This is a series of articles featuring stories about career changes from team staff and others who support professional baseball from the business side. This time, we feature Pacific League Marketing Co., Ltd. (PLM), a joint venture of the six professional baseball teams in the Pacific Pacific League, which also operates Pacific League Insight.

[June 20th (Sat) Held in Nihonbashi, Tokyo! "Pacific League Job Fair" Entry Here]

Almost all of the employees at PLM are mid-career hires, and the team comes from a variety of ground. We spoke with Keita Kasama and Shohei Nishida, both of whom transitioned from large corporations and are currently active in the Partnership Sales Department of the Corporate Business Division.

Why the sports business now? The timing for a career change.

—First, could you tell us about your careers to date and when you decided to change jobs?

Shohei Nishida: My previous job was at a chemical fiber and medical equipment manufacturer, where I worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative (MR) in the healthcare division for five years and then in the new business development division at headquarters for three and a half years. Just as I was turning 31, I was offered a transfer, and I seriously considered "how I wanted to shape my career in my 30s." There was an option to stay in a department where I could utilize my existing experience, but since I had studied sports business in college, I decided that "life is short, so I'll take on the challenge of the world of sports business, which I've always wanted to do."

-- Mr. Nishida, you were also active in the university's athletic soccer club. Did you experience any gaps when dealing with sports from a business perspective?

Nishida: I had an internship with a J.League club team during my university days, so I already had an idea of what the sports business was like. I was originally interested in the aspect of "supporting" sports, not just "playing" or "watching" them, so I didn't feel any discomfort with money being involved in sports as a business.

—On the other hand, Mr. Kasama, you've transitioned from a steel trading company. That seems like quite a bold career change.

Keita Kasama: I joined a steel trading company right after graduating from university and sold "steel" for 12 years. There was a sense of scale and fulfillment in the business as a trading company, and to be honest, the salary was good and I could see a stable future. However, to be frank, I just couldn't feel any passion for the product I was handling (steel). When I turned 30, I started to feel a strong desire to be involved in business with something that I was truly interested in.

After that, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted me to re-evaluate my career, and I switched jobs to a manufacturer related to outdoor activities, which was my hobby. There, I experienced the excitement of building a business from scratch, and then, in order to pursue another major interest of mine, "baseball," I decided to switch jobs to PLM through "PLM Career." What I liked about PLM Career was that the career advisors were people who actually work at PLM, so I was able to hear real opinions. Actually, when I first had an interview with PLM Career, there were no openings for my desired position (sales), but I waited for the right timing and tried again, and here I am today.

"League sponsorship sales" involving all six teams, and "content sales" unique to PLM.

—What kind of work are you two currently doing in the Partnership Sales Department?

Kasama: There are two main roles. One is sales, which involves proposing large-scale "league sponsorships" in terms of both amount and scale, or "initiatives with individual teams or initiatives spanning multiple teams," utilizing the assets of the six teams. The other is "content sales," which involves proposing initiatives utilizing our own media such as Pacific League TV Pacific League Insight.

I'm in charge of companies like Monster Energy, who became a league sponsor in 2025. Leveraging the incredible platform of professional baseball, which attracts tens of thousands of people across Japan throughout the year, I'm involved in a total of 36 product sampling and promotional events at six stadiums.

I believe Monster Energy has established a cool brand image, so I think that by combining it with baseball, we can work together to make professional baseball something "cool and stylish."

In content sales, we sell tie-in projects for "Monday, Let's Go to Patele (Getsu-Pa)," which is streamed live every week (mainly from March to November) on the Pacific League TV YouTube channel.

The initiative that FamilyMart undertook for Monthly Pa before the start of this season was truly unique. Instead of simply airing commercials, they incorporated the product into the program in a deeply immersive way, representing batting order using rice balls. My fondest memories are the meetings with the production team. We repeatedly refined the idea of "how to make advertising entertaining and engaging" and then finalized the plan with the content division (which produces Monthly Pa).

Nishida: Like Kasama-san, I'm also working on two main pillars. Nifco, the company I'm in charge of, develops and manufactures products for various fields, mainly automotive parts. They became a league sponsor midway through last year, and in order to increase awareness among the fans, we added to what we were doing last season by setting up booths and sampling at six stadiums this season. It's a very meaningful experience to actually go to the stadiums, stand at the booth with Nifco employees, and hear the fans' voices firsthand.

—What are the unique aspects and challenges of working in sales related to professional baseball?

Nishida: One original and interesting initiative is our collaboration with Nifco on the "sponsorship of the announcement of the starting pitcher." This involves displaying Nifco's corporate logo on the Aurora Vision screen during the announcement of the starting pitcher, which takes place around the bottom of the 5th to 8th innings at each stadium. At the same time, a brief introduction of the company is added through the stadium announcement. Because this takes place at a time when the stadium's attention is focused, it leaves a strong impression on attendees. When I'm at the booth, fans sometimes say to me, "You're the company that does the announcement of the starting pitcher, right?" It's very rewarding to feel firsthand how our brand awareness is expanding among our customers.

Also, we recently secured a new tie-up with "nosh," a frozen meal delivery service, within the monthly subscription framework. It's been over a year of persistent efforts, but it's truly rewarding to see a new model created through my own proposals.

Kasama: PLM's strength and challenge lies in the fact that it's a "hub for six teams." Naturally, each team has a different way of thinking and culture. The real challenge is how to adjust those differences and bring them into a context that everyone can agree on.

Recently, we've been getting more and more requests from the teams themselves to "handle PLM in charge" with new projects, and I feel that our function as a hub supporting the unity of the six teams is working effectively.

What can be achieved by combining baseball with past experiences?

--We are currently actively hiring at PLM. What kind of people would you like to work with in the future? Also, what are your own future plans?

Nishida: Because PLM is a small elite organization, we believe that bringing together people with different back ground will generate diverse perspectives and ideas. I think PLM is suited to people who can enjoy how to multiply their past experience into baseball regardless of the industry or the products they handle.

As for my own outlook, I would like to keep challenging "what no one has done before in the baseball industry". Although the sport has a long history, there is still room to create new business and value depending on ideas. I would like to increase the number of new league sponsors to four or five, and I would like to set up new initiatives that arise from the horizontal connections among our customers.

Kasama：I would like to see people who have a unique strength or edge (weapon) that says, "I can do this," come to the company. For example, from my own experience, what I am doing now is very similar to what I did at my previous job at a trading company. It is similar in that I stand between the team (manufacturer) and the customer and make adjustments without holding things. I think I am making the best use of my specialty zone = my career to date.

Pacific League I would like to strengthen the hub function from a sales standpoint to make the relationship between the six teams and PLM more seamless in the future and to make the entire baseball world more integrated.

--Finally, do you have a message for those who are interested in changing careers in the sports industry?

Nishida: The sports industry does not have a large number of jobs that match you, and timing is also important. It may take a bit of courage to take on the challenge, but once you dive in, it is a wonderful job where you can truly take pride and work passionately.

Kasama: Above all, there is no other industry where you can work so closely with people's high level of enthusiasm. This is your chance to be a part of changing professional baseball as entertainment into something more stylish and cool. If you are looking for this "tactile" and interesting experience, please take the first step!

information

"Pacific League Sports Job Fair 2026 Summer by doda"
It will be held in person 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.

Applications are accepted until June 14th (Sunday).
For applications and details, please visit the special page.
https://dodasports.doda.jp/event/4996/
PLM Career, a recruitment agency specializing in the sports industry.
https://career.pacificleague.jp/