Professional baseball may have returned to
Take the traditional postgame "hero of the game" interview as an example.
After the Rakuten Eagles defeated the
Asamura homered in
Before the pandemic, players were typically put on the stage side by side while fans stuck around after the game to listen to the interview, broadcast over the stadium public address system.
For many fans, who were watching the game from home, these small changes instituted by Nippon Professional Baseball in return for getting their sport back may be a small price to pay. NPB resumed the 2020 season on
The announcer, who usually appears next to the honorees brandishing a microphone, had been relegated to the photographers' spot and called out questions from there.
"People are coming up with creative solutions to make playing baseball possible," former major leaguer Makita said. "It's a little sad not having any fans, but we just need to be a little more patient."
Teams have taken varied approaches to addressing the virus risk, with many of them implementing procedures that isolate players from the media.
After games at MetLife Dome, Seibu Lions manager Hatsuhiko Tsuji and players stand in foul territory and take questions from members of the press, who are kept about 5 meters apart in the stands.
Interviews are conducted in a manner ensuring that reporters keep their distance, but as Tsuji pointed out, "There aren't many reporters." Lions outfielder
With spectators barred from games until their gradual re-admission starting Friday, some issues have cropped up as well.
At
"Listeners said they always knew which player was at the plate because of cheer songs, but now they don't because there are none," he said. "The fans' presence actually helped us (radio broadcasters) too."
A male announcer from a station in
Announcers usually spend time at the stadium a few days before their broadcast gathering information, but they are finding the routine work difficult under the present circumstances.
For their part, clubs are trying to get the players' voices heard by fans through online conferencing platforms and telephone interviews, though there are still kinks to be worked out.
Rakuten Eagles manager
From the Eagles' third home game on, the skipper started doing interviews in person while wearing a mask and face guard.
The trial-and-error approach continues without an end in sight to the pandemic.
"The main premise is not to spread infection," said
==Kyodo
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