Frankly, it’s just great to have a real sport to watch again. I’ve quickly grown tired of the melodramatic rolling around on the ground and crying, emblematic of that other competition. So, it’s great to have sumo back. There’s no advantage given to miming and diving here.
from https://tachiai.org/2026/07/12/nagoya-2026-day-one/
i've watched last 30 minutes of a couple of ⚽ matches and i couldn't agree more with the above statement. I've read the paragraph while searching for more info about why i don't see Wakatakakage in this tournament
here:
The biggest storyline is the sudden kyujo of May’s tournament winner, Wakatakakage. He was rushed to hospital after experiencing severe pain in his thigh. He underwent surgery and we hope for a swift recovery. Thus, he is absent from the Day One match-ups. Another prolonged, multi-basho absence would be a real gut-check. He’d climbed back from the knee injury and we’d just started muttering the words, “Ozeki Run,” but now that’s gone. He will tumble into the midst of the rank-and-file for Aki, likely as far as Maegashira 10 or 11.
I just got into watching midway through the May basho, so he really stood out for me, and I'm almost through watching the March tournament and he looks great there as well. I read he has compartment syndrome, so I asked my wife about it who works in the ER and she said that can be some really serious stuff. I hope he gets the time to hopefully recover, it looks like so many guys are always fighting hurt. I've been loving a lot about the sport, but it looks to be a lot of physical suffering for the guys.
If my first tournament getting to watch him ends up being the last, that's a real shame, he looks so talented, and of course I just want him to be ok! 🥺