If you ask a Korean their national sport, the answer you will almost certainly get is baseball. Coming into 2024 and out of the pandemic era, the Korean Baseball League (KBO) has been surging in popularity, capturing an unprecedented trend of baseball. This year’s season began with a sell-out opening day on March 23 to a crowd of 103,841 attendees and even saw a record 69 games sold out by May 19, surpassing previous records. The first half concluded with 116 sold-out games and an unprecedented total of 6,057,323 attendees by July 4, marking the first time the league reached 6 million fans in the first half. Furthermore, social media engagement has skyrocketed, with the KBO’s official instagram account amassing over 348,000 followers and millions of views on highlight clips and game recaps. This surge in popularity underscores the growing interest in the KBO.
Recently, the influx of young female fans, who were previously not part of the fanbase, is driving the popularity of baseball. Traditionally, the KBO had a strong fan base consisting mainly of older generations. However, in 2024, there has been a significant increase in young female fans. Baseball, previously seen as a difficult and unfamiliar sport, has become more accessible through various entertainment programs, YouTube content, and fashion items. Additionally, each KBO team has deep roots in their local communities, fostering strong, loyal fan bases. Fans often become baseball enthusiasts out of regional pride, which leads to passionate KBO supporters. Recently, many teams have successfully expanded their fanbase by leveraging their unique regional characteristics and brand identities. For example, on March 27, the Lotte Giants of Busan collaborated with the "Crayon Shin-chan x Lotte Giants" event. "Crayon Shin-chan" is a beloved character among all age groups, especially the MZ generation, helping to attract a broader fandom.
Moreover, the 2024 KBO league has no dominant or weak teams. This season has seen intense competition with no clear dominant or weak teams. Teams have experienced both winning and losing streaks, resulting in one of the tightest standings in league history. For the first time since 2005, the first-place team ended the first half with a winning percentage in the 50s, while the last-place team had a percentage in the 40s. This intense competition has fueled fan interest, contributing to the record attendance.
What is the difference between MLB and KBO? What makes KBO attractive even though it is a relatively smaller league than MLB?
As you can see in the picture above, one of the most striking differences is the bat-flip culture. In MLB, bat-flipping is often viewed as a breach of etiquette, sometimes leading to bench-clearing brawls or other forms of retaliation. In contrast, the KBO embraces the bat-flip as an art form. Players often showcase their individual flair with dramatic bat-flips, which are celebrated by fans and considered an integral part of the game’s entertainment. Some KBO players show dynamic and artistic bat-flips, which makes fans entertained. In covid-19 season, the time when MLB stopped their league, the bat-flipping shows in KBO became famous in America.
Not only the bat-flip culture in the KBO, but also the cheering culture in KBO makes baseball an attractive sport.
Cheering culture in the KBO is highly organized and energetic. Almost every fan wears the uniform of their team, grabbing cheering tools in hand, and singing cheer songs for each player. Cheering songs are special to both fans and players. Young players feel happy to get their own cheering songs, which can symbolize themselves. Fans sing these songs loudly to cheer the players on more vigorously. Team songs also work as important symbols of each team. Each player has their own cheer song, and fans bring an array of noise-making instruments to the stadium. Fans participate in synchronized chants, songs, and dances led by cheerleaders and mascots throughout the game. The existence of cheerleaders also contrasts with MLB. In Korea, normally young women who are beautiful and good at dancing work as cheerleaders. Cheerleaders dance in every baseball inning, not only between innings. Cheerleaders in Korea are quite famous, so some of them have their own fans too.
Baseball affects my mood every day. Winning makes me happy, and losing brings me down. On Mondays without games, I miss baseball, and seeing my team struggle makes me frustrated. Sometimes I think they should just quit, but when winter comes and there's no baseball, I miss it deeply. Going to the stadium, cheering with others, and praying for a win shows the passion of fans. KBO fans take pride in their teams and hope for victory. Regardless of ranking, baseball offers the thrill of victory and the disappointment of defeat. It's a love-hate relationship, making baseball an inseparable part of my life, and many fans would agree.
As a huge KBO fan, I view this baseball frenzy in Korea positively. I hope many others, like me, can find happiness and excitement from watching baseball.
