B.LEAGUE Game Viewing Behind-the-Scenes Report!! – New Employee Masuno Edition –
Hello! I am Masuno, a new employee who joined the team in April.
This time, thanks to our connection with Shibuya Ward—and the many similarities we share, including our corporate color being yellow—I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of game operations for Sunrockers Shibuya!
Together with senior members of the Sports Division, three of us newcomers—including me, Masuno—watched the game against the Kawasaki Brave Thunders at Sunrockers Shibuya’s home arena, the “Aoyama Gakuin University Memorial Hall”!
More than an hour before the doors opened, around 200 people were already lined up at the entrance, and I was surprised to see far more female attendees than I had expected.
According to the business division, while more men tend to purchase tickets, the audience ratio is roughly
6 women to 4 men—so there are many female fans as well.
Before the doors opened, we had the opportunity to hear valuable insights from the Business Management Division and the PR team.
From the PR representative, we learned about the scope of the work and a typical day: before the game, they send press releases and invitations to the media; on the day, they handle media check-in and distribute materials, update social media before and during the game, and after the game they prepare for the press conference, distribute stats, and coordinate which players each reporter would like to interview—serving primarily as the liaison between the media and the players.
In soccer and other sports, the media reportedly approach players for interviews after the match, but in basketball, to maximize exposure, they ask toward the end of the game who reporters want to interview and then arrange the player interviews accordingly.
The PR representative emphasized the importance of “communication,” explaining that they make a point of understanding each reporter’s needs—such as preferred topics—and we were able to hear these real, on-the-ground perspectives. What surprised me was how close the B.LEAGUE PR teams are: because there is basically only one PR person per team, on game days the two PR representatives work together to support players from both teams.
Before we knew it, it was almost time for the doors to open!
Sunrockers’ mascot character, “Sundy,” greets fans before the doors open.
In fact, Sundy is no ordinary mascot!! Before the game, Sundy warms up with the players; during timeouts and halftime, Sundy fires up the crowd with razor-sharp dance moves; and at times even rides a mini Segway—a true super idol (polar bear)!
As we observed the venue after the doors opened, the unreserved seats on the second floor began filling from around the center, followed by the Sunrockers
home side, and in the end, nearly every seat was filled with spectators.
Supporters of the Kawasaki Brave Thunders also made up about a quarter of the crowd, and with 2,011 attendees that day, the atmosphere was electric!
Early in the game, Kawasaki kept scoring first, and at one point the gap even widened to more than 20 points. However, in sports you never know what will happen! We cheered with all our might, hoping for a comeback in the second half!
The game is designed to be enjoyable even for first-time spectators, with different music played for defense and offense.
During timeouts, the Sunrocker Girls and Sundy appeared on the court, further energizing the venue.
In fact, the biggest reaction on social media comes from the Sunrocker Girls and Sundy’s collaborative dance. The Sunrocker Girls’ dance producer is a former NBA Oklahoma City Thunder cheerleader, and they are a top-level dance team in Japan!
Basketball moves fast. Even with just a few seconds left, the back-and-forth continued, and I could not help but get swept up in the excitement.
Late in the game, thanks to the performances of Mihara and Ira, they closed the gap to seven points with two minutes remaining—a nail-biting finish. I found myself cheering with everything I had, completely forgetting it was work!
The final score was Shibuya 80 to Kawasaki 87, and they lost. Disappointing. However, even in defeat, we thoroughly enjoyed watching the game, and it was fantastic to see a high-quality, highly satisfying dance show up close!!
After the game, we were allowed to observe the press conference, and I was amazed to see the players up close. I was speechless at how tall they were, and it was my first time witnessing reporters holding microphones up to players and interviewing them. It was deeply moving to see how information is shared with the world, and it was a day full of learning from start to finish.
Finally, thank you very much to everyone at Sunrockers Shibuya for giving us such a valuable experience and for accommodating us despite your busy schedules!
It would make me very happy if this report, in its small way, helps share the appeal of the B.LEAGUE and the appeal of Sunrockers Shibuya!
★Click here for the Asano edition and the Yamada edition★
