Within the past five years, market potential and related business opportunities have grown tremendously within the Japanese spectator sport industry. The total market size for the industry is $50.8 million, but three key changes will encourage further development. These changes are the signing of free agent left handed pitcher Kimiyasu Kudo by the Yomiuri Giants, the impending launch of the BS‐4 satellite, and the co‐hosting, with Korea, of the 2002 World Cup. These changes are already creating new business opportunities. The growing acceptance of the role of agents in representing the interests of professional athletes will produce opportunities in contract negotiations, financial advice, and marketing support. The launch of BS‐4 will be the beginning of audience fragmentation in Japan. BS‐4 will provide the necessary channel capacity for the purchase of more sport broadcasting rights, allowing Japanese consumers to closely follow their sport heroes. Lastly, while the two largest advertising agencies in Japan, Dentsu and Hakuhodo, are dominant forces in the league and team consulting industry, opportunities for specialised sport marketing agencies are emerging. All of these new business opportunities require professional management. Historically, the Japanese spectator sport industry has not been operated as a business. Fortunately, managers from other industries are being drawn into sport and organising associations such as Ai‐Sport as a forum to openly discuss issues related to marketing and managing spectator sport.
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McDonald et al. (2001) studied this question.