MLB Sponsorship Banners Shown Before Crowd at New Year Sumo Tournament in Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:51 JST, January 13, 2025

Sponsorship banners advertising upcoming Major League Baseball games were shown before a packed crowd at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan on Sunday, the opening day of The New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. They were displayed before the final match of the day.

The final bout was fought between yokozuna Terunofuji and komusubi Wakatakakage.

Traditionally, banners are usually displayed preceding a bout and show who has offered prize money. The banners are walked around the dohyo ring.

The three MLB banners, each with a different design, publicized season-opening games between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers to be held at Tokyo Dome in March. The banners also promoted preseason games between the two MLB teams and the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers. They were among the many sponsorship banners shown before the final match.

The MLB banners’ prize money was paid by The Yomiuri Shimbun. The banners featured pictures of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers and Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga.