Two Major Sports in Television Ratings
Professional baseball and ekiden relay races consistently record high television ratings among Japanese sports broadcasts. The New Year Hakone Ekiden regularly achieves ratings above 25 percent, with the 100th edition in 2024 reaching 28.1 percent for the outbound leg and 29.8 percent for the return, rivaling the Japan Series as a top-tier sports broadcast. Professional baseball night games once boasted ratings exceeding 20 percent. In the 1980s, Yomiuri games averaged in the high 20s, and the legendary October 8, 1994 showdown between Chunichi and the Yomiuri drew an astonishing 48.8 percent. However, from the 2000s onward, those numbers declined with reduced terrestrial broadcasts, and by the 2010s even Yomiuri games frequently fell below 10 percent. Meanwhile, ekiden has maintained stable popularity, and the relationship between the two mirrors the history of Japanese sports media. Since Nippon Television began full live coverage of all Hakone Ekiden legs in 1987, viewership has steadily climbed.
Differences and Overlaps in Fan Demographics
Professional baseball fans and ekiden fans have distinct characteristics. Baseball fans have strong team allegiance and follow games throughout the 143-game season. NPB's total attendance in 2024 reached approximately 26.5 million, averaging around 30,000 per game. Ekiden fans primarily support universities or corporate teams, concentrating around specific events like the New Year period. Roadside spectators for the Hakone Ekiden regularly exceed one million, with alumni and local residents cheering enthusiastically. However, significant overlap exists between both fan bases, reflecting Japanese preferences for sports in general. A 2023 Chuo Research survey found baseball ranked first among favorite sports at 42 percent, with marathon and ekiden fourth at 22 percent. Recent growth in soccer (J.League) and basketball (B.League) has further diversified the sports fan landscape. Among teens and twenties, some surveys show soccer surpassing baseball, highlighting a notable generational preference gap.
Community Roots as Common Ground
Both professional baseball and ekiden share deep community roots. Baseball teams are tied to the identity of their home cities, as seen in the Hiroshima Carp's 'Carp Joshi' phenomenon and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters' 2023 opening of ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO, where team-community bonds grow stronger each year. Ekiden features local residents lining routes to cheer, and municipalities along the Hakone Ekiden course leverage the race for regional promotion. Hakone Town sees a surge in tourists on January 2 and 3, with accommodation occupancy exceeding 90 percent. Similarly, baseball team relocations significantly impact local economies; Rakuten's 2005 entry into Sendai reportedly generates approximately 20 billion yen in annual economic ripple effects. Both exemplify how Japanese sports are deeply connected to local communities and attract attention in the context of regional revitalization.
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Changing Viewing Habits in the Digital Era
The spread of streaming services has significantly changed how people watch baseball and ekiden. Baseball is now available on services like DAZN and Pacific League TV, making television ratings alone insufficient for measuring popularity. DAZN began streaming NPB in 2017 and now broadcasts approximately 900 games live annually. Pacific League TV covers all home games of the six Pacific League teams. While ekiden streaming has also increased, with Nippon Television's TVer platform seeing growing simultaneous viewership for the Hakone Ekiden, the cultural tradition of watching with family on New Year keeps terrestrial ratings high. Baseball fan behavior has shifted from simply watching to seeking experiences, with the value of in-stadium attendance being reassessed. In the digital era, both remain central to Japanese sports culture, expanding fan touchpoints through a multi-channel approach spanning television, streaming, and live attendance.
Development Systems in Student Athletics
Both ekiden and baseball serve as pillars of the Japanese student athletics development system. High school baseball centers on the Koshien tournament, with approximately 3,800 schools participating nationwide. Meanwhile, high school ekiden teams aim for the Miyako-Oji national championship representing all 47 prefectures, while the collegiate Hakone, Izumo, and All-Japan races function as proving grounds for elite distance runners. Both sports nurture athletes within the framework of school club activities, where Japan's distinctive collective training culture is deeply rooted. Ekiden is a Japan-originated format that transforms individual marathon running into a team relay event, instilling in runners the spirit of competing for the team. This mentality parallels the sacrifice bunt and productive out culture in baseball, reflecting the underlying Japanese value of contributing individual talent to the collective.
Comparing Corporate Sponsorship Structures
Professional baseball and ekiden have markedly different corporate sponsorship structures. Baseball is dominated by the parent company model, with IT firms such as SoftBank, Rakuten, and DeNA investing tens of billions of yen annually in team operations. The practice of placing corporate names in team names is globally unusual, while traditional newspaper-group ownership by organizations such as Yomiuri, Hanshin, and Chunichi also persists. Ekiden sponsorship is primarily event-based, with the Hakone Ekiden supported by multiple companies including Sapporo Beer, Toyota, and Mizuno, while TBS and regional broadcasters hold broadcasting rights for the New Year Ekiden. Corporate ekiden teams are operated by manufacturers and technology companies such as Asahi Kasei, Toyota Motor, and Fujitsu, with athletes employed as company staff while dedicating themselves to competition. This employment-based model contrasts with baseball's independent leagues and illustrates the diverse ties between corporations and Japanese sports industries.
Second Careers and Cross-Sport Mobility
Both professional baseball players and ekiden runners face the challenge of building second careers after retirement. In baseball, post-retirement paths include coaching, broadcasting, and entertainment, yet according to the NPB Players Association, approximately 60 percent of retired players take jobs unrelated to sports. Ekiden runners often continue as citizen runners after leaving corporate teams, utilizing their skills as marathon pacers or running club coaches. Notably, cross-sport personnel exchanges exist: former Hakone Ekiden runners have been hired by NPB clubs as physical coaches and conditioning specialists. Applying long-distance running expertise to design pitcher training menus and optimize base running efficiency exemplifies talent exchange transcending sport boundaries. With both sports having limited athletic careers, organizational support for post-retirement life planning is recognized as an institutional challenge in the Japanese sports world.