The big annual event where you can watch a game of the Rakuten Eagles, the only professional baseball team in Tohoku, at Tokyo Dome.Not only can you enjoy baseball games at the Rakuten Super Baseball Game, but there's also more to enjoy.Within the stadium, there are several special booths set up where various sports activities can be experienced.Through this event, we hope that people will come to understand the appeal of various sports and develop an interest in them.Such a wish is imbued.

Despite it being a weekday night game, due to it also being the summer vacation period, many children had made their way to the Tokyo Dome.Furthermore, with the overcoming of the COVID-19 crisis, inbound demand has also recovered, and there were many foreign fans dressed in crimson red uniforms.The Rakuten Super Baseball Game allows people to enjoy sports beyond gender, age, and nationality.Upon entering the stadium, a large LED screen set up in the concourse unfolded before my eyes.On the LED screen, a video based on the concept “Powered by Sports. Playing for All.A BETTER FUTURE TOGETHER” was played, conveying the aspirations of the Rakuten Group to the attendees.

Visitors, upon participating in various campaigns by Rakuten Group, which has booths set up inside Tokyo Dome, and meeting certain conditions, can receive a player card in either red, blue, or green.Once you collect one card of each of the three colors, you’ll be able to participate in a lottery where you can win luxurious prizes such as merchandise autographed by the players.By implementing such gift planning, we made it easier for visitors to participate in the event.

At the “My Better Future Card Booth”, visitors can select keywords they think are necessary for a “better future” on the touch panel. The AI then automatically creates a background image that matches their selected keyword, providing content that can be photographed.Perhaps it has become an opportunity to think about a sustainable society and a better future for sports.

In the “Sports Challenge Booth”, there is an interactive booth set up where one can hit, throw, or kick a ball in accordance with the soccer and baseball videos displayed on a large screen.We have set up a “My Sports Newspaper” booth, where the situation during play is captured on camera and automatically generates a “headline” suitable for each play, creating an original newspaper article. This system allows you to enjoy sports while experiencing the latest technology.

In the “Athlete Message Board”, players from the Rakuten Eagles and Vissel Kobe, and athletes related to the Rakuten Group, post about what sports can do to achieve a “better future” for people and society, under the theme “MY BETTER FUTURE is…”.In conveying the thoughts and feelings of each athlete, we also sought to elicit empathy and agreement, creating an opportunity for people to deeply consider the potential of sports.

In “TANDEM CYCLING”, you can ride a tandem bicycle and, while coordinating your breath with another person, play an experiential game where you catch mascots of the Rakuten Eagles, Rakuten Monkeys, and Vissel Kobe that are falling from the sky.The tandem bicycle is designed to be pedaled by hand as well, making it a game that even children who cannot reach the pedals and those with mobility issues can participate in.Ginji Akaminai, who serves as an ambassador for Rakuten Eagles, and DAIKI, the representative of “SOCIAL WORKEEERZ”, actually experienced the booth.It was an activity that anyone, from adults to children, regardless of whether they had a disability or not, could enjoy sports.

Two “Bottle Cap Exchange Boxes” for collecting plastic bottles are set up inside the venue.The Rakuten Group collects plastic bottle caps and turns them over to recycling companies. The profits from their sale are used as funds to provide vaccines for children around the world.Not only does the Rakuten Super Baseball Game convey the excitement of sports, but it also has the charm of being able to take concrete actions towards the realization of a sustainable society.

And for the live performance before the game and the ceremonial pitch, the popular rock band “Sambomaster” made an appearance.In live performances, ‘SOCIAL WORKEEERZ’ who are committed to creating an environment where everyone can enjoy dance regardless of disability, the official cheerleaders of the Rakuten Eagles, ‘Tohoku Golden Angels’, the girls’ support unit of Vissel Kobe, ‘Vissel Seleia’, and the cheerleaders of the Taiwanese professional baseball team, the Rakuten Monkeys, ‘Rakuten Girls’, performed together for the first time.A performance was held to the tune of Sambomaster’s song “Dekikkonai o Yaranakucha”, and the venue was enveloped in excitement.

The goal of Rakuten Group is to create an environment where everyone can enjoy sports in their own way in various aspects related to sports, through the initiative ‘Sports for Everyone’, and to achieve ‘A Greener Future’ by implementing measures against climate change and promoting a good cycle of resources, thereby creating a rich environment where sports can be enjoyed in the future.Although these efforts are still in their early stages, the smiles on the faces of the attendees at the recent Rakuten Super Baseball Game will surely lead to a better future.

TEXT: Kodai Wada
PHOTO: Teppei Hori
EDIT: Yohsuke Watanabe (IN FOCUS)