(Japanese) Like this special exhibit points out, the Dodgers is a team with a long history, but, at the same time, one that is always taking on new challenges. Jackie Robinson was the first African American player, Fernando Valenzuela was the first Mexican player, Nomo was the first Japanese pitcher for the Dodgers, and Park was the first Korean. This is a team that really values "firsts". Right now, the number of MLB viewers in Japan has risen incredibly. However, things were not so international before. I believe it was the Dodgers that made MLB the international phenomenon it is today.
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Interviewee Bio
Margaret Narumi, Producer at NHK Cosmomedia America, Inc., in Santa Monica, California, for two decades has produced broadcasts to Japan of Major League Baseball in the United States, featuring Japanese players such as Hideo Nomo, Hideki Matsui and Yu Darvish. Her interview for Discover Nikkei was conducted in both English and Japanese as part of a documentary on Hideo Nomo for the Japanese American National Museum exhibit, Dodgers—Brotherhood of the Game. (September 2014)