For some strange reason baseball is a huge sport in Japan. Whereas in Britain the boys will play football or rugby at school, in local clubs and eventually professional leagues the same is true of baseball in Japan. This is slightly strange given that it doesn’t seem to be much of a team sport in a country in which almost all social situations focus on the group rather than the individual. So, a little while ago I went to my very first live sporting event! A baseball match between the Tokyo Giants and the Eagles at the Tokyo Dome. As to why I went to see baseball it was basically a chance to see the Dome, an indoor baseball field in the middle of Tokyo, and watch one of the biggest sports in Japan rather than any particular desire to see baseball which, even after having watched a whole 3 hour live game still seems to me as inexplicably dull as before. Apart from the fact that the batter holds the bat with two hands in stead of one I honestly cannot see any difference between how baseball and rounders are played. Even the distance between bases seems to be about the same for the two despite one being played by professional sports players and the other by 7-10 year olds in the school playground. 
Still at least the match I got to watch was a big one with the Giants being equivalent to a team such as Manchester United and the Eagles, Aston Villa. At least according to the American exchange student who came with us and actually knew something about baseball, aside from the fact that is is basically commercialised rounders. I was also very excited to receive my very first baseball card of the star of the Giants, Alex Ramirez. Very Japanese sounding I know. To his credit he did manage to hit the ball more than once, which is a lot more than some of the other players could do. As you may be able to tell this wasn’t the most exciting spectacle in the world and so when I was in danger of becoming particularly soporific I went and got the obligatory hot dog. Here it is in all its freshly made glory. 
I did take some pictures of the game and strangely enough the pictures actually make it look like something exciting is happening, even the ones when nothing was happening and the players were just switching over.
This was the basic theme for the evening, most of the people on the pitch not even looking at the same thing.
Now I know why Americans invented cheerleaders. To actually get the crowd to look at the pitch and make it look like they are interested.
A rare moment of excitement as a player (Alex Ramirez) actually hits the ball.
Rare excitement indeed. The final scoreboard being filled with mostly zeros.
Next time I think I might just give the baseball a miss, apparently there was an ice cream bar downstairs.
I've got to say - well done on going to see a baseball game, something I've wanted to do for the same reason... not an interest in baseball itself but rather go there and try it out, that sort of thing. If I'm not mistaken, there are a few guys from the US who play in Japanese teams these days.
ReplyDeletep.s. whats that big "London-eye" type of wheel in the background of the Dome picture?
I must correct you Samuel, this is not your first live sporting event you have attended. It might be the first you have had to pay for though. Don't you remember the exciting netball matches you went to - and there would have been a lot more scoring of goals. Ruth
ReplyDeleteMind you I'm not sure the cheerleaders would keep the crowd interested, they look quite uncoordinated, all facing different ways, maybe it's the norm after all. Ruth
ReplyDeletethe big london eye thing is a ferris wheel, there is actually a theme park there with lots of roller coasters and things which i hope to visit soon. yeah it's worth going just to see what it's like although really there are probably better sports to do that with.
ReplyDeleteok mum it's the first live professional sports event (although i have just remembered the castle coombe day, don't know if that was professional) where the players are stars and don't play in school playgrounds :P that better now?
and yes the cheerleaders were pretty uncoordinated and i think the ones dressed up as bears or whatever it was were better as they did some cartwheels and things.