ABSTRACT
Japan, South Korea and China represent major professional sports markets in Far East Asia. They have different histories, cultures and systems. Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), Korea Baseball Organisation (KBO) and the Chinese Football Association Super League (CSL) were launched as the first professional sports league of each country in 1936, 1982 and 1994, respectively. The similarities and differences among the three countries and the differences between Far East Asia and other continents may be substantially attributed to the respective governance structures. The governance of professional sports teams varies depending on the culture and the institution of each country and the context in which professional sports were introduced. Particularly, the ownership model is the key to understanding the governance of professional sports in the three countries.
