A Different Ballgame: Baseball Economics in Japan and Taiwan
Beer girls shouldering 20lb kegs, cheerleaders outshining players and super knowledgeable fans: these are ingredients of East Asia’s distinctive baseball culture. When Japan’s baseball economy emerged in the 1950s, many in America thought a Japanese player would never make it to the Major League. But Shohei Ohtani’s record-breaking US$700M contract with the LA Dodgers in 2023 cemented a Japanese presence in elite baseball. Robert K. Fitts, baseball historian and author, gives us an inside look at how Japan’s leagues are filling stadiums, and how Taiwan can start pitching a better game.
