Tokyo Big 6 University Baseball Tour : A moment filled with students’ passion

On April 27, 2024, I watched a baseball game between Hosei University and Keio University at Meiji Jingu Stadium. The closer I got to the stadium, the more I started to feel the enthusiasm of the students who cheered for each school. I was able to learn the cheering song from the cheerleader students just before the game started. All the ESOP students seemed confused because they had a wide variety of cheer songs, but still, everyone had an excited look for a baseball game. It was a little cloudy that morning, so raindrops fell, but fortunately, it stopped raining just before the game. ESOP students were seated in the seats of Hosei’s cheering squad.

The students of the cheering squad for Hosei University were incredible. For hours, they tirelessly induced the audience to cheer, and quickly presented an appropriate cheering method for the game situation. I was able to participate in the cheering without difficulty because I showed the names of the players or the lyrics of the cheering slogans on signs. It was an unforgettable memory.

In the beginning of the game, there was not much difference in score due to the wonderful performance of pitchers in both universities. However, the first home run at Hosei University broke out along the way, and everyone in the audience was very excited. The most memorable moment was when everyone put their arms around each other and waved the Hosei flag when they got their first score. After that, Keio University seemed to be doing well for a while, but Hosei University surged ahead with tremendous momentum, ultimately winning the game with a landslide victory of 6:2.

It was a place where I could see a scene of the “youth”. The tremendous passion of the players who did not hesitate to fight for injuries, the enthusiastic energy of the cheering squad students, and the enthusiasm of the unified audience remained impressive. It was a day when I could feel anew that Japan is not a baseball powerhouse for no reason, seeing the games between universities on such a scale.