Photo/Illutration “ARE” (you know what) makes headlines on Sept. 13, a day after the Hanshin Tigers defeated the Yomiuri Giants to reduce their magic number to three. (Sho Tanji)

With the Hanshin Tigers on the verge of winning their first Central League title in 18 years, the fans and even the media have adopted the manager’s “gag order.”

Instead of saying “yusho” (championship), the new synonym is “are” (you know what), in order not to pressure or jinx the players.

Since the team’s magic number dropped to one on Sept. 13, media in the Kansai area and fans have been saying, “‘Are’ is close” and “Come on get ‘are’ this year.”

The trend started on Sept. 12, when the Tigers reduced their magic number to three.

The following day, local sports newspaper headlines read, “Quickest ‘are’ is in sight” and “‘Are’ could come tomorrow.”

MANAGER’S STRATEGY PAYS OFF

Akinobu Okada, 65, the team’s manager, was the first to coin the term. He began using it in 2010 so that players he was managing at the time wouldn’t feel pressured about winning the championship.

Kenji Oshitani, 50, head of the news department at the Nikkan Sports Osaka headquarters, remembers Okada used “are” in 2010 when he led the Orix Buffaloes.

“(Okada) forbid team members from saying yusho during interleague play,” Oshitani said.

“I was covering the team, so I asked him why. He replied, ‘When we used the word in the past, the team’s performance went down,’” he said.

The restriction worked as Orix clinched the interleague title that season.

This year, “are” has made the sports headlines every day.

Kengo Maeda, 53, head of the copyediting department at the newspaper’s headquarters, said, “Sports newspapers jumped on the bandwagon in following Okada’s remarks.”

Keisuke Iwamoto, 47, an announcer of Asahi Television Broadcasting Corp., admits to being surprised.

“I hadn’t imagined that the term would win the hearts of so many,” he said. 

The term has also spread among fans worried about jinxing the team. 

“The team has a history of losing championships at the last moment,” said Shoichi Inoue, who heads the International Research Center for Japanese Studies.

“Many fans think that ‘this could happen again’ if they say ‘yusho.’ I think ‘are’ reflects on how cautiously fans are longing for the moment,” he said.

TEAM GIVES MEANING TO ‘ARE’

Fortuitously, the Tigers adopted “A.R.E.” as the team’s slogan for this season. The team gave a meaning to each letter:

A stands for Aim (a clear goal)
R stands for Respect (respect for baseball and senior players)
E stands for Empower (further level up)

Each autumn, the Tigers’ marketing department begins brainstorming the next season’s slogan. The manager’s vision of the brand of baseball he expects from his players greatly influences this process.

Staffers suggested stereotypical phrases meaning “defense-oriented baseball” and “just doing what’s necessary.” “Are” was also on the list.

Some said, “Making a logo out of ‘are’ may be considered a joke.”

But others said, “The term is characteristic of the manager’s remarks. The team aiming for a championship is a matter of course. Above all else, the term is clear to all.”

The team contemplated how to make “are” its slogan.

They came up with an idea to assign a meaning to each letter and make it a clear sentence in Japanese when read at once.

There was an alternative idea, but Okada supported “A.R.E.,” saying “Why not?”

Shortly before the slogan was announced, Okada asked for some adjustments.

He told the team to keep the letters but to change the meaning.

Sources said that Okada got advice from his wife, Yoko, who speaks fluent English. The manager submitted the makeover and staffers hurried to make the changes in time for the announcement day.

The catchy slogan spread further as the team inched closer to “are.”

Tigers staffers feel their slogan is a winner and are thinking there is no reason to change a good thing.

“After the team accomplishes ‘are’ this season, why don’t we use the term next season too?” a staff member said.

(This article was written by Sho Tanji and Naoko Osaka.)

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