The joy of watching pro baseball games now goes beyond the game itself. Gourmet, merchandise, events...... The stadium is an entertainment space that everyone can enjoy. Behind the scenes, there are people taking on new challenges in creating new tricks.

Ryo Sato, who belongs to the Entertainment Group of Saitama Seibu Lions Co., Ltd.'s business division, began his career at a beverage manufacturer after graduating from university. He worked in sales for about three years, but the company's mergers and organizational changes prompted him to reconsider his future.

Originally, Sato liked professional baseball, and during his four years in college, he worked part-time at a certain stadium as a security guard and guiding spectators, handling operations duties. Driven by the desire to be involved in baseball 's work again, he applied to a job at The Lions, a fan of him since his student days, and in 2016 he changed jobs to Saitama Seibu Lions Co., Ltd.

After joining, I gained five years of experience in the MD Group, which handled merchandise sales and planning, before transferring to the Entertainment Group of the Business Division. Currently, he is single-handedly responsible for planning the distribution of goods to visitors.

Among them, the event limited jersey distribution date left a strong impression on me.

"On the day the jersey is distributed, fans wear it and cheer them on. I was deeply moved when I first saw the stand bathed in all the jersey colors. We also plan jersey worn by the athletes. I think it's fascinating to see players playing on TV or at stadiums wearing the jersey I planned, and it's a moment when I feel glad to be doing this job."

The one I have a particular attachment to is the 2024 "Seibu Lions Blue Series," which I was entrusted with planning for the first time. Based on the design of the home jersey, the logo and cap feature the "The Lions Blue" motif inherited since the team's founding. The positive feedback from fans also left a strong impression on him.

We value "authentic voices" and approach our target audience.

In recent years, entertainment groups have been holding events targeting women in their 20s. In May of this year, they held the "Dress-Up Series," which was themed around fashion and "blue denim." Furthermore, in July, they have a collaboration series planned with "VARZAR," a headwear brand from Seoul, South Korea, that is trending among Gen Z.

The merchandise distributed to attendees, which was a collaborative effort between the event's planning manager and Ms. Sato, also garnered significant attention on social media from fans for the "Dress-Up Series." The metallic bag, a collaboration with the popular brand "CITEN," which is especially popular among younger generations, and the tumbler, a collaboration with "Tokyo Girls Collection," one of Japan's largest fashion festivals, were well-received for their practical yet trendy designs.

"Even if people don't know much about baseball, we hope this will be an opportunity for them to come to the stadium if they like the brands or guests we collaborate with. Even though we are promoting professional baseball and The Lions, there are still many people we can't reach, so I think it's important for The Lions to become a part of what women in their 20s see and experience on a daily basis."

On the actual day of the "Dress-Up Series" event, many women in their 20s, the target audience, came to the event, and Sato felt that it was a success. To implement such initiatives, Sato makes sure to gather information on a regular basis.

"I always keep an eye out for popular and trending items among my target audience, even on my days off. However, for things I'm not familiar with, such as items aimed at women, I ask friends or people who are sensitive to trends. There are things you can't learn just from social media, so I place importance on hearing firsthand opinions."

Aiming to create value that is not affected by winning or losing.

This is the job of an entertainment group that creates opportunities for people to come to the stadium through events and planning merchandise distributed to attendees. Whether The Lions win or lose, the goal is to enhance the value of the viewing experience so that people will think, "I want to go again."

"We want our players to always play in front of a full stadium, so we hope to attract many customers to Belluna Dome through attractive events and merchandise distributed to attendees, regardless of the team's wins or losses."

Furthermore, they have an environment where they can realize "things that other teams aren't doing" and "things that only The Lions can do." In order to further create unique entertainment value, the group is recruiting new players.

The qualities we seek are a proactive attitude and a positive mindset. In a rapidly changing world of trends, it's essential to constantly challenge yourself with new things and to never forget to enjoy yourself while creating things that will entertain your fans.

"I think entertainment groups are responsible for considering the core elements of entertainment, such as trends and fun. If you're passive, you'll end up feeling like 'work isn't fun,' so it's better to be proactive and take initiative."

Sato also said, "Personally, I'd like to work with people who are fans of The Lions." He continued, "I believe that because I love The Lions, I can create projects that meet the needs of the fans."

While emphasizing the importance of the fan's perspective, he also stressed the need to shift one's mindset when working for a baseball team. Whether the team is doing well or poorly, one must remain focused on what they need to do. That is the way an entertainment group should be, creating value that is not affected by wins and losses.

information

The "Pacific League Sports Job Fair 2026 Summer by doda" will be held in Nihonbashi, Tokyo on Saturday, June 20th! This is a mid-career recruitment event specializing in the professional baseball industry, organized by the six Pacific League teams and Pacific League Marketing Co., Ltd. Check the special page for details.

PLM Career, a recruitment agency specializing in the sports industry.
https://career.pacificleague.jp/

Interview and text by Yuna Takahashi