Sexual scandals between national team players have occurred in the Japanese professional baseball (NPB) for the second year in a row.
In November of this month, 메이저사이트it was reported through local reports that Hotaka Yamakawa, an infielder for the Seibu Lions and Japan national representative for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) held in March, was investigated by the police for sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s at a hotel in November last year. The police investigation took place after the conclusion of the WBC.
Yamakawa told the reporters, “It was an affair, but it wasn’t sexual assault,” but as criticism from public opinion intensified, it was canceled from the first team entry on the 12th. Yamakawa, the national team member who led the WBC championship and the Pacific League home run king three times in 2018, 2019 and 2022, was shocked by the gossip that was the opposite of what he usually had a pleasant likeness.
In September of last year, Yomiuri Giants star shortstop Hayato Sakamoto resigned from the team captaincy and was eliminated from this year’s WBC following a scandal over allegedly urging a woman to have an abortion. As the sexual scandals of famous players representing the country continue to erupt, the Japanese baseball world is also showing embarrassment.
▲ Hayato Sakamoto
Local media ‘News Post Seven’ borrowed the words of a veteran baseball reporter in an article titled “Why sexual scandals are repeated in the baseball world” on the 15th, “Not only baseball world but also celebrities are complacent, saying, ‘It will work somehow’ even if gossip arises. I have an idea,” he said.
In particular, the response of professional baseball clubs is also a problem. Reporter Wie said, “Seibu has already received a report on the incident from Yamakawa, but on the 11th, when the sexual assault was reported, he was sent to the 1st team. He hid the fact and sent it to the WBC. bought,” he said.
He continued, “The media has a close relationship with the club. If you write an article that touches the club, it is difficult to deal with player scandals because there is a risk that the club will reject coverage or you will not be able to obtain important information. Players repeat the same mistake. In the end, the club encourages bad things. The media also pays attention to the club too much.”
In a word, the vicious cycle of the player’s complacent mind, the club’s overprotection, and the media’s lack of independence continues. The above media warned, “If there is no change in these three relationships, the scandals of professional baseball players will not disappear in the future.”