Monday, May 2, 2011

Take Me Out to the Ball Game


Last weekend, I attended my first Korean baseball game. On Friday night, a friend and I watched the Kia Tigers of Gwangju face off against the Lotte Giants of Busan: 

The 10-time league champion Kia Tigers are the most successful team in the history of the Korean Baseball Organization

The Lotte Giants, while not as successful as the Tigers, hold the single season fan attendance record at 1.38 million spectators for the 2009 season. It also helps they are a big market team, playing in the 2nd largest city in South Korea. 


After a modest 7,000 won entrance fee (roughly $6.56) we found our seats at Gwangju Mudeung Stadium: 

Its no Fenway Park, but the 15,000 seat Mudeung Stadium  is conveniently located by the Gwangju bus terminal, making my journey to the stadium quick and easy.

One of the most distinct differences in fan behavior between US ball games and Korean ball games is the general attitude towards the sport. "America's Past Time" has become a multi-million dollar industry complete with corporate sponsorships, associated TV stations, and a network of amateur, semi professional and professional leagues of would-be big leaguers. Millions of young Americans grew up dreaming of playing for their hometown team and envisioned their name next to the Greats in Cooperstown. 

Although American missionaries introduced Baseball on the Korean penninsula in 1905, it wasn't until 1981 that a professional league was founded. The Korean Baseball Organization, or KBO, oversees the Korean National Baseball Team, which participates in the Olympics, the World Baseball Classic and the Little League World Series.  Today, pro ball players in Korea do not enjoy the same luxuries of their counterparts across the pond. The best talent is signed into the MLB, and those that cannot make it in the States come over to Korea to try and make it here. Consequently, pro teams are corporate-owned and operated, thus a team's image is more a reflection of their parent company and less grounded in geography. 

For example, my hometown team, the Kia Tigers of Gwangju, are owned by the Kia Corporation. Kia also has its biggest production facilities in Gwangju and thus use the team as a way to market themselves. Unlike the United States whose team names reflect their regional affiliation, and teams market themselves geographically, Baseball is a completely corporate entity here in Korea.*
*For arguments sake, one could claim that the MLB has become a completely corporate entity as well, but I digress...

Other than a distinct difference in player quality, and a lack of peanuts and cracker jacks, fan behavior mimicked that of the US in many ways. Fathers explained the finer points of the game to their children, the ever popular "Kiss Cam" caught unsuspecting couples (or my favorite, siblings) on the big screen in between innings, and fans donned their home team gear. 

Overall, our evening at the ballpark was great fun, and for $7 a ticket, I look forward to attending many more games in the future.

Until next time...

No comments: