet 90% of the voters don't care about sumo or are totally not interested or are under 18. If there was a choice of "Let's close Sumo forever" it would have received 80% easily. This of course doesn't mean that I don't agree that those eggheads in charge should be really punished etc.., but seriously - this doesn't mean anything..

Fair enough, but 100% of them pay their NHK viewer fee, so they may care a little...

Except this was a Nikkan sports poll and not an NHK one. Nothing whatsoever to do with broadcasts. That was in another thread..

Edited June 30, 2010 by Kintamayama

[Peterao 3]

I wouldn't attach too much (any actually) importance to these instant on-line polls. I'll bet 90% of the voters don't care about sumo or are totally not interested or are under 18. If there was a choice of "Let's close Sumo forever" it would have received 80% easily. This of course doesn't mean that I don't agree that those eggheads in charge should be really punished etc.., but seriously - this doesn't mean anything..

Fair enough, but 100% of them pay their NHK viewer fee, so they may care a little...

Except this was a Nikkan sports poll and not an NHK one. Nothing whatsoever to do with broadcasts. That was in another thread..

I'm willing to give those respondents the benefit of the doubt and say that almost 100% of them pay their NHK fees.

[alchipimaru 0]

"Before you question the hinkaku of the yokozuna, question that of the Kyokai!" - 40's male

Word.

I haven't heard any oyakata or senior official mention that word once during this fallout. I suppose gambling and dealing with the mafia (Yakuza) isn't as dishonorable as punching a dude while drunk.

[Kintamayama 47,402]

I wouldn't attach too much (any actually) importance to these instant on-line polls. I'll bet 90% of the voters don't care about sumo or are totally not interested or are under 18. If there was a choice of "Let's close Sumo forever" it would have received 80% easily. This of course doesn't mean that I don't agree that those eggheads in charge should be really punished etc.., but seriously - this doesn't mean anything..

Fair enough, but 100% of them pay their NHK viewer fee, so they may care a little...

Except this was a Nikkan sports poll and not an NHK one. Nothing whatsoever to do with broadcasts. That was in another thread..

I'm willing to give those respondents the benefit of the doubt and say that almost 100% of them pay their NHK fees.

Again, no one was asking them if they want NHK to suspend their broadcasts because of the scandals. They were asked about Nagoya basho and the severity of the punishments. If NHK broadcast suspension was the question, 110% would have said yes, because obviously most of them don't care about sumo in the first place. A poll I would embrace is one taken at the KKan (or wherever there is a basho) of people who actually come to watch sumo. A 50% or more negative result would satisfy me, yes.

[Kintamayama 47,402]

"Before you question the hinkaku of the yokozuna, question that of the Kyokai!" - 40's male

Word.

I haven't heard any oyakata or senior official mention that word once during this fallout. I suppose gambling and dealing with the mafia (Yakuza) isn't as dishonorable as punching a dude while drunk.

Because that word is usually attached to a yokozuna. I never heard of anyone demanding hinkaku from an Oyakata. The smartass that answered that question would have done better if he said "Before you question the actions of the yokozuna, question that of the Kyokai!" to which everyone will agree and clap their hands in unison. Anyone who has followed sumo for a week should know the semantics here. Let's not fly off the handle folks. Flushing out the baby with the water will do no good for anyone.

Edited June 30, 2010 by Kintamayama

[Peterao 3]

MSN Sankei news now reports that opinions to NHK are increasing, and that negative opinions have increased to 75%.

[Asashosakari 20,310]

Welcome on the road to 100 pointless opinion polls.

[Kintamayama 47,402]

MSN Sankei news now reports that opinions to NHK are increasing, and that negative opinions have increased to 75%.

If I were in Japan (and I'm not, darn it!!) and I felt strongly about it, I would simply not watch sumo for the basho. I don't get this "big brother" attitude. We are all adult children. Just like some of us don't watch porn, reality series etc.., we can skip this basho if we so choose. I guess it's a cultural thing-I just don't get this hypocritical regulation. BTW, do they show corrupt politicians caught stealing millions on the news on NHK? Do they suspend those endless Diet broadcasts (I wish..) because of these crooked politicians, so that their children don't get corrupted by them?? What about despicable murderers? Do they interview them? My my. And the fact that it's a public station and subsidized has no bearing on the whole picture, which is somebody deciding what I can or cannot watch. The only way I would understand it is if they drop sumo coverage altogether, but then they will lose a lot of revenue, a whole lot of revenue, yes?? It's their prerogative to broadcast whatever they choose. But can they suspend broadcast just because 40 out of 1000 people crossed the line (most of them minimally..)? Not in my very small book. This is all media frenzy. I know the smell.

Edited June 30, 2010 by Kintamayama

[Umigame 82]

MSN Sankei news now reports that opinions to NHK are increasing, and that negative opinions have increased to 75%.

Welcome on the road to 100 pointless opinion polls.

I agree that the Nikkan Sports poll in the original post is pointless, but the NHK poll will have a real influence on whether the basho is televised or not.

(How much of an influence is hard to say, but the numbers will definitely be cited in NHKs final decision.)

I already posted this in another thread, but here's the URL for the NHK form:

https://cgi2.nhk.or.jp/css/form/web/mail_program/query.cgi

I sent in my opinion and got a quick and on-topic reply, so it seems very legit that these forms are being read and counted.

[Asashosakari 20,310]

(How much of an influence is hard to say, but the numbers will definitely be cited in NHKs final decision.)

Call me cynical, but my standard assumption is that viewer feedback doesn't make a lick of difference for such major decisions, it's merely being published to have a convenient excuse to point to later on (mainly vis-a-vis the NSK) in case NHK's decision jibes with the majority opinion. If they end up broadcasting the basho, all these numbers will be memoryholed instantly.

Anyway, producing TV by majority decision would result in about 2 channels each broadcasting about three hours per day, because everything else has more detractors than supporters. As Moti said, somebody who wants to take a stand that counts has the option to just not watch. If the ratings crater, we'll know that the sumo-interested part of the public was actually pissed off for more than the two minutes it takes to type something into a feedback form. Until then this is all only so much junk news designed to fill column inches and airtime. Useless data doesn't become credible by repetition.

Edited June 30, 2010 by Asashosakari

[kawika 123]

I wouldn't attach too much (any actually) importance to these instant on-line polls. I'll bet 90% of the voters don't care about sumo or are totally not interested or are under 18. If there was a choice of "Let's close Sumo forever" it would have received 80% easily. This of course doesn't mean that I don't agree that those eggheads in charge should be really punished etc.., but seriously - this doesn't mean anything..

Fair enough, but 100% of them pay their NHK viewer fee, so they may care a little...

Except this was a Nikkan sports poll and not an NHK one. Nothing whatsoever to do with broadcasts. That was in another thread..

sure, different thread but if i was paying for a service and i was unable with the NSK situation, and you asked me the poll, would my investment with NHK have nothing to do with my opinion?

[Peterao 3]

Welcome on the road to 100 pointless opinion polls.

I think that NHK poll has a point. Would NHK be publishing the results every day, only to do the complete opposite of what the majority says, without being forced to at least give some good justification?

MSN Sankei news now reports that opinions to NHK are increasing, and that negative opinions have increased to 75%.

If I were in Japan (and I'm not, darn it!!) and I felt strongly about it, I would simply not watch sumo for the basho. I don't get this "big brother" attitude. We are all adult children. Just like some of us don't watch porn, reality series etc.., we can skip this basho if we so choose. I guess it's a cultural thing-I just don't get this hypocritical regulation.

It's a financial thing, and not hypocritical at all. If a private company like Fuji TV were televising this, then your argument has merit. But I, who live in Japan, am obligated by law to pay 15,000 yen a year to finance NHK programming, whether I want to or not. Call me crazy, but I believe that that gives me (not you!) a right to complain about, and even demand the removal of, planned programming.

[Asashosakari 20,310]

sure, different thread but if i was paying for a service and i was unable with the NSK situation, and you asked me the poll, would my investment with NHK have nothing to do with my opinion?

I dare say only an extreme minority of people over the age of 35 or so who have grown up in a country with mandatory TV fees think of them as an "investment" or even think about them much at all when it comes to their opinions about what's on TV. This isn't like deciding which tier of your cable package to choose.

I think that NHK poll has a point. Would NHK be publishing the results every day, only to do the complete opposite of what the majority says, without being forced to at least give some good justification?

Absolutely. Okay, your definition of "good justification" would likely end up differing from mine. "We freakin' have to pay them 500 million yen anyway!" would work for me, honestly.

Edited June 30, 2010 by Asashosakari

[Peterao 3]

I think that NHK poll has a point. Would NHK be publishing the results every day, only to do the complete opposite of what the majority says, without being forced to at least give some good justification?

Absolutely. Okay, your definition of "good justification" would likely end up differing from mine. "We freakin' have to pay them 500 million yen anyway!" would work for me, honestly.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/pr/english/annual/2009/whole.pdf

NHK's operating expenses for 2009 was over 600 billion yen. Somehow, I think that they could survive letting less than 0.1% of their annual budget go to waste for the sake of good PR.

Edited June 30, 2010 by Peterao

[Kintamayama 47,402]

sure, different thread but if i was paying for a service and i was unable with the NSK situation, and you asked me the poll, would my investment with NHK have nothing to do with my opinion?

You're not paying for sumo broadcasts, you're paying for NHK as a package deal. Also, AFAIK, you don't have a choice, right? I didn't mean it had nothing to do with your opinion, just that the numbers you are citing here are not about NHK.

[Kintamayama 47,402]

It's a financial thing, and not hypocritical at all. If a private company like Fuji TV were televising this, then your argument has merit. But I, who live in Japan, am obligated by law to pay 15,000 yen a year to finance NHK programming, whether I want to or not. Call me crazy, but I believe that that gives me (not you!) a right to complain about, and even demand the removal of, planned programming.

Yes it does give you the right and you're not crazy. Out of curiosity, do people complain about other types of broadcasts as well? The Diet broadcasts, for instance? Does anyone even watch them? How many hours are they monthly, compared to, say, Sumo?

[Jonosuke 28]

Actually if NHK goes ahead to cover the Nagoya, there is a bit of hypocrisy to their action. Time and time again they have shunned Enka singers who had incidents of participating in Yakuza activities like going to their party and singing a song or two. Some were not even directly involved only their sibling was - the most famous example of this case is the one they rejected arguably the most well known singer of the era, Hibari Misora because of her brother's connection with a Yakuza group.

A news report says that the reason that the Kyokai had to announce almost certain banishment of Kotomitsuki and Otake well before their decision date of July 4 was that NHK wanted to ensure they would not be in the Nagoya or they threatened to pull out regardless.

Edited June 30, 2010 by Jonosuke

[Asashosakari 20,310]

NHK's operating expenses for 2009 was over 600 billion yen. Somehow, I think that they could survive letting less than 0.1% of their annual budget go to waste for the sake of good PR.

Somebody in the press will seize on it anyway; public broadcasters regularly get criticized for wasting much smaller amounts of money.

[Kintamayama 47,402]

A news report says that the reason that the Kyokai had to announce almost certain banishment of Kotomitsuki and Otake was that NHK wanted to ensure they would not be in the Nagoya or they threatened to pull out regardless.

Interesting. While admitting to the gambling, both of them denied any knowledge that the underworld was behind this. OTOH, Kise, who gave actual gangsters ring-side tickets and admitted to having yakuza friends ( "a few years ago"..) is still around. And that's OK for the people who shunned singers because their siblings had dealings? And I don't think the NHK had any obligation to any of these singers like they do to, say, NHK.

Edited June 30, 2010 by Kintamayama