TRISTIN CLINT WRITES – On November 8 the SSG Landers, of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), put the final stamp on its incredible season, winning the Korean Series by defeating the Kiwoom Heroes in six games. This marked the fifth championship in franchise history for the Landers, and the first…
Full Article SOUTH KOREAN BASEBALL WRAPUP: A HOME RUN FOR THE SSG LANDERS
RYAN BYRNE – Invented nearly one thousand years ago and spread around the world by English colonists, cricket is one of the most popular sports globally. From England to Australia, Afghanistan to India, the sport is played, watched and loved by millions. While cricket has a massive following, especially in…
Full Article INDIA: CAN CRICKET BUILD A US FANBASE TO RIVAL THE NFL?
TRISTIN CLINT WRITES – October is the culmination of a long baseball season, with the potential for team jubilance at winning the championship or the despair of final defeat. Look towards either side of the Pacific Ocean and you will see the glorious moments of postseason baseball that both fans…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: BASEBALL GOLD
TRISTIN CLINT WRITES – The NBA Japan Games 2022 concluded this past weekend with the Golden State Warriors winning both exhibition games over the Washington Wizards. This two-game set, which began September 30th, marked not only the sixteenth NBA game that Japan has hosted, but the first to be played…
Full Article JAPAN: HOOP DREAMS COME ALIVE AT THE SAITAMA SUPER ARENA
BENJAMIN BARRETT WRITES – The FIFA 2022 World Cup hosted by Qatar begins in late November and history is already being made. This year, Asia is boasting a record six teams that have qualified for the tournament: Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, South Korea, and Qatar. Only second to Europe,…
Full Article SPORTS: ASIA’S WORLD CUP POTENTIAL
BENJAMIN BARRETT WRITES – One of the most popular football clubs in the world, Chelsea FC, is currently facing sanctions due to its Russian roots. Roman Abramovich, a Russian oligarch and owner of Chelsea, is suspected of having close ties with Vladimir Putin. According to an Al Jazeera article, Abramovich…
Full Article ROMAN ABRAMOVICH: PARTISAN OR PEACEMAKER?
TRISTIN CLINT WRITES – The prowess of Japanese baseball players is recognized internationally, and a couple of talents have personified athletic greatness just this century. Seiya Suzuki could very well join Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani as an unforgettable Japanese ballplayer. Shohei Ohtani famously took over Major League Baseball in…
Full Article JAPAN: YET ANOTHER SUPERSTAR PLAYER SCORES BIG FOR HIS COUNTRY
MILES WHITTINGHAM WRITES — In October 2021, the majority of the well-known English Premier League club Newcastle United was purchased by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. The move has been met with widespread skepticism by fans and executives alike. This isn’t the first time that something like this…
Full Article ANOTHER SAUDI TAKEOVER IN ENGLISH SOCCER: IS THERE A REASON FOR CONCERN?
MILES WHITTINGHAM WRITES — Prior to the 2021 MLB season, Angels fans just wanted to see their star Shohei Ohtani stay healthy and produce what he could. But no one expected him to do what hadn’t been done in centuries. The Angels’ highly regarded two-way player has been the subject…
Full Article SHOHEI OHTANI: A ONE-TIME LONGSHOT PLAYER MAKES HISTORY
DEREK GARCIA WRITES — On August 8th this year, the Australian National Basketball team, nicknamed the Boomers, made history, winning its first medal at the Tokyo Olympics by beating Slovenia, 107-93, for a third-place bronze medal. Australia’s fantastic run in the Olympics may have felt like the opening of a…
Full Article AUSTRALIA: DOWN UNDER BASKETBALL RISES TO THE TOP OF INTERNATIONAL SPORTS
GREGORY BENNETT WRITES – By now, we are all accustomed to watching sporting events with cardboard cutouts of faces in the stands and the sounds of exciting, virtual crowds blasting from stadium speakers. But is it really as exciting as an in-person experience? Will these teams be able to support…
Full Article ASIAN SPORTS: SOME THINGS JUST CAN’T THRIVE VIRTUALLY
MELANIE MARGARYAN WRITES — Armenians have always rooted for their country and their people. Through several wars and devastating natural disasters, they have joined together with a passionate sense of national pride. This year, they have yet another reason to be proud. The Armenian national soccer team, currently in the…
Full Article SPORTS: ARMENIA HOPES TO MAKE HISTORY IN THE FIFA WORLD CUP
SHAE KUROKAWA WRITES — The Tokyo Summer Olympics is quickly approaching, with less than 100 days before its expected commencement on July 23. But the world is starting to question whether the long-anticipated games will be able to proceed on schedule as COVID-19 cases are on the rise. Talk of…
Full Article JAPAN: WILL THE TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPICS SURVIVE THE PANDEMIC?
MILES WHITTINGHAM WRITES — Baseball, widely regarded as America’s favorite pastime, has seen a definite upswing in several Asian countries over the years. First brought to Japan by Horace Wilson- an English teacher at the Kaisei Academy in Tokyo in 1873- a couple of other Asian countries have shown great…
Full Article ASIAN SPORTS: BASEBALL’S TURN AT BAT ON THE CONTINENT
GREGORY BENNETT WRITES — Declining popularity, teams that fold and a lack of funds are common barriers to ice hockey in Asia. Today, the Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIH) is the only national league in Asia with eight different teams. Five of these teams are located in Japan, two are…
Full Article ASIAN SPORTS: A WORK IN PROGRESS
NICOLAS PAPA WRITES — It has been almost three years, but Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani is starting to show glimpses of the two-way talent that had previously made him one of the most anticipated players in the history of Major League Baseball. The Los Angeles Angels player had sent…
Full Article JAPAN: BASEBALL STAR SHOHEI OHTANI IS BACK IN THE GAME