Japanese baseball losing ground to soccer

[Jarrek]

Bobby Valentine says Japanese baseball losing ground to soccer

By JIM ARMSTRONG

TOKYO (AP) - Manager Bobby Valentine says baseball in Japan risks a steady decline in popularity unless it competes with soccer when it comes to recruiting young players.

"Japanese baseball has to do more to appeal to young players," Valentine said Wednesday. "In the old days, baseball was the only choice but those days are over and the people who run baseball here need to wake up and smell the coffee."

Valentine, who took the New York Mets to the 2000 World Series, is now in his fifth season managing the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Pacific League.

With more and more Japanese kids opting for soccer instead of baseball, Valentine said it's up to the people who run Japanese baseball to find a solution.

"This isn't about me," said Valentine. "I'm 57 years old, I don't need the publicity. This is about the future of Japanese baseball."

Valentine said part of the problem is Japanese baseball's failure to connect with the youth of Japan, a job he says the domestic soccer league does much better.

"J-League players go out to schools and hold clinics, they are beating us at what we should be doing," added Valentine. "For most kids, the closest they get to a Japanese baseball player is the TV set."

Valentine has long said that Japanese baseball needs to expand its minor league system to create more opportunities and suggested earlier this week that the Marines should purchase a club in an independent developmental league.

There's little doubt that soccer is popular among Japan's youth.

According to the Japan Club Youth Football Federation website, there were 107 registered clubs and 2,575 players in the under-18 category in 2006 and 1,028 clubs and 40,549 players registered for under-15 teams.

"In the old days, dads would teach their kids to play baseball," said Valentine. "But they are too busy now so the moms take the kids to the park and if they have a choice between baseball and soccer they teach the kids soccer and who can blame them?"

[nolando]

To be honest the vast majority of kids playing sports are playing for school teams. School club sports is where most kids play - so i wonder how accurate those stats are (ie. are they incluing school clubs?). Kids in Japan play 6-7 times a week, training hard every day, as kids only enter one club during their school days, and the clubs laste all year-round (even summer and winter vacations). And if you are a kid choosing between basball and soccer, well, the soccer kids are all the "cool" ones at school, and the kids are allowed to have their hair long and sometimes coloured as well, and they can wear their favourite jersey during training time. On the other hand, the baseball team requires buzz cuts and strict uniforms each day.

It's true, baseball has an "old" image in Japan, and about the only people following Japanese baseball on TV or radio these days are older men, while soccer cuts across all ages, men and women.

Let's face it - baseball's not exactly the most active sport in the world, so who would you rather have your kid idiolizing, overweight American baseball stars, or guys like Nakata Hide with his reportedly 4-5% body fat and perfect health? Soccer also obviously offers so many more avenues for overseas employment, as opposed to baseball and it's two completely "major" leagues. I know which sport I'll be playing with my kids in the park, put it that way. It may not be as big of a "crisis" as some make it out to be.

[Guest speedmonk42]

It's you!

You are the V's lurker in Japan.

We were trying to remember that for some reason......

[nolando]

Hey, who you callin' "lurker"? ;>

[john tv]

quote:Originally posted by nolando

To be honest the vast majority of kids playing sports are playing for school teams. School club sports is where most kids play - so i wonder how accurate those stats are (ie. are they incluing school clubs?). Kids in Japan play 6-7 times a week, training hard every day, as kids only enter one club during their school days, and the clubs laste all year-round (even summer and winter vacations). And if you are a kid choosing between basball and soccer, well, the soccer kids are all the "cool" ones at school, and the kids are allowed to have their hair long and sometimes coloured as well, and they can wear their favourite jersey during training time. On the other hand, the baseball team requires buzz cuts and strict uniforms each day.

It's true, baseball has an "old" image in Japan, and about the only people following Japanese baseball on TV or radio these days are older men, while soccer cuts across all ages, men and women.

Let's face it - baseball's not exactly the most active sport in the world, so who would you rather have your kid idiolizing, overweight American baseball stars, or guys like Nakata Hide with his reportedly 4-5% body fat and perfect health? Soccer also obviously offers so many more avenues for overseas employment, as opposed to baseball and it's two completely "major" leagues. I know which sport I'll be playing with my kids in the park, put it that way. It may not be as big of a "crisis" as some make it out to be.

I am delighted to see this trend in Japan.Not being in the Olympics is a huge message as well as being a borderline activety that may not really qualify itself as a real activety sport,certtainly not one that provides what kids need,providing that crucial level of fitness.