Korean History the Popularity of Baseball
Baseball is the most popular sport in Korea, with millions of fans rooting for their favorite team to win the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) league, the country’s most successful baseball league.
The atmosphere of the stadium is what makes baseball so much fun for Koreans to watch along with actually seeing how the game is played. You can even play baseball if you hire an online thesis helper to do the work for you. You won’t want to miss it. Each team usually has a dance or chant that the fans encourage their players to do better in the game, and almost every spectator in the stadium sings these chants regardless of the weather. Looking for a free live-streaming site to watch your favorite team on NBA? click here: nba중계
However, since baseball is not a sport unique to Korea, who brought this game to Korea? Introducing the history of how baseball came to Korea and how it became popular in Korea.
Overview
Baseball first came to Korea in the 19th century when an American missionary named P. Gillet visited Korea. The missionary taught the basics of baseball to several Korean YMCA (Christian Youth Association) members.
Koreans then applied what they learned about baseball in 1896. At the time, the U.S. Marine Corps held two exhibition matches against the Seoul Sports Club, a group dedicated to further popularizing different types of sports in Korea.
During the Japanese occupation between 1910 and 1945, baseball became even more popular in the country as it had already become an acclaimed sport in Japan.
In 1921, just before the Japanese colonial period, several American major league players visited Seoul as part of an Asian tour. A team composed of the best baseball players in Korea was formed to defeat major league players but lost 3-23.
However, Korean baseball players began to improve their skills by participating in out-of-town baseball tournaments from 1927 to 1942. The winning team of this competition will be awarded the ‘Black Lion’ and the first place will be awarded the ‘White Lion’. Seoul, Korea’s representative city, defeated Dalian in 1940 and Osaka in 1942 to win the ‘Black Lion’.
Out-of-town baseball tournaments are still held, but Korea no longer participates in them because they are only held in Japanese cities.
Korean Baseball League
As baseball grew in popularity in Korea after the Korean War, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) was established to satisfy the public’s thirst for watching local baseball games.
In 1982, the Korea Baseball Organization launched the Korea Baseball Championship, now called the KBO League. The KBO League initially had six franchises located in various cities in Korea. These franchises are often named after businesses or companies that help support their financial needs.
The first franchise introduced by the KBO in 1982 was:
- Haitai Tigers
- Sammi Superstars
- Samsung Lions
- OB Bears
- Lotte Giants
- MBC Chungyong
Some of these original teams have different names today, but some are gone. OB Bears changed its name to Doosan Bears, and MBC Blue Dragon changed its name to LG Twins. Sammi Superstars became Hyundai Unicorns, but the franchise was disbanded in 2008 and replaced by Woori Heroes, now called Kiwoom Heroes.
Haitai Tigers (now Kia Tigers), who won 11 of the 37 championships in the KBO League, are the team with the most championship banners.
The KBO League has expanded over the years with four teams added to the league since 2015. The following teams have been added to the league roster:
- Binggrae Eagles (Current Hanwha Eagles, founded in 1985)
- Ssangbangwool Raiders (now SK Wyverns, introduced in 1990)
- NC Dinos (introduced in 2013)
- KT Wiz (Introduced in 2015)
Each of these teams, especially the older ones, has loyal fans who attend almost every game of the season. Despite the confusing name changes of some franchises, often triggering a change of representative city, fans still flock to stadiums to support their favorite players and teams.
One of the oldest teams in the KBO League, the Lotte Giants set the record for the highest attendance in Korean sports league history. This record is the highest ever in the 2009 season when 1.38 million people attended Sajik Stadium in Busan and Munsu Stadium in Ulsan.
It’s interesting that the Lotte Giants haven’t won a championship since 1992, and it’s even more shocking that they still have a loyal fan base despite not winning as many games.
Spectator participation in the game is what makes baseball so popular in Korea. These spectators will often have an exaggerated person in front of them to lead the chants and dances. The hype also plays music and dances during non-occurring portions of the game to entertain the crowd.
Many people often claim that Korean baseball is much more exciting than American baseball, which is because it has the same rules and not because of the sport itself, but because the spectators participate during the game. As such, watching a baseball game is one of Korea’s favorite pastimes due to the refreshing atmosphere inside the stadium.