Without a major presence on a weekly basis on national TV news programs (where are the game highlights?), the bj-league will continue to mire in obscurity in the overwhelming majority of locales in Japan's 47 prefectures. It expands every season, but that hasn't carried the league to major status on the national scene.
A Tokyo Weekender feature in February 2011 on the now-defunct Tokyo Apache provided spot-on insight about the problem:
"Gaining a foothold in the Japanese sports landscape has been tough for the league, which lags far behind baseball, soccer and sumo among other sports. Media coverage is scarce in major outlets and finding games on terrestrial television is a chore. The sport is popular at the grassroots level — the annual high school tournaments draw respectable crowds — but has failed to resonate with fans on the professional level."
Full story: http://www.tokyoweekender.com/2011/02/high-hopes-for-the-bj-league-2/
A Tokyo Weekender feature in February 2011 on the now-defunct Tokyo Apache provided spot-on insight about the problem:
"Gaining a foothold in the Japanese sports landscape has been tough for the league, which lags far behind baseball, soccer and sumo among other sports. Media coverage is scarce in major outlets and finding games on terrestrial television is a chore. The sport is popular at the grassroots level — the annual high school tournaments draw respectable crowds — but has failed to resonate with fans on the professional level."
Full story: http://www.tokyoweekender.com/2011/02/high-hopes-for-the-bj-league-2/
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