The Bulletin Article - For the Love of the Game

An article that appeared on page 20 of March 2005 issue of The Bulletin.
By Sam Araki

Growing up history was never a favorite subject of mine. There was just too much information. I mean, was it really that important to know the names of the three ships that Christopher Columbus captained?

My mother always told me that I’d have increasing appreciation for the little things in life as I got older -- and she is prophetic. I have an increased appreciation in history, especially when it relates to me. At university in Utah, I was a Japanese minor and the crux of the program had the students delve into the realm of reading and writing through the study of Japanese history.

Since my return to Vancouver, I’ve been exposed to various things through my involvement in the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, and knowledge of the Vancouver Asahi baseball team is the most important I’ve come across.

The Asahi will be officially inducted into the BCSHFM at the organization’s annual Banquet of Champions. The uniqueness and impact of the Vancouver Asahi’s achievements are well known among the longtime and entrenched members of the Vancouver Japanese-Canadian community. After being inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in June 2003, the Asahi are being recognized for perhaps the last time on a grand scale to a wide audience, providing an opportunity for the JC community to come together and recognize the impact the Asahi had.

Accomplishments on the field aside, the Asahi played in a time where there was strong anti-Asian sentiment, yet somehow the Japan Town district in Vancouver was able to flourish. Sure the Asahi won on the field, but the dedication they showed and passion they displayed were undeniable.

It was on the baseball diamond that the Asahi were considered equals, and it was on the field that the Asahi would dominate play in city senior leagues. The Asahi proved to be a lightening rod to the community instilling an enormous amount of pride into the Vancouver JC community. The Asahi’s impact was so much greater than simple wins and losses.

It’s a story about beating the odds, and about turning a disadvantage into an advantage. Most of all it’s a Canadian story about young men playing for the love of the game and for their community, earning pride for all Japanese Canadians in the process.

Recognizing the Asahi’s unique impact, the BCSHFM is making unprecedented exceptions, for the first time in 37 years, on two fronts. As an inductee in the Pioneer category, the Asahi will be the first team in a previously all-individual group. Also, in the past the BCSHFM has inducted 43 teams, but never an organization spanning more than one year. The Asahi will have 75 players and managers, involved from 1914-1941, inducted.

It was only days before Dec. 1, 2004, that I had heard about the Asahi. It was on that day that the Asahi were announced as being part of the BCSHFM’s 2005 induction class. Since then, I have had an opportunity to immerse myself, not only in the Asahi’s many on-field accomplishments, but also in the cultural climate in Vancouver during the Asahi’s time.

As a member of the JC community in Vancouver, I was never aware of my roots growing up. So a foundation of appreciation for those who have preceded me has never been laid. My parents immigrated to Vancouver from Japan in 1973, and I was born two years later. In the late 70s my parents and I moved to Hawai`i for five years, where my brother and two sisters were born. Then we all moved to Japan for a year before moving back to Canada. In the late 1980s I remember my parents taking us all down to the old area of Japan Town where there were still a few Japanese shops operating. Of course this was before the Lower Mainland proliferation of T ‘N’ T Supermarkets, Yaohan and various other Asian goods stores. Other than being in Japanese School in Surrey for a year and feeling awkward as a seventh grader in a third grade class, I never felt the influence of the JC community.

Then I raced off to university in the United States and only recently returned to Vancouver. After bragging to all my friends at school how beautiful Vancouver is, I realize what I have missed. As I reflected on what I have to be thankful for, I also have great pride in my heritage. A lifelong sports fan, I was naturally drawn to the story of the Asahi. I am grateful for their will to compete and passion to play, amidst trying and difficult times.

Remembering the Asahi puts my trivial problems in perspective. If for one night we can, as a community, band together to recognize the Asahi, I know that we will all be better people for it.