Building a Sports Community: Yokohama BayStars
A non-profit organization, “Sports Community” is spreading the importance of sports to the Yokohama community. Former players from NPB, former and current players from the Yokohama based industrial league team ENEOS, and former players from women’s softball league make up the teachers in the Sports Community. Their goals are to teach the importance of sportsmanship and the excitement of sports in the right way. They also stress family relationships and communication within the community. Baseball and softball classes are held for the children and also provides family participation events throughout the year.
The Yokohama BayStars are building a community with knowledge of sports management as they build a partnership with Sanno University. Both sides are trying to create a win-win situation as the students of the sport business programs of Sanno University are gaining experience and learning from the real life situations with the Baystars and their minor league team, the Shonan Searex.
Another big part of community service and creating awareness during the BayStars games is blood donations. Before games at certain times of the year, the prefecture’s Red Cross Society comes out to the games and call out for donations before the game. For the participants, the Baystars provide a free sticker and an opportunity to be in the drawing for an on-field event after the game. Aside from them, fans may also be amazed to watch other athletes who may carry a bowstring.
There are other projects that the Baystars are involved with such as the Make a Wish to the Stars Project, where the players visit local elementary schools to teach the importance of having a dream to the children. Other members of the Diana team, which is the cheerleading squad, are involved with the Pink Ribbon Project which creates awareness and collects donations for breast cancer. Kanagawa prefecture is second in Japan in deathes due to breast cancer and the Baystars are trying to help the community become aware of the disease.
The BayStars are another team that will have a new look for the 2009 season with their first new home and away uniforms since the 1992 season. The transition comes in the year of  Yokohama harbor celebrating their 150th anniversary since opening the harbor to the world. As the city will be in celebration mode throughout the year, the Baystars hope to add on to the excitement with their new style.
21/03/2009 at 7:25 am Permalink
The city of Yokohama may be “in celebration mode” due to the 150th anniversary of the first American invasion of Japan (I cannot understand why Japanese people want to celebrate America’s historic domination of their country.), but, especially with Murata out with a hamstring injury, BayStars fans (are there really any left?) will as usual have nothing to get excited about as they will likely reach their customary position deep in the cellar of the Central League by mid-April this season (they usually hold out in 4th or 5th until early May in order to give fans a little false hope).
Go BayStars!!!!!
By the way, I have seemingly developed a bit of a reputation as a negative guy on this website, but I would like readers to know that I consider the above comment to be a rather positive one. Really. Life for Yokohama fans (one of which I used to be) is so bad that that is the best I could do.