Exposure to English is one of the major driving forces behind the growth of lacrosse at the youth through university level in Japan. The Japanese recognize that a fluent understanding of English leads to more global business and career opportunities arising for their students.
If you can read it, you already know that this is an article from a Japanese magazine which did a survey about the kinds of jobs Japanese athletes work after school, based on the sports they play in college.
The 2013 article states that lacrosse players have been getting the best jobs in Japan, making it clear why school administration at the primary through university levels are supporting the growth of the game.
For those of us that can’t read Japanese, the article states there are 3 reasons for lacrosse players snatching up the best jobs.
- Time management – Kids in Japan usually have morning practices, putting an earlier start to their days. They need to organize their practice schedule around part-time jobs, studying and free time, which in turn gives them great life skills.
- International interactions – Spending time online or at events interacting with teams from America or other lacrosse playing countries gives them and edge when handling business across borders. Lacrosse players in Japan tend to be more international than players from other sports since they have to travel for supplies, competition and exposure.
- Organizational skills – Players are always reserving fields for games, ordering gear, scheduling referees and many other task administration typically takes cares of in the States. Since the sport is still young in Japan, a lot of this work is left to the players, unlike baseball, which is wildly popular in Japan and the players can just focus on playing.
With the rapid growth of the game and borders being bridged by social media, I can’t see this study being too different for all students across the globe. Thanks to Everett Mapp for sharing this awesome article, check out more of his posts on his experiences with growing the game in Japan!
