Why Korean baseball? In the first 10 million years of history, what percentage of the audience will be?
Jan 06, 2025
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It's a very difficult question. First, we have to start with the definition of a fan. If you're a fan, it's usually classified into three categories. Core fan, regular fan, light fan. Among KBO fans living in Japan, core fans are those who go to Korea several times a year to watch baseball and check the game through Internet broadcasts.
Ordinary fans go to Korea about once a year to enjoy the game, and they will sometimes check the results of the game and recognize the performance of star-class players of each club.
Wright fans are people who memorize the name of the KBO 10th team and know big issues such as cheering culture.
Some core fans, general fans, and light fans prefer certain clubs, and others are interested in the entire KBO league.
In November last year, I held a talk event about Korean baseball in Tokyo, Japan. About 20 of the 70 participants were people who watched professional baseball in Korea in the 2024 season. However, not all Japanese who are interested in the KBO League participate in the event, so it is not easy to grasp the size of the entire fan there.
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These words are often heard on the spot. Among those who like the KBO League in Japan, those who like only Korean baseball are only a part of their core fans. Most of them have NPB clubs that always support them, or they like amateur baseball. I have a wide interest in baseball, and the KBO League is one of them.
Some fans express their external tastes in intuition, participation in events, and SNS, while others are lighter.
The Japanese version of the KBO guidebook, which I have been publishing every year in Japan since 21 years ago, has a survey postcard. In that reply, some readers are sure to get a book, but they have never visited Korea and do not read articles on the Internet. They are trying to fill their curiosity about the KBO League by reading books once a year.
Japanese fans who watched professional baseball in Korea were very kind when they found out that they were Japanese" he says. There were also episodes of giving out food, teaching how to cheer, or receiving gifts. If you pass by on the street, you may end up without a conversation, but I was able to reaffirm the charm of watching baseball in the words of fans that baseball stadiums can enjoy joy or emotion together regardless of nationality.
The size of the 'Japanese KBO fan' cannot be easily answered, but the number of people who visited Korean baseball stadiums in Japan (excluding Japanese living in Korea) among the 10 million spectators last year is estimated to be about 1,000 to 1,500 (times) and 0.01 to 0.015% of the total audience. An average of 2,3 people for 20,000 spectators, and slightly more than that for metropolitan stadiums.
Baseball is a sport in which you can enjoy conversations between innings, pitchers, etc. even if you are focusing on the game. I hope there will be many opportunities for baseball fans in Korea and Japan to meet and interact in the stands in the 2025 season.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
