Anyone seem a good Sumo match lately?

[wdfifteen]

I miss the “Wide World of Sports” TV show. They had all sorts of sporting events, many that I had no idea existed. Everything from Sumo wrestling to swamp buggy racing (remember the “Sippy Hole?). Back in the 60’s it was the one show I tried not to miss.

[masraum]

I remember the show and the "agony of defeat" in the opening sequence, and I think my dad (and therefore me) used to watch it on the weekends. I don't think I've seen it in decades.

The agony of defeat thing is interesting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinko_Bogataj

Vinko Bogataj (Slovenian: /ˈʋiːŋko bɔɡaˈtaj/) is a Slovenian painter and former ski jumper. Footage of him crashing featured on ABC's Wide World of Sports represented the Agony of Defeat.[1]

Bogataj competed as a Yugoslav entrant at the ski flying event in Oberstdorf, West Germany on 7 March 1970. A light snow had begun falling at the start of the competition, and by the time Bogataj was ready for his third jump on the Heini Klopfer hill, the snow had become quite heavy. Midway down the inrun for his jump, Bogataj realised that the conditions had made the ramp too fast. He attempted to lower his center of gravity and slow his jump, but instead lost his balance completely and hurtled out of control off the end of the inrun, tumbling and flipping wildly, and crashing through a light retaining fence near a crowd of spectators before coming to a halt. Bogataj suffered a mild concussion and a broken ankle.[2]

A film crew from Wide World of Sports was recording the event in which Bogataj crashed. The show featured an opening narration by host Jim McKay over a montage of sports clips, and co-ordinating producer Dennis Lewin inserted the footage of the crash to coincide with the words "...and the agony of defeat." Throughout the show's long history, various images were used for the other parts of the narration, including for "the thrill of victory...", which directly preceded the above phrase and was often accompanied by images of the celebrating team at the most recent Super Bowl or World Cup, but after that point, the "agony of defeat" was always illustrated by Bogataj's failed jump.[1] Later on, other clips were added to the "agony of defeat", but Bogataj's crash was always featured and always the first played.

The melodrama of the narration—which became a catchphrase in the US—transformed the uncredited ski jumper into an American icon of bad luck and misfortune. Meanwhile, having retired to his quiet, private life in Slovenia, Bogataj was unaware of his celebrity, and so was surprised to be asked to attend the 20th anniversary celebration for Wide World of Sports in 1981.[2] He received the loudest ovation of any athlete introduced at the gala,[2] and attendees such as Muhammad Ali asked him for his autograph.[1]

In the 1990s, while on his way to an interview with Wide World of Sports about the incident, he got into a small automobile collision. His first line to the reporter was "every time I'm on ABC, I crash."[3][4]

[herr_oberst]

Loved WWofS. Jim McKay's famous voice will never be forgotten.

Since we're going down the memory hole, who else remembers a Saturday afternoon show called "Danger is my Business"?

It's where I first saw the Joie Chitwood stunt drivers, among other amazing feats of derring-do.

[GH85Carrera]

Back in the early 1970s we were living in Hawaii. Just three English TV stations as I remember.
Regular broadcasts from the states were delayed a full day as the tapes were sent on an airplane so no "live" programming from the three networks.

There was one Japanese station that carried a lot of Sumo wrestling. Our family started watching that when the English stations had only crap. We spoke no Japanese, so we made up our own comments.

Sumo wrestling is more ceremony than action. Lots of throwing salt and getting ready. Then often a few seconds of two large men pushing and shoving each other.

There was the first ever, non Japanese but Hawaiian wrestler that we rooted for. A match was going to be held in Hawaii for the first time ever at the downtown event center, so we went. The only white folks in the place. I still remember a kid in front of me getting out a snack of some raw horrid smelling fish and he gobbled it up like candy.

We had a great time and had zero idea of what was said. It beat reruns.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

There was the first ever, non Japanese but Hawaiian wrestler that we rooted for. A match was going to be held in Hawaii for the first time ever at the downtown event center, so we went. The only white folks in the place. I still remember a kid in front of me getting out a snack of some raw horrid smelling fish and he gobbled it up like candy.

We had a great time and had zero idea of what was said. It beat reruns.

"Jesse" was how we knew him. We lived in Japan in the late 70s and again in the mid 80s, so we were familiar with him, although we didn't watch a lot of sumo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takamiyama_Daigor%C5%8D

Takamiyama Daigorō (髙見山 大五郎, born 16 June 1944 as Jesse James Wailani Kuhaulua) is an American-born Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. Wrestling for Takasago stable for twenty years from 1964 to 1984, his highest rank was sekiwake. Takamiyama set a number of longevity records in sumo, including most tournaments ranked in the top makuuchi division, and most consecutive top division appearances. In July 1972, he became the first foreign-born wrestler to win the top division championship. He is also the first foreign-born wrestler ever to take charge of a training stable, founding Azumazeki stable in 1986. His most successful wrestler was fellow Hawaiian Akebono who reached the sport's highest rank of yokozuna in 1993. Takamiyama retired as a coach in 2009.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by masraum

I remember the show and the "agony of defeat" in the opening sequence, and I think my dad (and therefore me) used to watch it on the weekends. I don't think I've seen it in decades.

The agony of defeat thing is interesting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinko_Bogataj

Same here, I even reenacted that scene at Abasin in Colorado.
Plus EK' record motorcycle jumps.