Your opportunity to see sumo wrestling in Long Beach approaches
If you are in southern California, I highly recommend visiting the US Sumo Open on May 9 in Long Beach.
I've been going to this sumo wrestling competition for three years and it is my favorite sports event in the area, no question. It is mostly amateurs, and most of the locals at the event are not particularly good. The athletes competing at this event are sometimes from other wrestling disciplines, but some of them are dedicated amateurs for whom this is their main sport. There's an enormous breadth of skill level, there's a bunch of different weight classes, and there's a round robin competition at the end of the day where everyone fights everyone else absolutely randomly. It's a ton of fun and the sports stories that emerge over the course of five solid hours of nonstop amateur sumo are just delightful.
The most skilled competitors usually come from overseas - from Asia or Eastern Europe - and it's kind of crazy to see them destroy everyone they come up against. I'm desperately hoping that the event management can get similar attendance from foreign competitors this year, despite the insane political situation here in the US. Those visiting wrestlers are some of the most fun to watch every year, and I'd regret a sumo open without them.
Anyway: I love this event and I always beg my friends to come. I am now begging you, too. It takes place inside that giant pyramid at CSU Long Beach and the vibes inside the space are truly wild. All the seats are great and you do not have to shell out for the fancy ones. Look:
Anyway... strong recommend from me!!