SAPPORO--Although mired in a losing season, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters have been crazy like a fox this season, starting with the hiring of the team’s colorful manager, "Big Boss" Tsuyoshi Shinjo.

Now, another foxy move is bringing smiles to their faithful fans, although the Fighters will likely soon end their season at the bottom of the Pacific League standings of Nippon Professional Baseball.

On Sept. 19, the mood of the 36,000 fans filling the stands of Sapporo Dome was exuberant and upbeat, thanks to the catchy "Fox Dance" popularized by the team's cheerleaders. 

Ylvis, a Norwegian comedy duo of brothers, flew all the way to the stadium in the capital of Hokkaido to sing and dance “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)” at the opening of the game, which the dance is based on.

They made the song, comically mocking the cry of a fox, nine years ago.

The song, released on YouTube, went viral, and the duo was invited to perform on shows and other venues in Europe and the United States.

But the duo had been obscure in Japan until Saori Ogure, a Fighters staff member, came up with the idea of turning the song into a new home game attraction.

Ogure said she saw a video of the duo singing the Norwegian pop song two years ago and became immediately obsessed with the addictive melody.

She thought it would be a great addition for the cheerleaders but waited until the moment was right.

That moment came with the arrival of the fun-loving Shinjo.

The team decided to completely revamp the home game attractions and events.

Ogure proposed a new performance featuring “Frep the Fox,” the team’s mascot, an Ezo red fox, or "kitakitsune" in Japanese.

The beloved Sapporo Dome will no longer be the Fighters’ home stadium after the season ends in early October.

Next spring, the team will relocate to a new stadium in neighboring Kita-Hiroshima city, where many Ezo red foxes make their habitat.

FORMER FIGHTERS CHEERLEADER HERSELF

Ogure started dancing when she was 7 years old.

Influenced by her father, who is a big baseball fan, Ogure spent her weekends working as a member of the team’s cheerleaders known as “Fighters Girl” for six years.

Now, as a team’s employee, she choreographed the Fox Dance.

Fans have been discouraged about loudly cheering and shouting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, she wanted the routine to be easy for everyone, particularly children, to dance while remaining in their seats.

At every home game, the Fighters Girl members and Frep the Fox performed a choreographed dance, howling like a fox while holding their hands around their mouths and mimicking the jumpy moves of a fox.

The dance immediately became a huge hit and an entertaining asset to the struggling team.

The team’s official video of the dance was viewed about 40 million times by the end of July. Players of the Fighters and visiting teams have danced to it.

LUCKY DAY OF THE FOXES

As the season dwindled mercifully to a close, the team planned a special live performance for the Sept. 19 game against the Chiba Lotte Marines, inviting Ylvis from Norway.

The duo walked out to the field in stuffed fox suits and received loud cheers from the stands.

About 300 members of a dance academy joined the special performance with the duo, the Fighters Girl and Frep the Fox.

The duo’s older brother, Vegard Ylvisaker, 43, jokingly said after the performance, “We can get used to this.”

He added, “I think it’s very nice that the Japanese people take some time to actually find out what is really good quality, and they appreciate it.”

The duo said they had always wanted to come to Japan and appreciated the invitation from the Fighters.

After the performance, they stayed and watched the game.

Kotaro Kiyomiya, a 23-year-old slugger of the Fighters, has been seen dancing to the tune more than a few times during the season.

But dancing to the live performance of Ylvis was special, he said.

“It was more than I could imagine,” he said, after going two for four on the night at the plate.

And the Fighters shut out the Marines, 4-0, to send the fans home happy.

“It was big for us to win it on a day full of foxes,” Kiyomiya said happily.

Ogure was happy, too.

“I’m just full of emotion right now that the Ylvis have come to Sapporo Dome,” she said. “I hope the Fox Dance becomes more popular and a new specialty of the Fighters.”