“Nippon-Ham, Our Good Customer” Caption Sparks Backlash — TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting Apologizes

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The story

On September 2, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting posted an apology on its official website after airing a caption during the previous day’s broadcast of the Nippon-Ham vs. SoftBank game that lacked consideration for the opposing team. On 5ch, word spread that the caption in question read “Nippon-Ham, our good customer” — a jab implying SoftBank has an easy time beating them — and since the actual head-to-head record stood at 15 wins to 5 losses in SoftBank’s favor, opinions split between those saying “it’s just stating a fact” and those saying “even if it’s true, there are things you shouldn’t say in an official broadcast caption.”

Pro Baseball Broadcast Caption “Lacked Consideration” for Opposing Team — TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting Apologizes: “We sincerely apologize for any discomfort caused”

On the 2nd, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting apologized after airing, on the 1st, a caption during its broadcast of the professional baseball game “TeleQ Super! Stadium: Nippon-Ham vs. SoftBank” that lacked consideration for the opposing team.

An apology statement was posted on the top page of the official website.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here

What people said

3AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:34
Baseball ("yakyuu") really does have this problem, huh
like those fight songs that are basically borderline slander against the other side
4AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:35
Don't worry, nobody's even watching baseball anyway
10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:38
11AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:39
They couldn't even beat their so-called "good customer" — lmao
12AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:39
What did it actually say?
19AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:42
Re: #12
I think it said "Nippon-Ham, our good customer"
It caused a bit of a stir on social media lol
38AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:48
Re: #19 Re: #20
This isn't about "consideration," it's just plain stupid
13AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:40
When it comes to showing consideration for the opposing team, people get real strict
but a lack of consideration toward your own guys gets a pass
like with Shiino, for instance
15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:41
21AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:42
Re: #15
Ah
well, I guess apologizing does make sense then
58AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:57
Re: #15
well, anything that puts down the other team is a no-go
16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:41
SoftBank also outranks Nippon-Ham as a company, so that's part of it too
17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:42
My house is in Fukuoka Prefecture and TVQ still doesn't come in
69AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:03
Re: #17
Do you live on some remote island or something?
24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:44
If it's just a local Kyushu broadcast, seems like it shouldn't be a problem lol
34AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:47
Re: #24
Back in the day, on what was supposed to be a neutral SoftBank-home radio broadcast, a commentator said Koyano looked like "a rotten mikan (orange)" and it blew up into a huge controversy.
They ended up apologizing on-air later.
31AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:47
Well, 15 wins to 5 losses does make "good customer" technically accurate lol
40AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:49
Re: #31
Pro baseball is entertainment.
It's not like anyone's trying to start an actual war.
37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:48
"Lacked consideration" makes it sound like "good customer" is basically confirmed as fact lol
46AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:50
Re: #37
Exactly.
Even if it's true, there are things you should and shouldn't say.
Is that really so hard to understand?
44AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:49
Re: #34
Yeah, that one's definitely crossing the line lol

but calling them a "good customer" on a local broadcast
is honestly fine
49AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:50
Re: #44
If they'd said "Fighters" instead it would've been less bad
putting the Nippon-Ham company name front and center is what gets you in trouble
50AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:52
Re: #49
The "correct" phrasing would be "We are always deeply grateful for Nippon-Ham's continued patronage" lol
53AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:53
Re: #50
Though honestly, Orix was just really good at that placard-gag routine of theirs.
52AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:53
No need for "consideration" at all
it's just a fact
54AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:54
Re: #52
Yes there is.
That's just the times we live in now.
Remember that singer who vanished after saying a woman's "amniotic fluid rots" at 35?
55AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:55
They play the same opponent over and over like crazy anyway
stirring up a pro-wrestling-style rivalry would honestly get people more interested
they should lean into it
60AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:59
Re: #55
The problem is the fans hate each other way more than "just a joke" level.
It's like the Giants vs. Tigers rivalry in the Central League.
64AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:01
"Good customer," huh
it really is embarrassing for a broadcaster to say that

at this rate they'll probably start policing words like "hated rival" too before long
70AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:04
Re: #64
"Drop dead" has already been officially designated an insulting term.
"Kutabare Nostradamus" (drop dead, Nostradamus — a classic parody film title) can't even air on terrestrial TV anymore.
74AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:05
With Giants vs. Tigers games
maybe because there are plenty of Tigers fans in Kanto and Giants fans in Kansai, broadcasters are careful
they call it "the traditional rivalry match" and don't take sides
90AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:11
Re: #74
Both fan bases keep watch on each other, so if there's any weird provocation, one side or the other
will come down on the TV station in force.
80AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:06
Isn't TVQ basically a Hawks-biased broadcast made for Hawks fans anyway?
Have we really reached an era where even this gets complaints?
91AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:11
Re: #80
Like in other sports, in Japan-vs-foreign-country matches — even though cheering for Japan is a given — they don't go around mocking the opponent.
92AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:11
Re: #80
Probably a complaint came in from Nippon-Ham itself — they're a sponsor tied to the TV Tokyo network group connected to the parent company, right?
97AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:13
Re: #80
It's one thing for a commentator to say it out loud, but putting it in a caption is bad.
If it were Tigers fans, forget "consideration" — they'd storm in purely because it pissed them off.

Background and Key Points of This Topic

The phrase “good customer” drew criticism because, as the Nippon-Ham vs. SoftBank head-to-head record shows, it implies SoftBank has the upper hand over an easy opponent — and what made it worse wasn’t just an offhand commentary remark but the fact that it appeared as a fixed on-screen “caption.” On the thread, those defending it with “if it’s true, there’s no problem” clashed with those countering “even if it’s true, there are things you should and shouldn’t say,” with some pointing out that spoken commentary and an official on-screen caption deserve different standards. Commenters also brought up past cases where a commentator’s remarks about an opposing team sparked backlash and led to an apology, suggesting that references to opposing teams have repeatedly been a recurring problem for broadcasters. Worth noting too: TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting is SoftBank’s local home-market station, and this was framed as a Kyushu-local broadcast.

*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[TV] Pro Baseball Broadcast Caption “Lacked Consideration” for Opposing Team — TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting Apologizes: “We sincerely apologize for any discomfort caused”.”

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