Economic Impact of WBC Revised up to ¥65.4 Billion

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:02 JST, March 27, 2023

The economic impact of the World Baseball Classic, won by Japan’s national baseball team, will total approximately ¥65.4 billion, up ¥5.8 billion from the previous estimate made before the opening of the competition began, according to Katsuhiro Miyamoto, professor emeritus of Kansai University.

Miyamoto raised the estimate due to stronger-than-expected interest in Japan.

WBC-related business boomed, with uniforms and other official merchandise in short supply even before the tournament began. The pitching and hitting success of Shohei Ohtani, who won the MVP award, was a standout of the tourney, while the “pepper grinder,” a pose in which a player pretends to grind pepper by placing one fist atop the other, also became popular.