Universal Wrestling League: Difference between revisions
m
no edit summary
(Created page with "{{Infobox company | name = Universal Wrestling League, Inc.<br />V.K. Žanotrašro Qólovrašt Danlõbi | trading_name = | logo = | image = | image_caption = | type = Private corporation | traded_as = | founder = | area_served = Tavari Union | key_people = Vínšt Makam Hanon (Founder)<br />Vedra Makam Hanon (Chairwoman)<br />Hendr...") |
mNo edit summary |
||
Line 42:
===Early History===
The sport of wrestling itself predates written Tavari records. By the time the novel ''Žanotrašro Zubi'' was written (c. 940-970 CE, less than a century after the first Tavari writing appeared), wrestling was already considered an ancient art, said in the book to be "the fifth thing orcs ever learned" (after breathing, eating, sleeping, and mating, in that order.) Long associated with martial prowess and the good favor of the spirits (and thus good fortune), wrestling was considered to be the most popular sport in Tavaris until the modern era when sports such as rugby and football became popular. In 2019, a survey of Tavari households by Ranzalar Media Research ranked traditional Tavari wrestling as the second most popular sport in Tavaris, with 44% of respondents self-identifying as a fan of the sport. (Association football ranked first with 58% and rugby union in third with 40%. Respondents were permitted to identify as fans of multiple sports.) While professional wrestling was not counted among the sports, fandom of the UWL was counted in the survey as a "non-sport entertainment activity" and was first ranked in this category. With 61% of respondents identifying as fans of the UWL, its support exceeded that of any single sport.
By the 20th century, wrestling had begun to see a decline in comparison to newer sports brought in from foreign countries, especially team sports—Tavari wrestling has always been an individual sport—that, despite individual players moving, provided communities with more long-lasting institutions to support. UWL founder Vínšt Makam Hanon, himself a long time supporter of traditional Tavari wrestling, established the Radio Wrestling Company with the goal of reversing the slide in the sport's popularity, especially in the immediate aftermath of the Great War, which inspired a brief cultural moment in opposition to "foreign interference" in Tavari culture. His goal in broadcasting the traditional wrestling tournaments—especially the grandest of them all, the Black Star Tournament, established by King Utor I—over the radio was to, as he said in his autobiography, "restore a love of wrestling, the defining Tavari sport, to the heart of the common Tavari woman and man, not simply the elite and the Tavat Avati fanatics."
Line 88:
In 1882, the legal authority of the Tavari monarchs was severely curtailed after Queen Adra III interfered with military operations to disastrous results in the [[Gondwana Straits War]]. Part of the reforms included a law that the Tavari monarch could not keep any income, but that all royal income was to be forwarded directly to the state and, in exchange, the state would cover all the costs of the monarchy. The Supreme Constitutional Court ruled later that year that this mandated passing-over of income was absolute, meaning that “every single našdat that comes into the possession of the Tavari monarch, anywhere where Tavari law is in force, immediately becomes the lawful property of the Ministry of the Treasury the very precise moment the monarch gains possession of that našdat,” even in cases such as the monarch touching a coin on the ground with the intent to pick it up. This meant that the monarch could not lawfully hide any money within Tavaris, and that any money owned by the monarch outside the country could never be brought into the country. Almost immediately, rumors that the Tavari royal family had secret riches hidden in Ilarís that they could never again keep or spend in Tavaris began to circulate, but these remained largely irrelevant urban legends until the 1997 reorganization of the Universal Wrestling League brought the rumors into the public eye.
A ''Crystal Coast Free Press'' reporter raised the question of why the company had to relocate its offices to Ilarís and received a response from the company that the move had been “a condition of the financing offered by our primary investor.” This was enough for the paper’s editorial board, in an editorial opposing the move, to question whether “this mysterious investor might even be someone who lawfully cannot have funds in Tavaris, which might include criminal actors, or it could even include King Zaram V, and in either case, significant scrutiny is warranted.” Commentators began to openly wonder if the Tavari monarch was seeking either to diversify his portfolio or acting to preserve Tavari culture. The Silver Court declined to comment, and then-Prime Minister Mani Ovrošt Tanadar said “this government does not comment on outlandish conspiracy theories, and besides, the King can’t stand professional wrestling” but, as noted by proponents of the theory, declined to deny it outright.
Close looks at the company’s financial disclosures since 1997, limited as they are under Ilari law, indicate that the league has been earning income from the interest generated by untouched funds in an account marked “executive compensation.” Conspiracy proponents argue that these untouched funds represent a salary issued to the mystery investor who, for some reason, cannot or will not claim their income from the league. The Ilari law that allows a company to withhold the identity of its owners or directors only applies if that director is uncompensated, and if the director is paid by the company, their identity must be disclosed on public filings. This interest generated has steadily grown over the years, indicating the amount of untouched funds is growing. Proponents argue that any typical investor would, at some point, seek a return on their investment and to recoup their initial cash outlay by either accepting income from the company or selling their share. Especially since the company’s return to success and popularity after bankruptcy, many question whether there are any market-based rationales behind the refusal for the mystery investor to reveal their identity at significant financial cost.
| |||