A National Sport with Record-Breaking Attendance! Comprehensive Survey on Professional Baseball!! [1,000-Person Survey]

The Surprising Reasons Why Professional Baseball Attendance Keeps Hitting Record Highs

"Don't you feel like you haven't seen professional baseball on TV much lately?"

Many people might feel that way. In fact, terrestrial television broadcasts of professional baseball have been declining year after year. However, the number of people actually visiting stadiums is increasing, with attendance breaking records for two consecutive years in 2024 and 2025.

In 2025, the total number of spectators for the Central and Pacific League official games was approximately 27.04 million, with an average of about 31,500 people per game. While it may seem less visible on TV, stadiums are full. While this may seem mysterious, the background lies in the trend of "ballparkization" driven by each club.

Professional baseball games used to be places "to watch baseball," but now they have evolved into spaces that could be called "theme parks where baseball is also being played." For example, "ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO," the home base of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, is equipped with hot springs, hotels, and restaurants, allowing visitors to enjoy the facility all day even without watching the game.

Other teams like the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are also promoting the entertainment value of their stadiums. By increasing ways to enjoy the venue beyond just the match, they are attracting new segments, including couples and families, who were previously uninterested in baseball. While the number of viewers in front of televisions has decreased, people are gathering at the "experience venue" known as the stadium.

Nabitt Inc. conducted a survey on "professional baseball" targeting 1,000 monitor members, primarily housewives across the country.

### Survey Overview - Survey Period: March 2026 - Survey Organization: Nabitt Inc. - Target: Men and women in their 20s to 80s - Valid Responses: 1,000 - Survey Method: Web

### Survey Results #### 1. Over 70% Have Experience Watching Baseball When asked about their experience watching professional baseball, 72.9% answered "Yes," and 27.1% answered "No." This indicates that professional baseball remains a massive presence as a national sport.

#### 2. TV Remains the Dominant Medium Regarding the medium used for watching, "Television" was the most popular with 489 people, followed by "At the Stadium" (181), "Internet Streaming" (34), and "Radio" (7). 289 respondents said they "Do not watch." Considering the proliferation of services like DAZN and ABEMA, the number of responses for internet streaming was surprisingly low.

#### 3. Giants Top the List of Favorite Teams Regarding the favorite team, the "Yomiuri Giants" topped the list with 106 people, followed by the "Hanshin Tigers" (88) and the "Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters" (42). However, 507 people, or more than half, answered "None/Do not watch." The fact that 34 people selected "Overseas teams" reflects the influence of players like Shohei Ohtani.

#### 4. "Local Team" Is the Most Common Reason for Fandom The most common reason for choosing a team was "Because it's a local team" (194 people), followed by "Because there is a favorite player" (105). This suggests that community-based club management has taken root.

### Current State of Baseball Seen Through Free-Response Comments In this survey, we also collected "memories and opinions regarding professional baseball." Respondents expressed nostalgia for the days when games were broadcast during prime time and shared memories of the Showa era watching games with their fathers. At the same time, many comments highlighted the joy of watching games in person and their surprise at the quality of food and beverage options. This reinforces that how people enjoy professional baseball is shifting from "watching" to "experiencing."

Professional baseball began in 1936 and grew into a "national sport" alongside television media, with catchphrases like "Giants, Taiho, and Tamagoyaki" emerging. Now, amidst the decline of terrestrial broadcasts and the diversification of entertainment, professional baseball is passing its history to the next era in a new form: the "stadium experience."