Yang Yilin

Dr. Dykhuizen

Expository Writing

July 26, 1999

Japanese Baseball

            I like sports very much because they are universal.  In other words, although people live in different countries and have different cultures or languages, everyone can enjoy sports that can make people close beyond their borders.  When I came to a foreign country, Japan, I could make friends with my classmates by taking part in sports even though I could not speak Japanese at all.  In fact, sports are very active in Japan because not only children but also adults enjoy sports.  There are many kinds of sports such as soccer, volleyball, and basketball in Japan; however, baseball is one of the most popular sports today for three reasons. 

            First reason why baseball is popular in Japan is because there are or were many star players in Japanese professional baseball teams.  For example, Sadaharu Oh, who was a slugger in Yomiuri Giants and who is a manager of Daiei Hawks now, is famous for the home run king in the world, and he hit 756 home runs all his life.  Also, his stance was unique, and he stood with one-leg when he hit balls, so many children adopted his stance because they had been attracted and wanted to become sluggers like him.  In addition, Daisuke Matsuzaka, a pitcher in Seibu Lions, is a rookie in 1999 who is very popular because he pitches surprising fast balls and in spite of great batters he is brave for his age of 18.  His appearance not only encouraged many young players, but also rapidly increased an interest in baseball.  As you can see, these famous baseball players give children dreams to become good players like them by achieving remarkable results and attract the minds of all baseball fans with their long home runs and fast balls.   As a result, more people get concerned in baseball and try to watch its games in stadiums or on TV. 

            Next, baseball cartoons also make baseball in Japan more popular because they have a great influence on children, especially male children.  In Japan, there is many famous baseball cartoons, such as Kyojinnohoshi, Dokaben, and Touch.  For example, Touch is a love story about baseball, and its main characters are twin brothers, Tatsuya and Kazuya, and a cute girl, Minami, who is not only their childhood playmate but also their classmate.   In the story, after Younger Brother Kazuya, a pitcher of the baseball club in Meisei high school, died of a traffic accident, Older Brother Tatsuya begins playing baseball as a pitcher.  He aims to go to Koshien, a holy stadium for high school baseball players, in order to win Minami�fs heart.  Therefore, this cartoon makes children have the impression that baseball players are seemed very nice and great, so more boys begin playing baseball and more girls try to encourage players, male children, in the baseball clubs of their schools. 

            Finally, families greatly affect children and make them become the fans of baseball.  In Japan, almost all families are the fans of baseball and like any one of all professional baseball teams.  When children are very young, they can often see that their parents watch baseball games?the game between Giants and Swallows on TV, for instance.  Also, children can often hear that their parents are talking about baseball issues?Giants won the game with Dragons by 10 to 0 yesterday, for example.  What is more, parents often take their children to baseball stadiums in order to watch baseball games such as the game between Giants and Tigers, and especially encourage their favorite teams such as Giants and popular players such as Mastui.  These repetitions gradually make children concerned in baseball; what is more, children try to practice baseball of their own free will with their friends and fathers. 

           All in all, many people love baseball very much in Japan because there are many great baseball players, baseball cartoons, and families that love baseball.  What is more, people pay more attention to baseball these years because Japanese pitchers, such as Nomo, Irabu, Hasegawa, and Yoshii are playing in major leagues and become very successful.  Of course, it will not be long before not only Japanese pitchers but also batters play in major leagues, and also this condition will make Japanese baseball more popular.