Photo: Pakutaso
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Petition started to stop forcing students to cheer for their high school baseball teams

23 Comments
By SoraNews24

Mid-summer is one of the seasons when Japan holds its national high school baseball championship, culminating in a series of finals at Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture.

It’s a very traditional sporting event with a large following, and it often dominates TV screens across Japan. But for the kids who take part and the schools they represent it is very much a huge deal.

But that’s not necessarily true for all the other students, of course, and it has recently come to light that some schools, in their drive to push their teams to the top, have been forcing other members of the student body to go out and show support for the baseball team.

▼ Schools vary regarding what constitutes “support,” but it can often entail elaborate performances and a high degree of enthusiasm.

This matter had come to the attention of the Japan Youth Conference (JYC), a non-governmental organization that advocates on behalf of young people in the country. Last March, the JYC submitted a request to the Japan Sports Agency and Saitama Prefecture, that students should not be forced to take part in extracurricular activities such as sports teams or other clubs. 

In the process, the JYC had also received requests from students to look into the matter of forced support for high school baseball teams. They cited one 16-year-old student in Kagawa Prefecture who said that they had to attend “support practice” and attend games using their own money. The student provided evidence in the form of schedules and closed by saying they wished they had COVID-19 so they wouldn’t have to cheer for their team.

In response, the JYC started a petition on Change.org regarding forced support for high school baseball, with the intention to learn more about the issue and hear from more students. As of this writing, the petition had received about 1,000 signatures as well as several comments, such as the following:

“It was compulsory at my school and there was no choice. It was hot and I couldn’t go to the restroom freely. Deep down I prayed my team lost so I wouldn’t have to support them anymore.”

“I’m a high school teacher and this doesn’t make sense. Let students choose and pay if they want to.”

“And why only this baseball competition? It’s a burden on everyone and should be stopped immediately.”

“Are schools still doing this? Is it the ’70s?”

“The constitution doesn’t apply to schools?”

“The baseball team isn’t the only team out there trying their best. I don’t hate baseball, but I hate high school baseball.”

“Please listen to the students. They need to know that they can express their opinions and be heard so they can continue to make positive change in the future.”

As many comments pointed out, these games are often played in the middle of summer in open-air stadiums with little shade. Although it can be particularly brutal on the players themselves who have to be active in the heat, it is certainly harsh conditions for the spectators as well.

The issue does appear to be getting a lot of attention, however, so perhaps some positive change will come of it in the future. After that, perhaps we can also look into why these young players, who put themselves on the line physically and mentally, aren’t getting a piece of the revenue generated from this massive media event.

Source: Japan Youth ConferenceChange.org via Netlab

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Japanese high school baseball players are all class, immediately clean stadium after road loss

-- Japanese Youth Conference petitions government to end compulsory after-school club activities

-- Teacher says Japanese schools’ mandatory extracurricular activity rules don’t benefit students

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

23 Comments
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If they didnt force these kids to sit and cheer in the scorching sun during both practices and the actual games, they might actually have genuine "support."

10 ( +11 / -1 )

I played sports all through high school and some in college. Honestly, I never paid attention to nor hardly ever heard anything going on in the stands during a game. You're too focused on the game and by the time the sound makes it to the field or court it is all just white noise anyway. It really doesn't have any effect on the players.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

No one should be forced in to doing something that they do not want to do!!!!

9 ( +9 / -0 )

So they are allowed to cheer for their team, the rivaling team or a team that’s not even at play? Done strictly similar to that contemporary gender wokeness , different third bathrooms etc, this would be the only right way and consequence, wouldn’t it?

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Support for one's team, business, country, etc., should never be forced as it is not truly support. Give kids the afternoon off to go see a game, or offer a free ride to go support the team at away games on weekends, but let others do as they please.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

It’s the stadiums and time of year they play in that is the problem.

Open air stadiums in the summer? Those are just brutal conditions to be in for just 5 minutes, let alone a few hours.

If they had games in a dome or at least a shaded park, I’m sure students would welcome a free day off from classes more.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Elvis is hereToday 07:09 am JST

Whatever floats your boat. Baseball itself has to be one of the most boring sports ever. Too much standing around looking at each other. It's fun to go to the stadium and have a few beverages, but the noble sport of baseball? Give me gate-ball anytime.

Well, that does it. I guess baseball will now disappear forever. Thanks for the laughs.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Whatever floats your boat. Baseball itself has to be one of the most boring sports ever. Too much standing around looking at each other.

For me, it's one of the few sports that is as boring to play as it is to watch.

But I enjoy lots of things others would find boring. So I'm not going to sport-shame.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

My children's public junior high cancelled the computer classes and IT club because the only teacher in school that knew anything about IT was also doing coaching the Soccer team.

Seemed a few boys playing soccer was more important than the students learning computer skills.

Now my children are now early to mid 20s so it tells us even more why Japanese businesses still use stamps, paper , fax etc.. and are so far behind in office automation.

My friends son just started attending the same Jr high and everything is still paper computer classes are once ever 3 weeks.

But his son has school team soccer practice every day.

Strange priorities.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Redstorm

Today 04:05 pm JST

I thought coding was made mandatory in Japan's primary schools from 2020?

Did you read the article you linked?

Nowhere does it say anything about coding.

Now if you live in Japan then you are familiar with the words "plan" and "planning" which really don't mean much until something forces them to do something.

It is like the plan when my 2 children were in Elementary school, the studies said that children learn better in comfortable environments and recommended all schools get air-conditioning.

So the plan was set. Tokyo -to set the goal, the wards and cities hard their funding and marching orders.

Now my children graduate university one did her master's degree.

Today the Tokyo ward my children were raised in still half the school do not have air-conditioning and in our present ward 25% still have no air-conditioning and they are not going to get any because the money has somehow vanished into other things.

But the location jr high with no air-conditioning just got a newly renovated soccer field which only really benefits a few boys as it doesn't have a girl's soccer team.

Remember "the government is giving masks to every home"

And do you remember what we really got!?

Well translate abenomask into pretty much everything including getting proper IT into the school system.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Folks here should be asking what and who is the Japan Youth Conference? I remember researching them many many months ago when a story here popped up about them advocating for culture destroying movements like this one.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Coerced support is not support. Children should be able to say no to any extra curricular club or activity.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Yeah, na Instead of going to the game you will be doing school work. The Better the your team the more game days of school. Can't see many names going on to this petition.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Should be voluntary.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

When my highschool made it to summer koshien 8 or 9 years ago, dozens of buses were used to move well over 1000 students/staff as the cheer squad.

Stinking hot day.

The few teachers I knew well, could only speak to me about how they hated it - fake joy for the official response. And for sure so did many of my students who openly had told me they didn't like sports. There was no choice in the matter.

I was invited - as the polite thing to do. My reply - I'd love to but I'm so busy or something to that effect.

Losing on the first day must have upset some, but surely brought secret sighs of relief from many others.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Who, exactly, is doing the forcing? "They" or "the school" is not an answer. The teachers, coaches, school principals involved should be identified and interviewed so we can hear their views and reasoning.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Maybe the need of a dose of team spirit

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Their nothing to cheer about baseball it not like football or basketball,were where you can feel thrill of victory and agony of defeat at moment notice

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

What is wrong with these kids that they don't want to cheer on their classmates? And not cheering for baseball is totally un-American!

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

So sad for youngsters and even adults to be treated as soliders or slaves.

And baseball, watching lazily while eating. That is American.

So many other far better sports requiring far less means and especially space, and providing much more fun.

About coding, for the fun, we had received C64 computer at school and got A mark for Basic programming the move of a turtle (spot creating a square). I was 7. That was 35 years ago...not in Japan.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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