
Football: Marinos ban 10 more fans from stadiums for derby fracas
Marinos, struggling near the bottom of the J-League first-division table, announced the same ban on 59 supporters a week earlier, including two who used fireworks and flares at Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium.
The club is enforcing strict spectator rules, such as banning the use of drums and other instruments, while continuing efforts to identify violators.

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Japan Times
14 hours ago
- Japan Times
ESPN, leaping to streaming, holds hands with the NFL
As competition for sports streaming rights escalates, with YouTube, Netflix and Amazon challenging traditional media companies for game packages, Disney has found an innovative way to strengthen its grip on football. The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, and the National Football League on Tuesday night announced a complicated deal for the NFL to take a 10% equity stake in ESPN. In exchange, ESPN will acquire the league's traditional NFL Network and certain rights to the fan-favorite RedZone Channel, among other media assets. NFL Fantasy Football, for instance, will merge with ESPN Fantasy Football. "This is a gigantic leap forward for ESPN as it gets ready to launch its service,' Bob Iger, Disney's CEO, said in an interview, noting that the NFL Network would be "seamlessly integrated' with ESPN's flagship streaming service, which is expected to be introduced this month. "We think that it will go a long way toward improving ESPN's prospects when it migrates more and more into a direct-to-consumer product,' Iger said. ESPN's new streaming service, which will cost $30 a month, will include all ESPN programming, including live events — some 47,000 a year. For the first time, ESPN viewers will not need a cable or satellite subscription. ESPN was Disney's financial engine for nearly 30 years, powering the company through recessions, box-office wipeouts and the pandemic. In 2023, however, Iger and Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN's chair, started to explore a once-unthinkable sale of a stake in the division as a way to confront the turbulent economics of the streaming era. In 2013, roughly 100 million households received ESPN. Today, as a result of cord cutting, that number is closer to 61 million. ESPN has raised its affiliate fees to keep profitability high, but its ability to continue doing so will be limited in the coming years: By 2027, fewer than 50 million homes will pay for a cable hookup, according to PwC, the accounting giant. To begin the transition away from cable, Disney introduced a limited streaming service called ESPN+ in 2018. It shows thousands of games annually, but very few are the biggest NFL, college football, NBA or baseball games. As of March 29, ESPN+ had 24 million paid subscribers. Disney pays the NFL around $2.7 billion per year for "Monday Night Football,' which jointly airs on ESPN and ABC, the Disney-owned broadcast network. Disney's deal with the NFL, which includes the 2027 and 2031 Super Bowls, runs through 2033 but can be reopened in 2029. The NFL's ownership stake in ESPN would presumably give the channel a leg up in future negotiations with the league for media rights. YouTube, Amazon, NBC, CBS, Fox and Netflix also hold various NFL rights. The no-cash deal that was unveiled Tuesday, valued by analysts at $2 billion to $3 billion, is subject to regulatory approval, which could take nine months or more. If completed, Disney will own 70% of ESPN, with the Hearst Corporation maintaining its 20% stake, which it has held since 1990. Iger and Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, also announced a second deal Tuesday that will bring three additional NFL games per season to ESPN platforms, along with a wider array of NFL specialty content. "Our fans are the ones who are going to benefit from this,' Goodell said. "They'll get deeper, richer, more exciting content.' As for parting with the NFL Network, which was started in 2003, Goodell said he was glad to put it "in the hands of a partner who is excited about growing not just the distribution but also the quality.' The NFL Network is distributed to about 44 million homes, down from about 70 million a decade ago. The NFL will continue to own and operate the NFL+ streaming service, NFL Films and the NFL Podcast Network, among other media properties. It will also continue to own, operate and produce NFL RedZone, a live channel that shows every touchdown scored during Sunday afternoon games. "The selling of assets, particularly assets as valuable as ESPN, takes time and requires a lot of thought,' Iger said. "It's not 'snap your fingers, here's 10% of ESPN and we get the NFL Network.'' "As we analyzed it, it became more and more clear that a deal with the NFL would not only be accretive economically to Disney, but it would deliver the kind of strategic value that we were seeking,' Iger added. This article originally appeared in The New York Times © 2025 The New York Times Company


Kyodo News
2 days ago
- Kyodo News
Japanese pro basketball team generates buzz with online manga
TOKYO - A free online comic documenting the ups and downs of a Japanese professional basketball team's 2024-25 season has proven a hit, topping 200,000 views within two days of its June 7 release. B-League first-division outfit the Kawasaki Brave Thunders have actively promoted themselves on YouTube and other social media networks, but they recently made their first foray into comics in a bid to stand out among professional sports teams. "It's so Kawasaki -- being able to do things other clubs haven't done," said Ryusei Shinoyama, the Brave Thunders' 37-year-old point guard, who has spent his entire career with the B-League club. Manga artist Nao Sasaki, a big fan of the Brave Thunders, created the 68-page comic book, seen on their official website, after watching all 60 games of their 2024-25 campaign. The Brave Thunders, based in Kawasaki near Tokyo, finished last in the eight-team Central Conference. "I got to see the team make progress one step at a time," Sasaki said. "They may not have had stellar results, but I wanted readers to get the impression that there were dramas surrounding this club. "It was really worth drawing what was going on behind the scenes." The B-League has developed a fervent fan base across the country. Former NBA swingman Yuta Watanabe finished his first season in Japan with the Chiba Jets, while former U.S. college basketball standout Keisei Tominaga has signed a contract with Levanga Hokkaido for the 2025-26 season. The comic book depicts moments from the season that Shinoyama did not even know about. "Only manga can preserve things that cannot be captured on film," he said. "The author created something really great."


The Mainichi
4 days ago
- The Mainichi
Basketball: NBA Summer League experience motivates B-League players
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Having set a target of sending at least five players to the NBA by 2030, Japan's B-League recently put some of its best young basketball talent to the test on the sidelines of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. The B-League United select team played four scrimmages in July against teams taking part in the NBA Summer League, comprising mostly youngsters and fringe players competing for NBA roster spots. Although B-League United went winless against the Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers between July 9 and 14, the Japanese players gained motivation to raise their levels. "I realized that the standards I had set for myself until now were very low," said Nagoya Diamond Dolphins swingman Keita Imamura, who has played for Japan's national team. "I have to raise those standards myself." The Las Vegas tour coincided with national team activities, so B-League United was unable to field its strongest possible roster. In addition, it was difficult to call up foreign players of the B-League during the offseason. While pointing out some issues, B-League executive officer Naoya Okamoto, who helped bring the tour to fruition, said, "The players grew (through playing against the NBA teams). We played all four games properly, so that's really good." "We still need to think harder about how to absorb costs and achieve a situation that benefits everyone."