JasonKimball.org

Every athlete is looking for an advantage over the next athlete. In Japan they take it to the next level for sure.

Forget about performance enhancing drugs, they cut fastballs in half!

What I meant to say is that the Chunichi Dragons are here in Okinawa.

The  Chunichi Dragons are one of several professional baseball teams that will spend a month in Okinawa for spring training.

If you were unaware, baseball is a very popular sport here in Japan. At the Dragons most recent practice I went to, there were several hundred people just waiting to catch a glimpse of their favorite star. The Dragons will actually begin the pre-season with an exhibition game against the Yakult Swallows at 1 p.m. at Chatan Town Ball Park. You can find out more about the Dragons here.

It was very exciting to see people of all ages out watching just a practice session. I have played baseball nearly my entire life and can understand why so many appreciate the game.

Needless to say, I brought my camera and snapped a couple of photo’s.

Click to enlarge 

Nothing better then the smell of freshly cut grass, the sound of thousands of screaming fans, pure excitement as the words, back…back…back, and it’s gone are shouted over the load speaker. What could this possibly be? The definition of sports in America.

So, being a Boston Red Sox fan living in Japan, it would be assumed that I would be attending this years season opener in Tokyo…right?Well, it turns out that baseball may be Japan’s favorite pastime too. Because, trying to snatch up tickets for the Red Sox vs Oakland game has been depressing altogether. There are some options available, I could shell out a two-hundred minimum per ticket to see my beloved Sox’s play in the Tokyo Dome. However, I think my wife may bench me for the rest of the season if that happens. 

This made me question when the price of a baseball ticket got so high. Sure, I have only been to a couple of Major League Baseball games in my life, but I can honestly never recall paying so much for a ticket. You knew it was coming people, do professional athletes make too much money or what?

I got to thinking, mainly because I am mad that I can’t afford to go and see my team play in the Tokyo Dome and I came to a realization, of course they make too much money! I base this soley on the opinion that baseball and other sports in our country started out as games. Believe it or not America, they are still a bunch of games played by adults.

When I was younger I dreamed of hitting that game winning home run in the bottom of the ninth, not making big bank and being on cribs. What was I thinking? I really had my priorities screwed up when I was younger.

I need to relax and think clearly here. Players like big Papi, Ramirez, and Arod make the big money because they also produce big numbers and bring in lots of extra revenue through fan support and endorsements. Of course, Big Papi and Ramirez know how to produce big numbers in October, unlike Arod.

After a little digging I actually found that ticket prices have little or nothing to do with the players salaries. Ticket prices are driven to a certain price to ensure owners maximize their revenue. These owners can only maximize their revenue if fans are willing to pay the price for the tickets.

Ultimately, I discovered that the Tokyo Dome tickets are inflated due to the game being played in Tokyo rather than normal stateside venues that we are all accustomed to. Maybe it is because I am cheap and not willing to pay as much for tickets as the other Red Sox fans. I am going to go stick with my gut feeling and blame this one on the inflation theory. 

No matter what happens, I will still be in Tokyo that week trying to score some last second miracle tickets. If I make it or not, go RED SOX’S!