Barriers of Baseball Development in Taiwan

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the barriers of baseball development in Taiwan. In this study, group interviews and in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals, and questionnaire surveys were also used. The findings were categorized into 5 dimensions, and each of them was illustrated as follows: (1) Problem of the baseball launching foundation: local governments and schools need to increase their support. The number of basic baseball players is not high enough to form a good team, which results vicious player recruitment among schools. (2) Problem of the amateur baseball league: the fame of the amateur baseball league is weak, and this affects the support from enterprises and audiences identification. The government subsidy lacks flexibility and stability. Moreover, the career development system for amateur baseball league players is not well-organized. (3) Problem of the professional baseball development: numbers of minor league baseball players are not sufficient. The salary system for coaches of minor league baseball is not reasonable, and numbers of coaches are insufficient. The current favorable tax policies are also not attractive for enterprises and sponsors. On the other hand, because of previous gambling scandals, it is essential to improve the image of professional league. (4) Problem of the national team selection system: the responsibilities of the organizers and the co-organizers are unclear. There are no certain standards for each level of the national team selection. (5) Problem of assistance and effective management mechanisms: there is lack of assistance and effective management mechanisms in Taiwan baseball development. The conclusions of this study revealed the current situation and problems in the development of Taiwan baseball, and formulated a ＂RSCIC＂ mechanism, which includes ＂Resource,＂ ＂Support,＂ ＂Corporation,＂ ＂Integration,＂ and ＂Control＂ viewpoints to improve this situation. The future baseball development stage should move towards these five levels of cooperation, and create another high peak in the development of Taiwanese baseball.