Back to the Dark Ages?

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Immediately prior to the Hatsu Basho of 2014, the Japan Sumo Association announced that their internet video coverage
of the basho would attract a daily charge of $10 ($15 for the final day) or $120 for the basho - $720 for the year.

Foreign fans, most of whom are reliant on the internet stream for live coverage, were left shellshocked
by this charge, not because they object to paying for their viewing, but because of the very high cost.

In a parallel manoeuvre, the Kyokai closed down the hugely valuable resource of Araibira's Sumo Coverage on Youtube,
which held daily coverage of all bouts, including the lower divisions, lovingly separated into individual videos.

Is this the way to spread Sumo culture?

Thanks to Araibira for supplying archive video coverage from Kyushu Basho 2013.

Original Images used in creation of the morph:


World map by Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius 1570

World map by Wikipedia contributor Alex Covarrubia 2007