Pacific League Marketing (PLM) held a tee-ball event at Kadena ball park in Okinawa Prefecture on December 13th last year as part of a joint project with the Japan Winter League (JWL).

Approximately 30 preschoolers and children attending after-school care in Okinawa Prefecture participated in the event. Many of the children had never even touched a bat, so it was a time for them to take their "first steps" in baseball.

A highly flexible program creates a "natural smile"

There were no restrictions on age or experience on this day, and entry and exit was free. By creating a space where children could enjoy themselves freely, even those who looked confused at first quickly found their own way of having fun, hitting and retrieving balls at their own pace, and quickly became accustomed to using bats and balls.

The final game was a tee-ball match, where everyone hit the ball and ran around on the artificial turf, which they had only been able to watch from the stands, enjoying baseball to the fullest, an experience they don't usually get to have, and not only the children but also the adults watching from around them were naturally filled with smiles.

A step forward as "action" for PLM

For PLM, this event is positioned as one of the joint projects launched in conjunction with the JWL this winter, and is an initiative to provide local children with an opportunity to experience baseball.

Takagi Takashi, deputy general manager of the PLM Media Rights Division, who led the project, said, "As someone in baseball world, I felt that we should somehow address the issue of the declining number of players." This overlapped with JWL's theme of regional revitalization, and the idea of providing an experience for local children in Okinawa led to this project.

The value of "experiencing baseball" as perceived by participants

Positive feedback was also heard from the participating parents. Yuki Sunagawa, a mother who participated with her 4-year-old son, recalled, "I was grateful that we could participate freely without being bound by time." She said it was her first time actually being on ground, and added, "It was great to be able to experience baseball, which I had only ever watched before."

Her husband, Bobby Price, also commented, "The content was tailored to their age and skill level, and because it was a small group, they were able to move around freely." He added that it was a special experience for the children to be able to stand on the field as players in a stadium they had previously watched from the stands.

The potential of tee ball as baseball population declines

This event was held in cooperation with the NPO Tee Ball Association. Nakazato Yukitaka, a member of the Okinawa Prefectural Federation, explains that tee ball "values the simple fun of anyone swinging a bat and running when the ball flies." For the final game, the rules were simplified, with a format in which points could be scored for each base reached. The children were initially passive, but as they always scored points, they became more proactive, and by the end, some were having so much fun that they were disappointed.

Regarding the significance of having a company like PLM, which specializes in the sports business, involved, Mr. Nakazato said, "It lowers the hurdles for raising awareness and holding events, and makes it easier for those on the ground to take action." He also hinted at the expectation that these efforts would broaden the entry points into baseball and similar sports.

The first day that leads to the next

This tee-ball event was not just a one-off experience, but also a first step for PLM that will lead to future opportunities. Mr. Takagi said, "We don't want this to end here; we want to explore ways to continue it, including collaboration with other regions and organizations."

From baseball something to "watch" to something to "experience." A small spark that began on the Kadena ground was indeed leading to new possibilities.

Text by Makoto Iwakuni