The world of sport is as wide and varied as Earth itself. Truthahol correspondents have witnessed superhuman shows of strength, stamina, and brainpower, all under the great banner of sport. Reports have recently surfaced, however, from deep beneath the shadows of that banner. Truthahol has infiltrated the closely guarded and well-financed world of professional Thumbwrestling, heretofore obscured from the masses behind the mantle of professional armwrestling.

Our correspondents have wrested this long-guarded secret into the light of day after months of undercover reporting. For several years now, unbeknown to all but the most ardent armwrestling fans and athletes, the biggest thing going at the United States Armwrestling Federation's Unified Nationals happens behind the black backdrop curtains--the annual tournament known as the Thumb Rumble.Thumbwrestling is most familiar as a schoolyard game, the province of children and teens on long car trips or winding lunch lines. This stereotype has helped to keep professional Thumbwrestling rather obscure, as evidenced by fig. 1.

The underground Thumbwrestling circuit, however, is as rich and complex a community as that of long-distance running or competitive badminton. Some of the biggest fans of Tumbwrestling, according to our sources, are the champions of armwrestling, including luminaries such as John Brzenk and Marcio Barboza. It's also known as a progressive sport among competitors, featuring as many women as men in tournaments, as competition classes are grouped by hand size rather than overall physical strength.

Thumbwrestlers eschew the motto of "Raw Strength and Courage" applied by their armwrestling acquaintances, in favor of "Agility, Dexterity, and Honor". Yet there is good cause to doubt the sincerity of this creed, given the circumstances in which professional thumbwrestling thrives. Unlike armwrestling, whose corporate sponsors include big-name sportswear and beer companies, the Thumb Rumble and other events are sponsored privately--allowing the sponsors to remain anonymous, and the funding to climb to dizzying heights.

But, as wise ones know, the money trail often leads down dark paths. Our correspondents report several chilling tales of betting pools gone wrong, as well as sabotage plots involving firecrackers, thumbscrews, and other hand-maiming apparatuses. Some speculated that thumbwrestling might be incorporated into a corporate sponsorship alongside armwrestling, though these rumors faded as the ranks of the thumbbers closed tightly against wider attention. This craving for cover leads many to question the motives of the competitors, as well as the sponsors. Is this secrecy the result of benign athletic exclusivity, or something altogether malignant?

The latest reports indicate that the Thumb Rumble is expanding, slowly and guardedly, into an international event. Will the money follow, along with corruption? Or is the secret world of professional Thumbwrestling merely a cherished, private sport, never intended for the multitudes? This answer belongs to the future, and will surely not be wrestled out before its time.