Did you watch the World Series this year?
I did ⚾
I don’t usually watch baseball, but that game really got to me — it was moving, electrifying, and full of emotion. It felt as if I were inside a story — like a scene from a movie or a novel ✨
So today, I’d like to talk a little about team sports — and what they mean to someone like me, who’s never really been good at them.
The Magic of Team Sports
One reason I was so moved by that game was seeing a Japanese player giving his all in a foreign land — not just participating, but standing as a key player on the world stage. Another reason was that I got to witness, so vividly, the true magic and spirit of team sports.
As you know, baseball is a sport of trust and unity. Pitchers, batters, infielders, outfielders, and the manager — each fulfills their role while believing in one another, all striving together toward the shared goal of victory. And beyond the players we see on screen, there are also the coaches, staff, front-office members, and owners who support the team from behind the scenes.
The road to the championship is long — over 170 games, counting both the regular and postseason. It’s a goal so high that no one could ever reach it alone. Even when a superstar like Ohtani goes through a slump, another teammate, like Yamamoto, rises to shine and carry the team forward. That, to me, is the essence of teamwork — the true magic that only a team can create.
When players pour everything they have into the game, it draws the fans in completely. And when the team finally wins, people explode with joy — it turns into a festival of pure celebration. That positive energy flows through TV screens and social media feeds, reaching people everywhere. It feels as if, for a brief moment, the whole world beats with one heart. That’s the astonishing power of sports 😌
Team Sports and Me
Have you ever played a team sport?
I have — back in junior high school, when joining a club was mandatory. At the time, I chose basketball almost on impulse because I loved the Japanese manga Slam Dunk, which was incredibly popular then 🏀
But that ended up being my first and last experience with team sports in my life. I was better at long-distance running, but overall, my athletic ability was… well, somewhere below average. Basketball just wasn’t my thing 😅 I practiced earnestly and kept trying, but no matter how much I trained, I never got any better. Playing like the characters in Slam Dunk was a distant dream. In the end, I played only a few games as a benchwarmer before my club days were over.
And to be honest, I wasn’t the kind of person who could naturally support the starting members from the sidelines either. While everyone else was united and working toward the same goal, I often felt left out — like I was on the outside of a circle I couldn’t quite enter. I never got to experience that joy of sharing victory and loss together, or of lifting each other up — the essence of what makes team sports so special.
That’s why, as I watched the Dodgers’ journey to the championship this time, I felt a mix of admiration and envy. The beauty of team sports — something I never truly experienced myself — reached me even through a TV screen. I found myself imagining what it would’ve felt like to be there, closer to that energy — maybe not at the stadium, but even in a sports bar in the city, surrounded by that same excitement. For a moment, as I watched, I drifted into a kind of daydream — feeling both distant from that world, and quietly drawn toward it ―――
Introversion and Sports
After playing basketball back in school, I’ve tried a few other kinds of sports over the years — snowboarding, golf, and running. None of them are team sports. The only one I still keep up with today is running (aside from the occasional round of golf for work). Among individual sports, running feels like the most personal of all. In golf, you still have people around. But when you run — unless it’s a race — there’s truly no one else 😅
Of course, not all introverts are the same, but I think solitary activities like this simply suit me better. Sometimes I feel lazy about going out, but once I start running, I can go at my own pace, in my own rhythm — quietly and freely. Afterward, all that remains is a pleasant kind of exhaustion, both physical and mental. It never feels stressful; if anything, it’s my best way to stay balanced and healthy.
Another thing I like about running is that it doesn’t depend on winning or losing. In golf, your score tells you everything, whether you want it to or not. And in team sports like baseball or soccer, there’s no game without victory or defeat.
But with running, the only measure is how you feel. Unless you’re timing yourself, there’s no record, no competition — just the rhythm of your body and breath. I don’t time myself. I only notice whether my body feels lighter than last time, whether my mind is clear, whether I’m running with ease. That quiet introspection — that simple awareness — feels perfectly aligned with who I am as an introvert.
I don’t know if I’ll ever take part in a team sport again. But if I ever do, I hope I can feel even a small part of the magic I saw in this year’s World Series ✨ (Though, knowing me, I might still decide I’m fine cheering from the sidelines 😅)
