Cheers and applause rang out inside the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park on Saturday night, hundreds of spectators surrounding the brightly lit dohyō mat as two giant sumo wrestlers clash into one another, pushing and grabbing inside the ring until one is forced out of the ring or slammed to the ground.
The Sumo Championship League held its first-ever event in Austin on Oct. 10, featuring 16 professional sumo wrestlers who faced off in a tournament hoping to win the grand prize of $10,000. The league was cofounded by Stuart Snyder, the former president and chief operating officer of World Wrestling Entertainment and Turner Broadcasting’s Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media division, where he led operations such as Cartoon Network. Snyder said he became interested in why there was no professional sumo wrestling league in the U.S.
“I’ve seen sumo in Japan over the years in my travels, (and I) really started looking at the sport and getting curious about why isn’t there a professional league for sumo wrestling in the U.S. or frankly, outside of Japan?” Snyder said. “I believe there’s a broader audience for sumo. We have an opportunity to elevate the sport here in the States, create new fans to the sport and also create superstars of sumo wrestlers.”
The league recruited wrestlers from all over the world for the event, including Jonithan Pilgrim, local Austin sumo wrestler, who said he heard about the league after being involved with the Austin sumo group Dark Circle Sumo Club.
“I was doing a sumo demo with some guys from the Dark Circle Sumo team, and everyone kept chattering about this event,” Pilgrim said. “When I was reading the contract and everything … I realized what SCL was aspiring to be … I think the athletes are going to be very excited to compete on a stage like this.”
Snyder said the league chose Austin to host their first event after recognizing the city as an emerging sports hub with passionate fans. After Austin, the league will continue to host tournaments in Chicago and Ontario, Canada, hoping to further expand.
“Austin’s a great city,” Snyder said. “It’s diverse, it’s growing … (it’s a) great sports city, (with) a wonderful energy of being interested in new things … so we said, ‘Let’s go for it, let’s do it, let’s launch our first one in Austin.’”
While there were certainly many fans of sumo attending the event, for many attendees it was a chance to discover a new sport and fun experience at an affordable price.
“It was really neat,” attendee Jeff Beck said. “I’ve never been a part of or been to the beginnings of an organization like this … We just wanted to try something different and it was like 40 bucks.”
Pilgrim says his ultimate goal for participating in the league is to help build awareness and respect for sumo as a legitimate sport and league in America.
“Sumo has real technicality to it,” Pilgrim said. “Sumo has an extreme amount of dedication … and I just want more respect for the sport, more respect for the athletes … so that’s my hope.”
