J-League, Japan's professional soccer league, was established in November 1991, Until then, soccer in Japan had been played mainly by amateurs in national leagues, and although the Japanese national team won a bronze medal at the 1968 Mexico Olympics and was popular for a time, soccer's popularity had been stagnant since then. In an attempt to break out of this situation, various attempts were subsequently made to create a professional league. Some 30 years have since passed since the establishment of the J-League, and recognition and popularity have increased, with more and more children taking up soccer because of their admiration for soccer players. Today, the number of teams in the J-League has grown to about 60. The number of soccer fans has also increased, and the stadiums where games are played are filled with cheering spectators.