Spectating with Intention: Watching Sumo Wrestling

“Who forced you to go to the Grey Cup?” 

I was talking to a Hamilton Tiger Cats fan at a university event.

“We can all tell you are not a sports fan.” 

I was talking to a group of strangers from Edmonton at a holiday resort I had met 15 minutes before. Only one passed judgement on me. 

Obviously, I was the plus one  at the Grey Cup (Green Day played the half-time show). It’s the Canadian equivalent of the World Series and the ticket prices are stratospheric. And no one had to force me to sit in the freezing cold for hours to be there. My date bought me a game scarf. 

I had a good time watching Canadian Football League (CFL) fans from across the country show off their team spirit. The Hamilton Ticat fans clearly had no idea their team wasn’t playing. The Saskatchewan Roughriders fans had their full length parkas while the Montreal Alouettes fans were showing off fur coats. The BC fans in front of us were unfortunately drunk and one got his head stuck between the seat in front of him and the riser. Everyone ignored the Toronto Argonaut fans and they pretended not to notice.

After that experience, one that rooted me more deeply in my Canadian identity, how could that stranger from Edmonton make such a statement about my sports fandom?  

I mean, he was right, but how could he tell? 

These two judgmental statements, both made more than two years ago, have given me cause to reflect. 

Am I missing something from the human experience by not paying attention to sports? Am I immune or more susceptible to being pacified by the “bread and circuses” of the colosseum (or stadium) that have evolved from chariot races and gladiators to football, the other football, and hockey?  

I asked Chat GPT if it was a sports fan. It told me it has no team loyalty, but it is always up for talking about sports-related topics. Chat GPT might just be a better sporting event plus one than me! 

So, in the spirit of that competition, I set out to find out if being a sports fan would make me connect more deeply to my own humanity. To do this, I committed to actually watching the sport play out, instead of being distracted by things like the crowds, the price of beer and snacks, and the stellar bands at half-time.  

Last Saturday, I made being a spectator with intention my new thing for the week and went to watch sumo wrestling. 

It was not just a new thing for me. It was The First Annual Hammer Town Sumo Throwdown (I only attend very high profile sporting events. The 110th Grey Cup set that standard for me).   

Hosted by the Canadian Japanese Cultural Centre of Hamilton, the competitors on Saturday mostly belong to the Hamilton Sumo Club, which is part of Sumo Canada. 

“Sumo is for everyone,” is the Sumo Canada slogan. While many of the competitors at the event were dedicated hobbyists, it quickly became clear that some were introduced to the sport at the introductory workshop two weeks before the Throwdown. I am certain though, they all had a background in other kinds of wrestling…well, not really certain because I have never seen other kinds of wrestling, but they looked good, no one embarrassed themselves. 

In fact. had I only seen the Facebook ad in time, I could have taken the sumo workshop instead of just going to watch. 

Sumo wrestling has much to recommend it as a place to begin for the uninitiated sports fan. First, each match is very short and very dramatic. Second, it is easy to figure out how it works. A match ends when a) one wrestler throws the other down or b) pushes them out of the circle. Third, the referees hold up the traditional terminology and speak Japanese loudly enough for all the spectators to learn some new vocabulary. Fourth, it’s a polite sport with quiet and calm competitors who bow to each other. It all feels much less violent than the term throwdown suggests. 

And, I know I wasn’t going to mention snacks, but is there any other sport where you eat teriyaki salmon during the intermission? 

I am now a sports fan. Those guys who judged me can shut up now.

The other 12 weeks of my Try New Things Every Week Challenge to Myself have included watching my friend's retirement band at their first gig, going dancing at the Legion, and really trying to relax on schedule.