The scale of the Japan Professional Basketball All-Star Game, which resumed after three years, is beyond imagination.
The Japanese Professional Basketball B League will hold the ‘B League All-Star Game 2023’ at the Adastria Mito Arena located in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan on the 13th and 14th. Like the NBA, the B-League selects All-Star Week and offers a variety of attractions over two days. On the first day of the 13th, a dunk shot contest, a 3-point shot contest, and a skills challenge were held. In the ‘Asia All-Star Game’, in which Yang Jae-min participated as captain, the Asian All-Stars defeated ‘Rising Star’ 118-114.
The B-League has 54 teams from the 1st to 3rd divisions, and has not only adult teams but also youth teams. On the 14th, the East vs. West U18 All-Star Game will be held. Afterwards, the main All-Star Game between B-League Black and B-League White will be held.
The reporter covered the NBA All-Star Game twice on the spot. KBL and WKBL All-Star Games have been covered almost every year. I was shocked when I covered the B-League All-Star Game, which resumed after three years. Comprehensively considering the box office economy of the B-League, the meticulousness of event composition, and the passion of fans, it boasted a level that could be called the best league in Asia.
The B-League booked tickets for the All-Star Game in advance. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the price. The cheapest ticket for the ‘all-day pass’, which allows you to see all the events on the first day, was 4,000 yen (approximately 39,000 won). The most expensive seat was 18,000 yen (about 175,000 won). The 2-day all-day pass ranged from 8,000 yen to 50,000 yen (approximately 75,000 won – 485,000 won), but it was sold out a month ago.
A two-day ticket that covers all two days ranged from 12,000 yen to 68,000 yen (approximately 117,000 won – 660,000 won), but it was also sold out. Mito Arena normally accommodates 5,000 people, but it can accommodate about 4,000 people by installing a large stage. When the reporter visited the game on the 13th, there were almost no empty seats in the stadium. Ticket revenue alone is astronomical. The price of this year’s KBL All-Star Game was set at 8,000 won to 100,000 won.
Mito City, the prefectural capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, is a small and medium-sized regional city with a population of about 270,000. When an all-star game was held in a place like this, I wondered, ‘Honestly, will it be a box office hit?’ I wanted to It was the reporter’s arrogance and misunderstanding. The B-League gives the right to host the All-Star Game to the local government that submitted the largest amount. At the level of the city government, a huge budget was invested in promoting professional basketball.
As soon as I arrived at Mito Station, I saw a large banner reading ‘The city where the B-League All-Star Game 2023 will be held’ in the most visible place. Right below it, a ‘pop-up store’ selling B-League products was opened. Since it is located in a place with the highest floating population, people did not stop visiting. City buses are also covered with advertisements for the All-Star Game. There are also posters attached to the street trees. Coming to Mito, I couldn’t help but know that the All-Star Game was going on. It gave off the atmosphere of an American city hosting the NBA All-Star Game.
arrived at the stadium. A large market was opened in the front yard. I was able to enjoy local food and see the PR booths of companies. I was able to eat, enjoy, and buy basketball-related products. A publicity booth for the FIBA Basketball World Cup to be held in Ryukyu in September 2023 was also opened. The promotional phrase, “You can see Donchichi in Japan,” was impressive. Even though the ticket price was hundreds of thousands of yen, interest was hot.
The official sponsors of the B-League each took a seat and handed out prizes as an event. It was an opportunity to receive gifts with both hands full even if you just went without a ticket. The B-League official store sold products related to the All-Star Game. It was also impressive that representative products representing 54 clubs were displayed. T-shirts and uniforms produced by Adidas, the main sponsor of the B League, sold like hot cakes despite high prices. The muffler with the name of Yuki Togashi, the top star with an annual salary of 100 million yen, was also popular.
A large amount of money is invested to invite guests, but if the event is not fun, the party is ruined. Fans will never visit the basketball court again. The B-League provided the best experience at the basketball court, worth the ticket price. Mito Arena is small in scale, but its facilities such as LED lighting, super-large full HD display board, and clear sound were comparable to those of the NBA. Here, like the NBA All-Star Game, a super-large stage was installed to make the players stand out as much as possible.
The Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest, and Dunk Contest were all conducted in exactly the same way as the NBA. The players also took a very serious attitude by accurately keeping the time limit down to 0.1 second. The players did their best to show even one more. Foreign players also participated, but the announcer spoke perfect English and Japanese at the same time. The interview process after the game was also introduced through a large electronic display board.
The Asia All-Star Game, in which Yang Jae-min participated as captain, was splendid from the appearance of the players. When the players were called one by one, they entered while dancing. All the players were shot with pinpoint lights to create a splendid atmosphere. Korea has a similar method, but there is a huge difference in the size of the stage and the level of completion of the event. 카지노
After the All-Star Game, Yang Jae-min said, “It is an honor to be selected as the captain of the Asian All-Star. I tried to give the fans as much fun as possible, but I’m sorry that the match was a bit loose at the end. The stage of the All-Star Game was gorgeous, and many fans came and enjoyed it. I was also able to interact a lot with players I wasn’t close to,” he said.
In Japan, there was no girl group performance or talent show of players, only basketball as the theme, and the players’ marketability was maximized. The success model presented by the NBA is being taken by the B-League and continues to be a box office success. Players from Korea, China, the Philippines, and Indonesia are already playing in the Asian quota system in the Japanese league. Japan is also opening its doors to naturalized players without restrictions. If the B-League grows into the best league in East Asia in the future, it is certain that Korean players’ advance into the Japanese league will accelerate.
