Learning from American Universities, How College Sports Should Be

Freedom and progress" is the real appeal of Hosei.

Tanaka Mr. Yasuda, you are well-known at Hosei for your success in the American football team known as the "Tomahawks," but you were also a student in the Department of Japanese Literature, just like me.

Yasuda: Actually, I wanted to be a writer. Even now, my writing is well known (laughs). (laughs) I loved reading so much that even as an elementary school student I would devour an entire wall of books in the library. I hated studying, though.

Tanaka I was the same way, wanting to read stories rather than study (laughs).

Yasuda: I started playing football at Hosei II High School and ended up as captain. This meant that I had to speak in front of the club members every day. At the time, I saw people on TV debate shows who skillfully used difficult words I had never heard of, and I thought they looked really cool. So whenever I encountered a word I didn't know, I looked up its meaning in the Kojien dictionary and tried to use it when I spoke. In college, this took the place of writing. In football, we make a playbook to communicate tactics to players, and whether the words are correct and persuasive or not can make all the difference in how the players actually move. So I used what I learned about language and writing in class to help me plan football strategies.

Tanaka That is a new aspect of the Department of Japanese Literature that you have opened up for us (laughs). (laughs) By the way, you had a very lean university life, didn't you? I, too, will never forget those four years in my life.

Yasuda: Hosei's academic culture is "freedom and progress. (Laughs) But I took it to mean not just freedom to consume, but freedom to progress, freedom to create something. That is why, in building the team, I placed emphasis on making the most of each player's individuality rather than on tight control.

Tanaka We have a firm goal, but we are not forced by others to choose the path to get there. That is why I did what I really wanted to do. I always wanted to be in the moment.

Yasuda: I think that is the true appeal of Hosei. It seems that "freedom and progress" are perfectly suited to each other.

Major Differences in the Sports Situation in Japan and the U.S.

Tanaka You are currently involved in a wide range of sports-related businesses as a business manager.

Yasuda I played football for four years in college, being disciplined, sometimes rubbing dirt in my face, and being obsessed with winning and losing. I endured these hardships while playing football. I would look sideways at those guys who were a lot of fun, but had better grades than I did (laughs). (Laughs.) If I were to lose to those guys after I entered the workforce, it would be disrespectful to the sport I had dedicated myself to. Therefore, I thought that I must absolutely succeed in life, and I am now trying my best to put this into practice.

Tanaka In fact, the company seems to be growing rapidly.

Yasuda Even though it is growing rapidly, it is only from a Japanese perspective. Under Armour Inc. in the U.S., with which we have a partnership, was founded in the same year as our company, but its scale is now on a par with Japan's top companies in the consumer electronics and manufacturing industries. This is because the U.S. sports industry itself has expanded rapidly over the past 20 years, while the Japanese industry has shrunk in the meantime. Behind this lies a difference in the way of thinking about sports and sports businesses in Japan and the United States. Sports have great economic value in expanding domestic demand and revitalizing local communities, and the U.S. was quick to start investing in them. In Japan, on the other hand, sports are still talked about only in terms of intangible values such as health promotion, and the idea that sports are a rather costly field has not been fully developed.

Tanaka That is what I wanted to ask you about. Hosei is currently working on its first full-fledged long-term vision, and we would like to include sports in it. However, while investment in education will continue to increase, university revenues are limited, and it is obvious that the budget allocated to sports will dwindle.

Yasuda: The situation I just described applies directly to university sports in Japan and the United States. We need to change our way of thinking.

Sports is the Front Door to the University

Tanaka What do you mean by a change of mindset?

Yasuda: It means that sports can become a major source of income for universities, rather than a money-grubbing industry. In the U.S., it is said that "sports are the front door to the university. This means that a virtuous circle is created when a university's name recognition rises as a result of its strong sports program, and when the name recognition rises, the number of applicants increases and income rises, which can then be reinvested in education to raise the level of the university as a whole.

Tanaka Of course, there are cases in which a university may only increase its name recognition but not its quality, so the number of applicants does not increase, and there are also cases in which a university may be temporarily strong but then be forgotten again when it becomes weak. Putting the issue of quality aside, what should be done to ensure that the clubs remain strong?

Yasuda: The current approach of Japanese universities, in which each athletic department is separate, is not working. A specialized organization such as the Sports Affairs Bureau should be established to oversee not only the strengthening of each department, but also all efforts related to sports within the university. First of all, such a system needs to be created. However, it is not that difficult. There are successful examples in the U.S., so we should copy them. No one else has done it yet, so if Hosei can do it, it has the potential to become a leader.

Tanaka I see. So it is a matter of structure. Japanese universities have improved a lot in terms of education. The awareness of faculty members has also changed significantly. However, in terms of overall governance, there is a deep-rooted sense that things cannot and will not change.

Yasuda If a mechanism can be established, there are many ways to link sports to income, such as building a stadium on campus and renting it out, or making and selling merchandise for strong teams.

Tanaka That seems to be related to our other initiative, branding. I have been thinking mainly of brands that express themselves with words, but perhaps brands that appeal to the sense of sight, such as colors and shapes, are also important. Today, the scales fell from my eyes when I heard the shocking story of sports as a source of income. Thank you very much.

• Reprinted from HOSEI ONLINE