Japan shows way in baseball promotion

The donation is clearly a firm gesture by the Japanese government in not only cementing the present cooperation between the two countries, but also a huge step towards effective promotion of the game.

Baseball is new in the Tanzanian sporting fraternity but hopefully with time and efforts, we expect this game to reach and be played by a huge portion of the country’s sporting fraternity.

While Japan has shown the way forward through development of the infrastructure, now it is the turn of the Tanzania Baseball and Softball Association (TABSA) to work hard in bringing awareness of the sport throughout the country.

This is understandably an arduous task but with determination and will there will possibly be a breakthrough.

Besides TABSA, the government is also supposed to push for more cooperation towards achievement of the game through training and promotion particularly at grassroots level.

The foremost worry is the possibility of resultant white elephant of the baseball venue should there be any poor management or loss of concentration on the part of the TABSA management.

Instead TABSA should push for more venues to be constructed across the country with a view of spreading the game among the young generation of players.

Already the TABSA secretariat in collaboration with Japan have shown interest to work together in ensuring Tanzania fields a baseball team in the Tokyo 2020 summer Olympics.
Let this dream be realised so as to give a fresh motivation to the rest of the youngsters who have poor knowledge of the game to join the baseball fray.

A tour of Japan by the Tanzanian team will build up a strong image for the new generation of players as well as parents who will be taking their children to learn how best to play the game.

TABSA has at present a huge task of taking the game to reach huge population of youngsters and they need to be resolute in realising this dream.

While TABSA is taking this baseball game introduction initiative, parents and young people have to capitalise on this void to join the fray as well.

Embezzlement of funds within sports association has always been crippling efforts by sponsors to dish out donations towards promotion. We wish this catastrophic habit not to be entertained by the TABSA secretariat which looks to be in small number at present.

Internal frictions resulting from scrambling for leadership and eventual disarray will certainly jeopardise efforts by young people to play baseball.

We don’t wish this to happen but it has happened before and is still happening to some of the sports associations resulting in complete disorganisation.

TABSA chairman Ahmed Makata and his secretary Alphero Nchimbi have the task of working with hand-in-glove cooperation to avoid any friction that might halt the baseball playing youngsters at least at this infantry stage of the game’s introduction. All the best in baseball promotion, congratulations Japan Embassy for the support.