Baseball has local roots here in America. Starting in 1839, it immediately became a phenomenon that still captures the hearts and attention of Americans today. The Japanese created their own league called Nippon Professional Baseball in 1920. Although they borrowed the idea and the sport, there are key differences in how the game is played in the small island nation. In true Japanese style, they took an idea and made innovations and improvements to create something that resembled the past but still had differences to stand on its own. The Nippon League and Major League Baseball (MLB) have similarities when it comes to rules. Both countries, along with countless other nations, wear uniforms that all parallel each other. The physical game is still played on a baseball field within nine innings under bright, powerful lights. It's still a real business both here in America and in Japan. However, the Japanese league uses a smaller, tightly wound baseball that is harder than the American ball. The strike zone is narrower and the further away the batter is. The playing field or sidelines are much smaller than American fields. Many Nippon League teams have small fields that would violate American standards. A team can only have a certain number of foreign players on a Japanese team. Japanese teams play to ties against MLB which continues to play until there is a winner. The games have a time limit. No match may last more than three hours and twenty minutes. Teams are named after the company that owns them rather than the city or area where the team is located. For example, the Seibu Lions are from Saitama but are named after the Seibu department store. As for actual playing time, fans are constantly singing or clapping. Sitting in the designated seat... in the center of the card... for the overall good of the team. No matter where the game is played, the excitement and joy that comes from watching baseball can be felt in any stadium. Watching baseball or any other sport brings out unity and patriotism. The rules or structure of Japanese society have penetrated baseball and become an integral part of it. Always doing what's best for the company or team, attention to individuality is often overlooked. Japanese players are highly sought after and praised when they decide to come and play for an American team. They bring with them the ideals and values ​​of dedication and passion that American players often forget because greed and money block their vision. In Japan it's not about fame or money but about playing to bring honor to the company and the industry you play for. I think American teams and players can learn a few things from their Japanese counterparts in this regard.