Is it wrong to support the 'other' one?

Honestly, I think, 'Doesn't it not matter which one?'

(A conversation at a certain place on a certain day)

'Hey, Yokan-san. Ichikawa High School won in high school baseball yesterday, didn't they?'

'Oh. So they won, huh.'

'Senshu University Matsudo is also advancing.'

'Yeah, yeah. That's right.'

'(Laughs). Isn't your reaction a bit better for Sen-Matsu?'

'Ah. Well, that's because I'm rooting for them.'

'(Laughs). More than Ichikawa?'

'Ah, yes.'

'What if it's Ichikawa vs. Sen-Matsu?'

'Of course I'd root for Sen-Matsu.'

'Seriously! Come to think of it, you also said you were rooting for Meiji this year in the Big6 Baseball League.'

'Yes. Because I want Muneyama-kun to come to our team (Nippon-Ham).'

'Like a good luck charm?'

'Exactly.'

'But Yokan-san, you're a graduate of Hosei University, right?'

'Yeah. Yes, I am.'

'(Laughs) You really are funny, Yokan-san.'

'?'

I'm very happy when people say I'm 'interesting,' but I'm sure what they really mean is 'you're weird,' right?

Am I really that weird?

Actually, I want to ask all of you.

Do you really support your alma mater that much?

My alma mater, Ichikawa Gakuen, is a combined junior and senior high school, and I attended it for six years.

And I also went to Hosei University for six years. Wait, I repeated a year twice, so...😅

'Six years.'

Do you really feel that much attachment?

More than that, I feel a stronger attachment to Matsudo City, where I've lived for 50 years since moving there when I was two months old.

Changing the subject, I've been using NOTE for quite a long time, including my previous account, but I have never once written an article about international sports tournaments like the Olympics or the World Cup.

Even though I like sports.

If you ask why, it's just a feeling, but

'Wouldn't it feel out of place if the article wasn't about passionately supporting the Japanese athletes (team)?'

I end up thinking things like that, and it makes me feel hesitant.

When I start watching with a blank slate, of course I'd support the Japanese athletes (team) if I had to choose.

But if I find someone I think is 'great' while watching, even if they are the opponent (team) of Japan, I often find myself supporting them before I know it.

For example, the 2019 Rugby World Cup held in Japan.

It was so interesting, wasn't it? The Japanese team also did a great job reaching the quarterfinals, and it was very exciting.

The team that defeated that great Japanese team in the quarterfinals was South Africa. They were truly a great team, weren't they?

Especially their scrum-half, Faf de Klerk. He was a wonderful player.

While watching the Japan match, I felt that 'Japan is great, but it would make the rest of the tournament more interesting if South Africa won,' so I found myself secretly cheering for South Africa while glancing at my mom next to me who was cheering for Japan.

And as you know, South Africa won, and then went on to win the semifinals and the final, reaching the top.

I continued to cheer for South Africa, which had become my favorite, even after the Japan match, so I was thrilled when they won the championship. I even shouted things like 'De Klerk!' a little bit (laughs).

It's the same with boxing,

I like the Japanese fighter Murata, but I chose to cheer for the Kazakhstani fighter Golovkin, whom I like even more.

Following the logic mentioned above, I have been a 'Japanese citizen' longer than I have been a 'Matsudo resident,' so one might say, 'Shouldn't you cheer for Japan, which you should have more attachment to than Matsudo, with equal or greater passion?'

However, that's a bit different.

Of course, I have been a 'Japanese citizen' since birth, but I don't go around thinking 'I am a Japanese citizen' every day, and the information I check daily, like weather forecasts and laundry indices, is only for 'Matsudo City'.

Therefore, since I spend more time being conscious of being a 'Matsudo resident,' it's not strange that I feel more attachment to that, right?

With that in mind, if I were to list my priorities for cheering in international sports matches and the like,

Favorite player (team with them) > Local player (team with them) > Home country player (team with them) > Alma mater player (team with them)

is how it goes.

I feel like if there's some kind of 'obligation to cheer for Japan,' it kind of kills the mood, or rather, it feels like the fun of the sport itself is diminished.

Does that make sense?

I haven't talked about this until now because I didn't want to end up in a conversation like the one at the beginning, but how is it for everyone else, really?

Like me, do you often cheer for the 'other' side, not your home country or alma mater, based on 'having a favorite player'?

I am aware that I am in the minority.

Look.

I don't want to be in the majority, nor do I want to make grand claims like 'all humanity is one' or anything like that.

I just want people to understand that 'there are people with those criteria for cheering.' Without saying things like the person mentioned earlier.

That should definitely be more fun.

Or rather, those who share my criteria for support. I have a feeling there are quite a few of you out there, even if you don't dare to say it.

If there are any of you, you don't have to come forward, but I would be happy if you could just click 'Like' on this article and empathize with me in your heart, thinking 'Me too'.

Ah, I feel so much better now.

Maybe I'll try writing an article about an international sports match next time 😃