| The popularity of the game baseball has | | | | to mental pressure and other negative aspects |
| crossed continents as far as the East Asian | | | | concerning the human body. |
| island of Japan. The exact date cannot be | | | | |
| traced on when it really started as a sport | | | | Matsutara Shoriki, an owner of a famous |
| in Japan, the estimated era that it got into | | | | newspaper in Japan was in favor of the sport |
| the mentality of the Japanese was during the | | | | and was more influential than the other |
| Meiji Era which was said to occur during the | | | | critics. He sponsored a game which brought |
| timeline of 1867 to 1912. This era served as | | | | famous players like Babe Ruth and Jimmy Fox |
| Japan's modernization period. The people | | | | to play against Japan's College league. The |
| adapted many western concepts from clothing, | | | | Americans won which inspired the fans. This |
| lifestyle and even sports. The game was | | | | event led to the formation of the first |
| called Yakkyu by the Japanese which meant | | | | professional Japanese Baseball team known as |
| "field ball". | | | | the Great Tokyo baseball club in December |
| | | | 1934. Shoriki was named as the father of |
| Baseball as a sport easily made it into the | | | | Japanese baseball. |
| hearts of the Japanese because there is this | | | | |
| psychological similarity of the ball game to | | | | It was in 1936 that the first baseball league |
| the native sports of Japan namely sumo and | | | | of Japan was formed the Japan Pro-Baseball |
| the martial arts. If analyzed carefully | | | | League (PBL). |
| baseball is a basic one on one battle between | | | | |
| the pitcher and the batter which is very | | | | When war broke out in Japan, the country |
| similar to how the sport of sumo and martial | | | | suffered great physical damages, the people |
| arts focus on the same aspects. Baseball | | | | however used baseball to boost up the morale |
| requires timing, speed and precision, so does | | | | when it resumed on the 1950s. The game was |
| the native Japanese sports. | | | | even made more popular within this decade |
| | | | with the help of television. It opened the |
| As the country developed into a modern Japan, | | | | doors to a more diverse audience in the |
| so did the popularity of baseball. It started | | | | country. |
| off in schools and made its way to become | | | | |
| leagues in the country. But the journey was | | | | Today as we see it in cable sports channels, |
| not that easy. As we know, Japan is | | | | baseball still is considered as one of the |
| considered to be one of the most closely knit | | | | favorite past time of the Japanese. Some |
| countries in terms of culture and religion. | | | | Japanese players are even made part of US |
| Many criticized the sport in the early part | | | | teams. |
| of the twentieth century saying that it leads | | | | |