Golden Week has begun in Japan, bringing with it a rare pause in the rhythm of daily life. On a breezy spring morning, while watching a Los Angeles Dodgers game, I found myself thinking less about the score and more about something else—how we respond to those who are not performing well.
With more Japanese players, led by Shohei Ohtani, making their mark in Major League Baseball, public attention has grown. Yet alongside admiration, there seems to be an increasing amount of harsh criticism, especially toward players in a slump.
This piece is not about baseball itself. Rather, it is a quiet reflection on the tone of our reactions—how easily disappointment turns into personal attacks, and what that might say about us as a society. By comparing this tendency with attitudes seen elsewhere, I explore whether this harshness is simply human nature, or something more specific to our cultural environment.
It was a fine day, though the wind was strong.
With the holidays beginning today, I had been thinking about how best to spend the time. For now, I decided to visit my mother in Tokyo.
In the morning, there was a Dodgers game. I watched and cheered, but their recent offensive struggles continued, and they suffered a disappointing loss.
With more Japanese players moving to Major League teams, led by Ohtani, there has been a great deal of attention surrounding them.
What has been bothering me lately, however, is the harsh language directed at players who are not performing well.
There are certainly players whose results make one tilt their head in doubt. But they are surely the ones who understand their struggles best. There seems little need to rub salt into their wounds.
Unlike celebrity gossip, the tone often feels like a denial of one’s character. Perhaps I am the only one who senses this.
In contrast, in countries like Korea, athletes from their own nation tend to receive unwavering support.
Is this tendency something inherent in us?
There are studies suggesting that people may act out of spite—even to their own disadvantage—simply to bring others down. I find myself recognizing that impulse from time to time.
Such behavior may appear to stem from a strong sense of justice, but in reality, it is often nothing more than simple unkindness. It is hardly admirable, and perhaps surprising to those in Western societies.
Of course, there may be players who are genuinely difficult as individuals. But it is hard to justify attacking young people who have committed no wrongdoing.
The media and the internet amplify these voices, turning them into entertainment, and the cycle continues.
One cannot help but wish that those involved would behave a little more like “adults.”
Yet perhaps we are living in a society where true adulthood itself has become scarce.
Kindness may be the simplest measure of maturity—and the one we seem to forget most easily.
・・・
Vocabulary for Learners
- harsh criticism：厳しい批判
- in a slump：不調の状態で
- rub salt into the wound：傷口に塩を塗る
- deny one’s character：人格を否定する
- unwavering support：揺るがない支援
- spite / spiteful behavior：悪意・意地悪な行動
- hardly admirable：ほとんど称賛に値しない
- amplify：増幅する、拡大する
- cannot help but ~：〜せざるを得ない
- scarce：乏しい、少ない
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