"There are days when customers pay money to be forced to buy stress": This is the biggest taboo in the sports entertainment business.

The behind-the-scenes of professional baseball team management and the entertainment business

• The official stance: "No matter the game situation, we will fight with all our might until the end and deliver excitement to all our fans."

• The real intention only professionals know: "In the second half of a game where we've been crushed, I'm honestly relieved when fans go home, for the sake of stadium operating costs and security safety. The scariest thing is dealing with 'rowdy customers who stay until the end, booing and throwing things.'"

1. The management and operational taboos happening behind 'terrible games'

• The reality of crowd control:The sight of spectators starting to leave all at once in the 8th or 9th inning of a one-sided game might at first glance appear to be the biggest taboo (inconvenient truth) of 'declining team popularity' or 'fan disappointment.' However, from the perspective of stadium management and security professionals, it is also a source of relief, as 'having customers disperse and leave all at once prevents congestion at the station and accident risks (like crowd crushes) after the game ends.'

• Complete cessation of additional revenue:In the sports business, sales at concession stands and beer sales drop sharply toward the end of the game (after the 7th inning). Since additional food and drink demand is almost zero in a lopsided game, the real intention that the management planning department never speaks aloud is that 'it is less of a loss in labor costs if the game ends quickly and the customers clear out.'

2. The dilemma of entertainment that broadcasts games fans feel are 'the worst'

• The collapse of 'product value':For fans who pay for tickets and merchandise to visit the stadium, a one-sided blowout or a mediocre game with no highlights, like a called third strike, is like throwing money and time down the drain. However, because professional baseball is a 'long-term entertainment' consisting of 143 games a year (in the case of the JERA Central League), there are days when we have no choice but to prioritize roster management and development, and 'throw away games we cannot win.'

• A structure where you can't say 'give me my money back':If a movie or play is too terrible, it becomes a target for criticism, but since sports are a 'competition,' no matter how pathetic the game is, the excuse that 'it is entertainment, including that' is used. The fact that 'there are days when customers pay money to be forced to buy stress' is the biggest taboo in the sports entertainment business.

This isn't just a story about 'Hanshin lost and the fans went home.'

Rather, I think it is a moment that very clearly shows that the product called professional baseball is established not only by 'results' but also by 'expectations.'

The essence of 'Tateishi called out looking' -> 'customers go home'

8th inning, 1-7.

Normally, the game is almost over.

However, the moment there are two outs and the bases are loaded, the atmosphere in the stadium changes.

And then pinch hitter Masahiro Tateishi.

Because he is a 22-year-old rookie, if he gets a hit here, he can flip not only the flow of the game but also the narrative of

That's why there's a huge cheer.

But then, a called strike three.

That is when the spectators leave.

This may seem cold, but in reality, it can be said that the spectators are evaluating the game with extreme accuracy.

"Something might still happen."

The moment that expectation vanishes, the spectators return to the reality of heading home.

This is what is interesting.

What professional sports spectators are buying is not

a two-and-a-half-hour baseball game.

In reality, they are

buying "time where something might happen."

That is why they stay even with a seven-run lead if the bases become loaded.

Conversely, even with a one-run lead,

"Nothing is going to happen anymore"

is what they think the moment they leave.

In other words, how full the spectator seats are is

a real-time display of "expectation value" rather than the win-loss outcome.

This can be applied directly to e-commerce as well.

If you have been doing e-commerce for 30 years, this phenomenon should be quite familiar to you.

The same goes for customers. As long as they are looking at a product page and thinking,

"Maybe this is good," they won't leave.

However,

• looking at the price,

• checking the shipping costs,

• checking the arrival date,

• reading the reviews,

• reading the product description,

• "Oh, this isn't what I thought it was,"

the moment that happens, they hit the back button.

It's the same as customers leaving Kyocera Dome. 😂

On an e-commerce site, that happens without a sound.

That is why what's important is not "making them buy," but "not letting them lose their expectations."

I think this is a fairly universal principle of business.

And the existence of Masahiro Tateishi is interesting.

This time, what kept the audience there wasn't just the "Hanshin" team itself, but

"Tateishi might do something,"

the expectation placed on an individual.

There is a hint for the content business of the Reiwa era here.

In the old days of professional baseball,

Team → Player

The brand structure was strong.

Now, it is

Team × Player × SNS × Story

.

Therefore, for young players, beyond being mere "assets," there is

content value that generates anticipation

.

This is not limited to sports.

Even in companies, people who can make others think, "What will this CEO do next?" are strong.

"What will this store do next?"

"What will this YouTuber release next?"

Anticipation itself becomes an asset.

What Kyocera Dome taught me today

Product value is not just current ability.

Rather,

The power to make people think that is overwhelmingly important.

That is why in business,

companies that make people anticipate what is next are stronger than companies that just deliver results.

The Hanshin fans left in the bottom of the 8th inning.

But conversely, the spectators who stayed until then,

"Just maybe"

were the ones who paid for that.

Humans are truly mysterious creatures.

They get bored of guaranteed victories, yet open their wallets for uncertain miracles.

I think this is actually a fairly essential part of capitalism. ⚾️

And the products that sell best in e-commerce are, surprisingly, not the ones with the "best performance," but rather,

"products that make you think, 'If I buy this, my life might become a little more interesting.'"

those are the ones that sell.

I believe that therein lies a major theme for next-generation e-commerce: **"the business of designing expectations."**

Behind the Scenes of Professional Baseball Team Management and the Entertainment Business: Honest Opinions and Taboos Only Professionals Know

• Management and operational taboos occurring behind the scenes of "terrible games"

  • The reality of safety management (crowd control): The sight of spectators starting to leave all at once in the final stages of a one-sided game with a large margin may at first glance appear to be the biggest taboo (inconvenient truth) of "declining team popularity" or "fan disappointment." However, from the perspective of stadium management and security professionals, it is actually a reassuring factor that "having customers disperse and leave all at once prevents station congestion and accident risks (such as human stampedes) after the game ends."

  • Complete halt of additional revenue: In the sports business, sales at concession stands and beer vendors drop sharply in the final stages of a game (after the 7th inning). In a game with a large margin, additional demand for food and drink becomes almost zero, so considering staff overtime pay and cleaning costs, the honest opinion that the management planning department never speaks aloud is that "it is better for the game to end quickly and for customers to clear out, as there is less loss in labor costs."

• The dilemma of entertainment that streams games fans feel are "the worst"

  • The collapse of "product value": For fans who pay for tickets and merchandise to visit the stadium, a one-sided crushing defeat or a "mediocre game with no highlights" like a looking strikeout is like throwing money and time down the drain. However, because professional baseball is a "long-term entertainment" consisting of 143 games a year, there are days when they have no choice but to prioritize roster management and development, and "throw away" games they cannot win.

  • A structure where you cannot say "give me my money back": If it were a movie or a play, it would be subject to criticism if the content were too terrible, but since sports are a "competition," no matter how pathetic the game is, the excuse that "that is also part of the entertainment" is used. This fact, that "there are days when customers pay money to be forced to buy stress," is the biggest taboo in the sports entertainment business.