Japan Baseball History Essay

Imagine the super bowl as an every day thing in America. Well thats the kind of atmosphere they have in Japan everyday when a professional baseball game is played. Baseball is the number one popular sport in Japan. The sport is so beloved in Japan that research shows that 75% of kids start at the ages of 6-7 years old. For the people of Japan baseball isnt just a sport it’s a lifestyle for them. It’s a long past tradition that has a rich amount of history.

This rich history all started in between the years of 1867 to 1873. It was introduced by a professor at Kaisei Gakka, a college boarding school. His name was Horace Wilson. Wilson was the one that brought the game to Japan, but there were others that helped him teach the Japanese the ways of the game. Him and another professor named Albert Bates would help teach and train those who were interested in playing

baseball. With the help of Hiroshi Hiraoka, Japan had their first baseball club. The Shinbashi Athletic club was Japans first ametur team, it consist of high-school to college men. It was in the 1900's when baseball started to become popular and well known with everyone in Japan. The first professional team was created in 1936 with the help of the professors that started this whole legacy.
Professional baseball or Yakyu, as the Japanese call it have two divided seasons. It is similar to Americas major league schedule, they start spring training in February and start their regular season in March. If you haven’t seen a professional baseball game in Japan you would never know what goes on and the amount of passion the fans have. Baseball games in Japan are more like a celebration instead of a game. Research shows that baseball brings in the most renevue for professional sports in Japan. On average 30,000 fans show up to a professional game. The fans go crazy, there are drums and music always playing for the home team. Many of the fans bring in their own food, music, gloves, baseballs, and etc. The fans and players care about baseball so much that in 2004 they went on strike because the lack of teams to play in tournaments.
Baseball in Japan has changed dramatically since it started in 1867 to todays era.

The main ways on how baseball has changed has to do a lot with the fans, players, and coaches. The displine with the coaching in todays era compared to the old era is very different. In todays era the dipline and strictness level for youth and professional level players are very high. Back when it all started many of the players and coaches were soft, but in todays era there is a lot of competition. Competition is the main reason because it makes the game so much more harder for the players to succeed. Coaches today will yell and even hit their players if they are doing something wrong. In the 1800's these kinds of actions were almost extinct. The fans and game atmosphere is one of the biggest changes. In the begginign era of baseball, people wouldn’t even acknowledge the game at all. There wasn’t even a baseball field built in Japan until the first team was created in 1936. In todays age baseball has rose to be the number on sport in Japan. Another thing is that 75% of Japan’s population plays some form of

baseball.
In conclusion, baseball is one of the main stamples of Japan. It all started its history with some school professor’s in the 1800's. From there it only grew more and more popular to the people of Japan. Baseball in Japan is much more different than the united states because of the passion and atmosphere that the fans give out. Looking back at it all the game itself has really evolved and changed over a great period of time. For the country of Japan, baseball is a calibration and a lifestyle.