On March 11th, the WBC of the American representative finally started. Led by Mike Trout of the Angels, this national team is often called “the strongest in history.” What kind of excitement is showing in the local area? Also, how do local fans view rival Japan? Reported by the author living in Chicago, USA.
More than 40,000 spectators attended the match against Great Britain, which was the opening match for the American national team.
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[College basketball is better than WBC]
Japan is boiling with WBC fever. Every match against Japan at the Tokyo Dome attracts more than 40,000 spectators, and the audience rating has exceeded 40% for four consecutive days.
On the other hand, the United States, which won the last tournament (2017), welcomes the WBC as defending champions for the first time. Even before the opening, ESPN, a channel specializing in sports, and FOX, which owns the rights to broadcast the games, have introduced special features every day.
In particular, after entering the camp where superstars gathered mainly in the fielders, the impression was that the press was heating up.
And on the 11th, when he played his first game with the British national team, I visited the sports bar “Murphy’s Bleacher’s”, which is located right behind Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Murphy’s has been known as a mecca for Cubs fans since it opened in 1980. During the season, fans who have finished watching the games gather, and even in the off-season, many fans watch videos of famous scenes from the past and have fun talking about baseball.
On the 11th, it was cold and snowy in Chicago, but that day coincided with the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day, an Irish holiday, and the store was already filled with people’s enthusiasm before the game even started. was
There are 16 large TVs installed in the store, but there is no sign of the WBC even when the game starts at 8:00 pm.
That should be it. In the United States, March is the peak season for college basketball, known as “March Madness.” Sports fans are apparently more interested in basketball than the WBC.
