※Translated with Notion AI. (Plus version)
As the Japanese professional baseball season enters its final stages, the Central League remains fiercely competitive.
Even the fourth-place DeNA still has a chance at the championship, while Yakult and Chunichi have seemingly given up on this season and are focusing on preparations for the next.
Chunichi Dragons, in particular, is likely to finish last for the third consecutive year, making it difficult to avoid dismissing their popular manager.
Head Coach of Chunichi Dragons
In the Pacific League, Orix, which had won three consecutive championships, is currently struggling in fifth place, while SoftBank is running away with the lead, resulting in a less exciting development.
As a former professional baseball player with MLB experience, I have a strong sense of crisis regarding the decline in baseball’s popularity and the shrinking player population in Japan.
I believe that if Japanese professional baseball continues on its current path, it may be reduced to a single league of 8-10 teams within 20 years.
First, we must face the reality that Japanese professional baseball is losing its appeal to children.
The activities of retired players are partly to blame; while their YouTube storytelling and golfing may interest those over 40, they have no resonance with children who are the future fans.
There are hardly any activities that inspire elementary school children to dream, and the pursuit of self-interest is evident.
It’s no wonder that children are drifting away from baseball.
