  Virtually every foreign observer
who has seen a yakyu game has noted the peculiar
way in which Japanese fans cheer for their baseball
teams. While
American spectators tend to cheer and boo as the action
on the field and their individual impulses guide them,
Japanese fans, led by their team's oendan
(cheering section) usually cheer together non-stop with
the same intensity regardless of the score or the
situation on the field.
A
day at the ballpark offers enough grist to keep any
armchair sociologist alert for several hours.
But
aside from treating Japanese fans as two-dimensional
caricatures, such clichés often ignore the subtle
differences between various fans.
Yomiuri
supporters often take a high brow, refined approach to
cheering while haughty Tigers fans have been known to
throw batteries and other projectiles at opposing
players. BayStars fans are among the  most mellow in Japan while those cheering
for the Carp evoke images of Nuremberg rallies. Pacific
League spectators tend to be more subdued than their CL
counterparts.
And
then there are the Swallows...
A
generally mellow group, tempered by years of bad luck,
Swallows fans have developed their own unique style of
cheering, involving plastic megaphones, thousands of
umbrellas and a heavy dose of sarcasm. Yakult fans may
look polite on the exterior, but the fun begins when you
start scratching under the surface.
|
