Apr 14 (newsonjapan.com) - If you live in Europe, you probably think of Baseball as an American sport – part of an unbreakable trio that also includes NFL Football and NBA Basketball.
Canada has a history of loving America sports – perhaps unsurprisingly – so it is no great shock to learn that Baseball is also hugely popular North of the border. What you may not have realized is that there several other countries who absolutely adore the game, too.
Chief among these is Cuba – a country that is still the target of a US Embargo which began in 1958 and is still in place to this day. Baseball is still the most popular sport in Cuba, despite the countries professional league being disbanded in 1961. The American Major League Baseball teams are full of Cuban players, which seems to confirm the rumor of US scouts visiting the island to search for new talent on a regular basis.
Other Baseball-loving countries include the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the subject of today's article – Japan.
The Beginnings of Baseball in Japan
Baseball is said to have been introduced to the islands of Japan as far back as 1800, but it never achieved the same level of popularity as native Japanese sports. One reason for this could be the fact that Baseball is such a different kind of game from traditional Japanese sports; martial arts had been the most popular sports with the Japanese for centuries, but individual-based sports such as Sumo Wrestling and Kendo are difficult to compare with the team-based gameplay of Baseball.
The period directly after the second World War saw thousands of American GI's stationed in Japan for many years, and it is during this time that Baseball really began to take off in the country. Japanese corporations seemed to love the game and would promote the sport heavily as sponsors – some corporations have continued to support the same teams for decades now.
Furthermore, gambling has always been tightly regulated in Japan, yet the Japanese love to gamble just as much as Americans (check out the huge number of nj sportsbook promos here if you don't believe me!). Gambling on sports always makes watching a game that little bit more exciting, and in most cases Japanese baseball stadiums have their own betting areas where legal wagers can be placed, and winnings collected.
The Rise of Japanese Baseball
Baseball was especially popular amongst the younger generations after the Second World War. The opportunity for American and Japanese teams to meet on the field gave many young people a much-needed outlet where they could continue to compete with the Americans in a friendly way, an opportunity which American players very much enjoyed as well.
As the years have passed, this friendly rivalry between the Nippon Professional Baseball League and America's Major League Baseball has continued, and of course players now regularly move from one league to the other as well. These are all great reasons for the popularity of a sport in general, but it feels as if they don't go far enough to explain the overwhelming popularity of baseball in Japan.
Some have speculated that the Japanese's respect for hard work and strong discipline is a major contributor to their love for the game of baseball. It's a physically demanding sport which requires a lot of running as well as multiple specific skills when batting and fielding. It is thought that this may be one factor in Japan's love for the sport.
Furthermore, the Japanese work ethic is also reflected in the team-based nature of Baseball. Whilst the traditional Japanese martial arts focused strongly on personal performance, the Japanese appreciate any game or activity which requires the help of others in order to perform at their best. When you work for a Japanese company, you are expected to give your position 110%, all the time, and do everything to help enhance the reputation and service of the company you work for. In the same way, co-operating with other players on the baseball field is the only way for a full team to prosper and make their way to the top of the league.
But can it all just be about work? Some American baseball fans who have visited Japan to watch a baseball game have commented on the unbelievable atmosphere at Japanese games – there is said to be an astonishing contrast between the mild-natured manner of daily life on Japanese streets, and the loud, boisterous nature of a Japanese baseball game. It seems likely that the Japanese themselves also recognize this contrast; perhaps they both appreciate the similarities between their work culture and team sports, whilst also relishing the opportunity to break free from the daily grind and support their team with true vigor and excitement.
Whatever the case, the popularity of Baseball in Japan shows no signs of slowing down soon!
