For the first time in the 40-year-old history, the number of spectators has surpassed 10 million (10.887,705), and the entrance income for the 10 teams is also the highest at 15.05 billion won (4,933 dollars). Compared to 2023, the number of spectators increased by 34 percent and the entrance income increased by 30 percent.

The season is expected to be rosy again. The exhibition game of the 2025 season, which has just begun, is expected to attract clouded spectators for two consecutive days, heralding the season 2 with 10 million spectators.메이저놀이터

It is necessary to look at what was the driving force behind surpassing the 10 million audience last year.

First, Kia Tigers and Samsung Lions, popular clubs across the country, led the box office with good performances, while Hanwha Eagles, where Ryu Hyun-jin returned, achieved 44 sold-outs. In addition, the influx of young female fans among the MZ generation has increased significantly, and the ballpark itself has now developed into a playground beyond attractions.

There are obvious factors of anxiety as well. The popularity of the KBO League was irrelevant to players' skills, work ethic to match, and youth baseball system that will become professional players in the future.

The national baseball team has not been able to avoid elimination from the preliminary round in international competitions for many years, and when players' accidents such as drunk driving become forgettable, it will become a social scene. In addition, although the number of high school players has increased significantly, it is too much to thicken the players' base of the 10 professional teams.

Regarding the reality of Korean baseball, KBO President Hu Jie-yeon said at the "Ilgu Awards" ceremony late last year, "It looks like they are doing a great job on the outside, but they are not doing a good job on the inside," adding, "There are still issues to expand the bottom, improve technology, improvement of international competitiveness, infrastructure expansion, and improvement of leadership quality. It does not solve this problem, and it is highly likely that the figure will fall to 9 million to 8 million."

In other words, it is no exaggeration to say that the current popularity is not the result of baseball players' accumulation, but that the success of the box office has fallen from the sky.

Nonetheless, the KBO League is clearly a popular sport that has been loved the most by the people since its birth. And exceeding 10 million spectators is enough to be the key to turning a mirage-like popularity into a successful one.

Maintaining 10 million spectators leads to an increase in the club's profits and means the development of the entire KBO league. Clubs can also improve the financial structure they relied on for parent companies and create various profit models to promote sustainable management development. The KBO League has just taken a step forward in its bid to establish itself as an industry.
Reporter Kim Yoon-il ([email protected] )