How Sports Fans Become Devoted Supporters: J.League, B.League and Pro Baseball

Support in sports has long been talked about in terms of wins, losses and standings. In stadiums today, though, more fans are getting to know a particular player, picking out a jersey or merchandise, and following a story of growth. Attachment to one person also leads to interest in the whole team.

Treating a player as an oshi doesn't make light of the sport. Learning a person's story can, in some cases, give the rules and the game more meaning.

At a first game, it's hard to take in every player's role and the tactics all at once. Follow one person and you start to see the switches between attack and defense and how they work with teammates, so the highlights of the sport become concrete. Watching where a player whose profile caught your eye moves during the game can also be a way into the rules.

Still, transfers, injuries and changes in playing time are part of sports. Fans can choose for themselves whether to follow only one person or to back that player's team as well. If a club doesn't lean on a single player's story and also offers information that widens interest to the team's direction, other players and community activities, support is less likely to break off when circumstances change.

In the 2023-24 season of the B.League, Japan's professional basketball league, 52.2% of attendees whose gender was known were women, a record high. Several things overlap to widen the way in: an indoor arena with good sightlines, closeness to the players, staging that makes you want to take photos, and merchandise for backing your oshi.

The SunRockers Shibuya's "Oshimen General Election 2024," a popularity poll for favorite players, drew 23,785 votes through the web, LINE and social media hashtags. The vote doesn't decide wins or losses; it's a place for fans to send their words to the players.

The share of women alone can't tell you what all attendees like. What matters is that, without asking people to match the traditional picture of a spectator, there is guidance on choosing seats even at a first visit, staging to enjoy before and after the game, and information on how to cheer. Fans, for their part, don't need to know the sport in detail before going. They can start from their own way in: a player, the music, the atmosphere of the venue.

Organizers running a vote need to be careful: stressing only the ranking invites comparisons between players and excessive competition. If, after the vote, people are pointed to each player's strengths and play footage, and can share their reasons for choosing calmly, the project becomes an index for getting to know players rather than a popularity ranking. And if the same information reaches spectators who didn't vote, people outside the poll can move on to watching too.

At a Chiba Lotte Marines fan festival, a black-versus-white showdown came with a giveaway: sweets for the first 10,000 people on the winning side. Even in a huge venue, choosing a side creates a small story.

The point is not to leave visitors passive. You choose the color you back, meet the players and share the result, and the whole thing is designed so that the memory of having taken part becomes the reason for the next visit.

On the other hand, getting too close to players, and crowding, tire out both the players and other visitors. While welcoming the passion of support, organizers need to set up walking routes, numbered tickets and staff guidance in advance.

When fans choose an event, the decision depends not only on whether they can talk with the players, but also on the waiting time, the photography rules, and whether children and first-timers will be comfortable. Organizers should lay out how the experience works before people sign up, rather than announcing the day's prohibitions at the entrance. When expectations are aligned, even a short exchange is satisfying, and players can protect their time to get back to the sport.

The J.League, Japan's professional soccer league, divided fans into nine segments by combining how often they had attended with how much they wanted to. People who are highly interested but haven't yet visited get invitations for opening day and long holiday weekends, which links a first visit to the next one.

There is also an effort that uses an AI video-editing service to put a player's highlights on social media right after a game. If fans have a point of contact that lets them keep supporting even on days they can't make it to the venue, the relationship doesn't break.

Someone who came for the first time on an invitation doesn't need to be pressed to return at the same price. If, after the game, they're shown in turn the players who caught their eye, the next home game, how the view differs by seat and how to get there, they can decide on their own whether to come back. By looking not only at the number of invitations but also at which information was read afterward and what worries remained, a club can lower the barriers to a first visit in concrete ways.

Oshi-katsu in sports is a culture that moves back and forth between team and players, venue and community, stadium and online. Support lasts when there isn't just one right way to do it and you can come in from whatever distance suits you.

Flashy staging alone doesn't turn a sports fan into an oshi fan. What does is an unbroken chain: a chance to learn, room to choose, a place to spend time with peace of mind, and a reason to come back.

Respect the lives of the people who support, and invite them into the team's story. Sports has the power to turn oshi-katsu culture into a relationship between new spectators and their community.

Fans needn't judge a day only by whether their oshi player takes the field. They can widen their enjoyment to exhibits before the game, the roles of teammates and even local shops. Still, there's no need to force a wish to back one person into hako-oshi, backing the whole group. Knowing what to check before attending, such as refunds when a player is absent and changes to events, also prepares you for the gap between expectation and reality. When a player's situation changes, checking official information and choosing how far you'll follow helps you live with the changes that come with sports.

Clubs shouldn't judge success by eye-catching results such as the share of women or the number of votes. They should check where first-time visitors got lost, which events people couldn't join, and what they want to know next. If player introductions, rule explanations, seat guidance, post-game footage and transport information for the next trip are connected, fans can deepen their interest one step at a time. Telling people that spectators without supporter goods, or who don't shout, are welcome too lowers the psychological barrier to a first visit. Bridging attachment to one person with the sport and the community is the work that turns an invitation into regular attendance.