KOREAN BASEBALL LEAGUE
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Going to a Korean baseball game is so different than an American baseball it's as though you're attending a game for the first time. I don't recall my first Major League Baseball game, but my first Korean game will be etched in my mind forever.
Korean Baseball games are a bit raucous - not in a European soccer match sense - that chanting is what Japanese baseball games are like. Korean baseball games are closer to being at a pop concert. For half the game, whenever the home team was at bat, the fans stood and sang - not organized cheers - but full on songs with a chorus that lasted over two minutes. |
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It's unclear whether the fans attend games because they want to watch baseball or if they want to sing and swing their arms in unison. I went to two baseball games. The first was a Friday night affair in Seoul between the Doosan Bears and their cross town rivals the Nexus Heroes. The Hereos were leading the leauge standings. The Bears are usually competitive but having a down year. The game was played at Jamsil Stadium, which also held the Olympic baseball games in 1988.
I knew I would be in for a different baseball experience when the dried squid vendors started setting up shop outside the stadium before the game. If you do not find dried squid appealing there are fast food centers ringing the outside of the stadium's ground floor. A 7-11 had nothing but freezer cases filled with beer and snack chips. You can buy as much food outside and bring it all into the stadium. There was also a team store and a station to inflate noisemakers.
I bought my ticket at the stadium (I arrived early but the stadium was less than 3/4 full). The cheapest ticket was about $15 USD. Stadium capacity is about 30,000 so there's not really a bad seat. I spent half my time watching the fans anyway. In stadium concessions weren't too wild - no more dried squid grilled. Pork belly on a hibachi grill seemed to be the most exotic and exciting meal. I went with traditional hot dog pretty weak.
I knew I would be in for a different baseball experience when the dried squid vendors started setting up shop outside the stadium before the game. If you do not find dried squid appealing there are fast food centers ringing the outside of the stadium's ground floor. A 7-11 had nothing but freezer cases filled with beer and snack chips. You can buy as much food outside and bring it all into the stadium. There was also a team store and a station to inflate noisemakers.
I bought my ticket at the stadium (I arrived early but the stadium was less than 3/4 full). The cheapest ticket was about $15 USD. Stadium capacity is about 30,000 so there's not really a bad seat. I spent half my time watching the fans anyway. In stadium concessions weren't too wild - no more dried squid grilled. Pork belly on a hibachi grill seemed to be the most exotic and exciting meal. I went with traditional hot dog pretty weak.
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At the start of the game a guy leapt onto a stage in the home team fan section and ripped off his work attire to reveal a Doosan Bears outfit - he was the MC for the night and promptly began leading the fans in a cheer. He was accompanied by four female dancers who's half inning dance routines ranged from cute to strip club material. There were also two beer drinking contests between innings.
The best part of the cheers was when the home team came to bat. For certain hitters, instead of getting into a cheer, the fans would sing a song. The women had the lead, then the men would join in for the chorus. The song everyone kept singing sounded a lot like a South Korean version of the Beach Boys Surfing USA.
The best part of the cheers was when the home team came to bat. For certain hitters, instead of getting into a cheer, the fans would sing a song. The women had the lead, then the men would join in for the chorus. The song everyone kept singing sounded a lot like a South Korean version of the Beach Boys Surfing USA.
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One of the elements of Korea that I did not like were the Country's "cuteness" and "theme" factors. A coffee shop couldn't just be a coffee shop. It had to be a kitten themed coffee shop. Or a travel themed coffee shop. Something cute themed. Bars couldn't just be bars. They had to be baseball themed bars. Wait, a baseball themed bar. That actually works.
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After the rousing game in Seoul, I decided to attend a second game in Busan. This was a midweek game but it again featured the Nexus Heroes from Seoul. The Busan fans were a little more laid back. The fan section wasn't as strong and many fans were in the outfield bleachers close to the stadiums main entrance / exit. These fans seemed to be treating the game more as a picnic. I saw many people bring multiple boxes of pizza into the game and others had buckets of fried chicken. People tandem carried in coolers full of beer.
Given the difference in the two games I'd hate to oversell the Seoul experience and have someone be disappointed if a game is not the same level of action, however, if you have multiple nights in Seoul you should definitely try to see a game. Jamsil Stadium is one metro stop over from Gangnam so you can always head out to the bars or clubs afterwards.
Given the difference in the two games I'd hate to oversell the Seoul experience and have someone be disappointed if a game is not the same level of action, however, if you have multiple nights in Seoul you should definitely try to see a game. Jamsil Stadium is one metro stop over from Gangnam so you can always head out to the bars or clubs afterwards.
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