Regarding the July 6 article "NHK not to broadcast Nagoya sumo meet live due to gambling scandal": This is outrageous! Is there any better way to kill off attention to sumo? Does an "ostrich-with-its-head-in-the-sand" response ring a bell? Give me my sumo! Surely Asashoryu left at the right moment, laughing all the way to the Bank of Mongolia. NHK's decision is just ridiculous. It makes Japan look so small-time. (The 15-day tournament starts Sunday, July 11.)

patricia yarrow