Who Will Succeed Masahiro Nakai in Baseball Broadcasting?

Nakai unilaterally entered the locker room and bench

Masahiro Nakai (52) has chosen to retire from the entertainment industry. Not only are members of his fan club, known as “Zura,” disappointed, but fans who had hoped for an SMAP reunion (“Sma-Ota”) continue to express their sadness.

“The paid fan site ‘Nakai Zura Ano Ko-tachi ni,’ which connected Nakai with his fans, will also be shut down on February 19, making his return virtually impossible. While it was expected that TV stations would express regret over the retirement of the renowned MC, surprisingly, that has not been the case. His flagship program, Masahiro Nakai’s Friday Smile (TBS), had been struggling with low ratings, and some staff members even remarked that this might be a good timing to end it.” (Veteran TV station staff)

This sentiment is not limited to variety shows. Even those involved in sports broadcasting have expressed unexpected opinions.

“Recently, I was surprised to hear from multiple baseball management company representatives that, while some were disappointed that Nakai would likely no longer be covering games for the media, some professional baseball officials also said, ‘Honestly, it’s a bit of a relief.’ Nakai had served as the official supporter of Samurai Japan for three consecutive tournaments. However, during his on-site reports for the World Baseball Classic (WBC), his behavior was seen as lacking respect for the players, which had raised concerns.” (Production company staff)

During his elementary school years, Nakai was a member of a youth baseball team and is a well-known die-hard Yomiuri Giants fan. He was also famous for his connections with former manager Tatsunori Hara (66).

“In his on-site reports, he often entered locker rooms and dugouts. While this may have been acceptable from a TV perspective, it appears that he filmed without obtaining permission, acting on his own discretion. Since Nakai frequently hosted sports variety shows, he was familiar with many players, but he would start interviews in a casual manner, such as greeting them with an ‘Oh!’ and sometimes proceeding without confirming if filming was allowed. I’ve also heard that he conducted interviews forcefully, as if he were in a variety show setting.”

“Nakai did conduct thorough research and interviews beforehand. However, compared to sports journalists, his direct contact with players was limited. Sports reporters spend years building trust with players before earning the opportunity to interview them. Some of them felt uneasy that Nakai, simply because he was a national idol, was given special access to speak with players without showing the same level of respect.” (Same staff member)

 

Who shows great respect for the players?

In the former Johnny’s office, it was common for talents to be sent as news and information variety show hosts, commentators, or as sports program and Olympic broadcasters.

“Besides Nakai, Fuji TV also employs Shingo Murakami (43) from ‘SUPER EIGHT’ (formerly of Kanjani∞), and Kazuya Kamenashi (38) from ‘KAT-TUN’ is the main host at Nippon TV. Both have received good reviews. Murakami, when working on sports programs, keeps his typical Kansai-style humor in check and conducts interviews with great enthusiasm. Even after the so-called ‘Johnny’s issue’ came to light, Kamenashi continued to be cast as the host for ‘Going! Sports & News’ (Nippon TV), and it seems the bond between him and the sports department at Nippon TV is much stronger than Nakai’s or Murakami’s.

Unlike Nakai, who was known for mimicking professional baseball players and using humor to entertain, Kamenashi shows incredible respect for the players. During the season, he consistently covers the Tokyo Dome for ‘Going!’ without fail, and his attitude of working long hours, waiting patiently without complaining, has earned respect from reporters at other companies.” (Sports newspaper reporter)

It may be only a matter of time before Kamenashi, who is now closely associated with Nippon TV, takes over as the official supporter for the WBC, replacing the retired Nakai.