The National High School Baseball Championship is a Japanese baseball competition organized by Asahi Shinbum and the Japanese High School Baseball Federation. They take place in August, in the city of Nishinomiya, at the Hanshin Koshien Stadium, in the Hyogo Prefecture, and last for a whole month.
Participants are selected on the basis of results in local inter-school competitions that start in mid-June and last until the end of July. About 4,000 schools participate. The competition is held on a tournament basis - the school that wins has the right to participate in the championship.
Contrary to professional competitions, high school students' matches are not technically perfect, but the participants give their best and devote themselves with all their heart to the game. Because professional players are unlikely to exhibit this attitude, high school championships attract viewers.
There are touching moments: for example, when, right after the match, the loser team collects some of the land they played on, then take it with them, with tears in their eyes, home. Koshien Stadium is an almost sacred place for teenage baseball players - not just in Japan.
Already after the closing ceremony, taking commemorative photos, giving interviews, young champions and runners-up also take some ground from the stadium with them. Some of them, when doing so, no longer even think about returning to Koshien.
In the August heat, the players are cheered by cheerleaders and a school orchestra. They are also supported by a large audience. The struggles of young players can also be watched on television.
Perhaps, high school baseball is one of the reasons why baseball is loved in Japan.
Tomoya Oura-sensei, Rybnik
