日治時期臺灣網球與棒球運動的島內外競賽表現

「競爭」是體育運動的基本原則之一。臺灣近代體育運動是在日本統治之後才開始有系統性地實施，經過數十年的發展，究竟在日本統治之下，臺灣體育運動的競技水準如何呢？而運動比賽不僅是單純的體能競技，有時亦被賦予許多運動場外的意涵，究竟臺灣地區運動員參與島內外競賽又具有何種特殊意義呢？若欲解答上述問題必須從參加比賽的成績和實際情況作觀察。依據臺灣體育協會在1933年針對全臺各體育運動團體所作調查，網球和棒球是日治時期最為盛行的運動項目，此兩項運動所成立的團體數量和從事的人口都是全島之最，平常亦最受報紙媒體矚目，不但定期在島內舉辦比賽，更每年選派代表隊赴日本參加全帝國性的賽事，堪稱日治時期最具代表性的運動項目。故本文主要討論此兩項運動的技術水準，包含島內及島外征戰的成績，以及外地球隊來臺灣進行比賽的戰況，兼論舉辦和參加這些賽事的意義。

'Competition' is one of the basic principles of sports. In Taiwan, modern sports have been systematically practiced since Japanese colonial period. After the development of decades, how is the sports level of Taiwan under Japanese rule? Sports of Taiwan are not simply the physical competitions; sometimes, they implied the significance out of playground. What is the special meaning of Taiwanese athletes' participation in competitions on and outside the island? In order to answer the questions above, we must observe the performance and real situations in the competitions. According to the survey on sports organizations in Taiwan conducted by the Society of Taiwan Physical Education in 1933, tennis and baseball were the most popular sports during the Japanese colonial period. The number of organizations and players of these two sports were the majority in Taiwan, and they were popular with newspapers and media. The competitions were held regularly on the island and representatives were selected and sent to Japan for the imperial games. They were the most representative sports during Japanese colomial period. Thus, this study aims to explores the technical levels of tennis and baseball, including the performance in competitions on and outside the island, results of competitions with foreign teams, and the meaning of holding and participating in these games. This paper first briefly introduces the development of baseball and tennis, and discusses tennis competition between Taiwanese and Japanese on the island, as well as baseball games with Japan, the Manchuria and Korea. In addition, it examines the performances of different players in Taiwan, including the Hans and Japanese migrants and the aborigines, in sports games held both local and abroad.