The Real March Madness

Football, baseball, basketball, hockey...you name whatever sport at whatever level of play, and I will respond with complete indifference. For whatever reason, I've just never identified with any American sport. And I would probably prefer to watch paint dry than watch a game on TV.

But I love sumo. What other sport has athletes that look like this:

That's Konishiki at his fighting weight of 630 lbs. Sumo wrestlers obtain their famous bulk by eating a traditional meal called chanko, which is a giant pot of stew that you throw everything into for the sole purpose of weight gain.

And although people tend to make fun of the diaper looking cloth that sumo wrestlers wear (actually called a mawashi), it's part of a more formal apron-like article of clothing that sumo wrestlers wear during the opening and closing ceremonies of each tournament. The formal mawashi can be quite pretty.

And like the uniforms and cars of NASCAR drivers, the mawashi often include advertisements:

The mawashi above is essentially the logo of a yogurt company. But it's not the surreal nature of sumo that I like...okay, it's not just the surreal nature of sumo that I like. There is an actual artistry to the sport and the history and culture behind it is fascinating.

A National Geographic lesson on sumo:

This week's March tournament news: