The forty-three year history of Taipei Baseball Stadium, 1957-2000

<p dir="ltr">Although baseball has been Taiwan’s national sport since the Japanese colonial period, Taipei Baseball Stadium was the only proper stadium during the post-war baseball development. Nevertheless, Taiwan’s political situation and the authorities’ attitude towards baseball reflected the important and complex relationship between politics and sports on the island. Indeed, the relationship between baseball, government and society has seriously influenced the history of Taipei Baseball Stadium. From the completion of construction in the 1960s with funding from individuals and private enterprises to the three most significant periods of reconstructions in the 1970s when the government became most directly involved in baseball, to the funding restrictions of the 1980s when baseball was no longer a national symbol, and even to the stadium’s demolition in the late 1990s, the history of the stadium was consistently impacted by political issues. Although the original site of the stadium has been converted into an indoor sports facility that cannot host baseball games, its historic importance still affects Taiwanese society. Taipei Baseball Stadium not only illustrates the development of sports in Taiwan but also illustrates the relationship between politics and sport.</p>