Why Does This Japanese Reality Show Have So Much American Sports Team Gear?

I can’t remember which coworker of mine recommended it. Billy or Giri, I think, but maybe both. But after watching the first episode of Japanese reality show Terrace House, which is basically Japan’s Real World, I was hooked. The show’s appeal is simple: you get to watch young attractive people hang out together in a house and see if they pair off into couples. Plus there’s a panel of commentators who mock the proceedings. It’s great!

One thing I can’t stop noticing in the show’s Opening New Doors series, though, is the surprising volume of American sports team gear on display. I decided to investigate in the video above, with help from Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style author W. David Marx.