Pro baseball demonstration match settlement
‘Shocking WBC 1st round madness’ Korean baseball, which faced the reality of a frog in a well,
mitigating quarantine and warm weather… 168,050 spectators find ‘unexpected propaganda’
regular season opening on the 1st of next month… ‘Homework’ such as strengthening the league and upgrading competitiveness
In early and mid-March, the Korean baseball world was in great shock. This is because the Korean national baseball team was eliminated in the first round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
After losing the first game against Australia, which had to be won unconditionally, they lost 4-13 in the match against Korea and Japan, the rivals of fate. He won the rest of the Czech Republic and China, but ended up with the bitter result of being eliminated in the first round. 메이저놀이터
It was a tournament that once again felt the position of Korean baseball, which was a ‘frog in the well’, on the world stage. Fans were also very disappointed. Concerns were high about the box office success of the 2023 professional baseball season, which opens on April 1. However, in the demonstration game, I could not see the angry fan spirit. In the exhibition game that started on the 13th and ended on the 28th, 168,050 spectators visited the baseball field.
In particular, in the paid weekend games, a total of 53,577 spectators visited the baseball field for 10 games. An average of more than 5,000 fans per game paid money to ‘instant’ the demonstration game. 8,443 baseball fans filled the stands at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, where the match between Samsung and KT was held on the 19th. Considering that the average number of spectators in the regular season last year was 8,439, the number of spectators for this exhibition match is a number that exceeded expectations even in the ‘WBC disaster’. Baseball field officials also responded that it was unexpected. It is difficult to analyze the exact cause, but there are common parts if you listen to the opinions of each club official.
First of all, the weather has a big impact. This year, unlike previous years, it has been warm since February. As the weather warmed, weekend outings also increased throughout March.
Demonstration games held on weekends are held for a fee, but the entrance fee is up to 5,000 won, which is not a big burden. It was a perfect entertainment for those who go out on a weekend outing to the baseball field.
In addition, the effect of the disappearance of a lot of vigilance against Corona 19 is not insignificant. This year’s professional baseball season is the first season in which people can safely visit baseball fields after the distancing measures are lifted.
Until last season, until the beginning of the season, eating and nurturing support in the stadium were not allowed. In the aftermath, for the first time since 1999, the opening five games were not sold out. However, this year, distancing has been further relaxed, and mask-wearing obligations have been lifted in most places. Baseball fans cheered and shouted to their heart’s content in the warm baseball field during the demonstration game.
The baseball game that has changed in the interest of these fans has attracted more attention from fans.
Hanwha, who had been in last place for the past three consecutive seasons, rose to first place with a different play in offense and defense during the demonstration game. Samsung also announced the possibility of power leveling this season, breaking the expectation of weak power and rising to second place. Top stars Lee Jung-hoo and Ahn Woo-jin (Lee Sang Ki-woom) showed unchanging skills, while Moon Dong-ju and Kim Seo-hyun (Lee Sang-hwa) showed their potential and caught the attention of fans.
Now, the KBO League has the task of continuing the fan gathering in the demonstration game until the regular season, which starts on April 1st.
It is necessary to seek ways to improve the league’s internal stability and competitiveness so that baseball fans who came by the warm spring breeze do not turn around.