Favorite baseball teams in Japan 2023

In a survey conducted in April 2023 in Japan, 19.7 percent of respondents named Yomiuri Giants their favorite baseball team. This made the Giants the most popular team in Japan' professional baseball league (NPB). The Yomiuri Giants are one of twelve teams in the circuit and are competing in the Central League. The current circuit of the NPB consists of the Central League and the Pacific League. Both leagues are of equal rank and the winners of each league face off in the culmination of the season to compete over the national cup.

 Does success lead to popularity?

In the world of sports, success does often lead to popularity. Japanese professional baseball seems to be no exception to this phenomenon, at least partly. The Yomiuri Giants are not only the most popular team in the NPB circuit according to polls, but they are also the most successful one. However, in the case of the Hanshin Tigers, the runner-up in the featured poll, there was little correlation between the team’s popularity and their success. One reason for the Tiger’s popularity might be the ongoing and historical rivalry between them and the Yomiuri Giants.
On the other hand, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have gained fans in the past years, which is in line with their good record for the respective period.

What are the most popular sports in Japan?

  Japan has a rich sports culture. Sumo, Karate, or Judo might be the first associations that spring to mind when thinking about sports in Japan. While these and other traditional martial arts sports, such as Kendo, have continued to be popular in Japan to this day, imported modern sports have taken over the center stage. At present, baseball and soccer are the most popular sports in Japan, both, in terms of audience and practitioners.