A day in the life of a former Major Leaguer Ryota Igarashi, who was busy with media appearances all day during the World Baseball Classic | SUNNY SIDE UP’s way of management to promote athletes
On March 22nd*Japan cheered as one. The finals of WBC (World Baseball Classic) was being held at Loan Depot Park in Miami, Florida, USA. *Local time was March 21st
In an effort to regain the World Championship for the first time in 14 years since the second tournament in 2009, Samurai Japan (hereafter referred to as “Team Japan”) has called up its strongest members, including Major Leaguers Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish. Team Japan this year, is said to be the strongest in the history of Japan’s WBC appearance.
Even before the start of the first round on January 9th, every media was covering the baseball camps and the WBC players in advance, proving the popularity of baseball in Japan.
From the first round to the quarterfinal round, a huge crowd of Japanese baseball fans filled the Tokyo Dome. The TV coverage of the tournament was around 40% viewership every game, and Team Japan continued to win with great success, drawing more attention. Team Japan then traveled to Miami, where the final round was held.
The successes of Team Japan were covered daily on various media, with some channels devoting the majority of their air time. Former professional baseball players who have also participated in the WBC, former Major Leaguers, and critics, were invited on programs to provide commentary.
Usually, commentators rarely attract lots of attention, but this time we took a look at Ryota Igarashi, a former Major Leaguer belongs to SUNNY SIDE UP, who has been extremely busy behind the scenes of the Team Japan’s success.
*Photo at press conference room
Mr. Igarashi appeared on about 30 TV programs during WBC (17 days from March 8 to March 24). During the first round and the quarterfinal round, he was the “WBC reporter” for TV Asahi, covering Pool A matches (held in Taiwan) for about a week, where Japan’s quarterfinal opponents play.
Since only some of the domestic media covered the tournament in Taiwan, when the unexpected Italian team advanced to the quarterfinals, Mr. Igarashi’s easy-to-understand commentary, became a hot topic on the Internet. During his coverage in Taiwan, Mr. Igarashi took meticulous notes on the results and playing tendencies of all the players, both pitchers and hitters, and he was proud to say that he was the most knowledgeable person in Japan about the Italian team.
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Mr. Igarashi enjoyed meeting and interviewing former colleagues from Japan in Taiwan.
After that, Mr. Igarashi was preparing for his appearances on TV programs in Japan for the final rounds. The way he was preparing for his appearance opportunities, which depended on the outcome of Team Japan’s games, was reminiscent of the way he used to stand by in the bullpen as a relief during his active career.
In fact, since Team Japan’s advance to the semifinals was decided, he has been regularly on information programs of various stations. He was on programs all day, something he had never experienced even during his active career. In baseball terms, he had accomplished “Complete Game,” everyday of his work! He appeared across many programs, appearing remotely even on local programs.
Mr. Igarashi providing expert commentary on morning information programs
Mr. Igarashi appears remotely on a local program from the editorial office of a TV station
In addition to his work for the WBC, he was also involved in a number of other jobs, including pre-season-related work for professional baseball starting the following week, commentary for professional baseball open games, variety shows, radio programs, and newspaper interviews. Although he sometimes looked tired, I was impressed by the fact that he always enjoyed working with his former teammates and alumni commentators on the field.
He is a true professional on and off the job. Even three years after retiring, he still has plenty of stamina!
Athlete Management at SUNNY SIDE UP
SUNNY SIDE UP has a business as a PR company and a sports promotion business, but we have also been supporting athlete management and second careers from the perspective of “PR for athletes.” In fact, we have a long history of managing athletes. Starting in 1991 when we signed a management contract with Hideya Miyazuka, SUNNY SIDE UP’s first triathlete. At the time, triathlon was almost unknown, and Mr. Miyazuka asked us to promote triathlon to the world by managing him.
Since then, SUNNY SIDE UP has grown together with former Japanese national soccer team members Hidetoshi Nakata and Masakiyo Maezono, as well as many other prominent athletes, including Olympians, world-class athletes, and overseas athletes, through our management activities.
SUNNY SIDE UP’s unique strength lies in our ability to support athlete management and second careers from a “PR” perspective.
Mr. Maezono as a commentator at the soccer Qatar World Cup, followed by Mr. Igarashi at the WBC, we are surely creating a “Fun Buzz” all around the world with the athletes and medias.
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Former professional baseball player (pitcher) Ryota Igarashi
Official Instagram＠ryota_igarashi53
