Rakuten to acquire Taiwan's popular professional baseball team September 19 16:54
Rakuten has announced that it will acquire Taiwan's popular professional baseball team, and is aiming to raise its name recognition in Taiwan where it operates.
This was revealed by a party from Rakuten and Taiwan professional baseball “Lamigo” at a press conference in Taipei on the 19th.
According to it, Rakuten agreed to acquire all the shares of the company that operates Lamigo, and will enter Taiwan professional baseball from the 2020 season.
Lamigo is a team that Nippon Ham's player Yuan Wang was in until last year, and won the league title for the second year in a row with Ototoshi. However, deficit management continued and he was looking for a seller from July. .
Rakuten, which has been operating in Taiwan since 2008, is making preparations for the start of Internet banking services next year, and its policy is to increase its name recognition through the acquisition of this team.
Takashi Watanabe, COO of Rakuten Asia, who attended the conference, said, “I want to contribute to the further development of Taiwan professional baseball by taking advantage of the experience gained at Rakuten Eagles while respecting what Lamigo has cultivated.”
On the other hand, Commissioner Wu Zhi Yang of Taiwan Professional Baseball League said, “Rakuten, which develops an online business and manages the stadium in an unprecedented new way, will create a new sensation in Taiwan ’s sphere. I am confident that we will continue to move forward. "
Asian baseball world revitalization expectation
Rakuten, an IT giant, has gained international recognition by developing overseas in various sports fields, such as Barcelona, Spain's first league leader, Barcelona, and sponsoring the NBA = American professional basketball warriors.
Lamigo is a professional baseball team based in Taoyuan, a city in northern Taiwan.
Since 2011, the name of the current team, Wang Yong-yong, who has played five times in Taiwan professional baseball leagues and played with Nippon Ham, also belonged until last season.
Audience mobilization has also been at the top for five consecutive years until last season, pulling Taiwan professional baseball world in terms of both ability and popularity.
A professional baseball player from Taiwan has a baseball pitcher from Taiwan, and last month, he signed a contract with a pitcher Wanghiko, a pitcher from Taiwan who is under 18 years old.
Prior to the opening of this season, we are deepening exchanges such as exploring Taiwan and playing friendly games with Lamigo, and this acquisition is expected to revitalize not only Taiwan but also the Asian baseball world.