Baseball, once the most popular sport, is being shunned these days. According to a poll on professional baseball (pro-baseball) released by the Gallup Korea Research Institute on March 28th, the percentage of respondents who said that they were interested in pro-baseball fell from 48% in 2014 to 32% in 2023. In particular, the proportion of people in their 20s decreased from 44% to 21%, which is more than half.

In response, “Channel PNU” interviewed the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and conducted an in-depth analysis of the reasons for the lack of interest in baseball. 

■A Flood of Content, There is Not a Great Merit for Baseball.

Pro-baseball industry workers cite the excess of cultural content as the main reason for the decline in the popularity of pro-baseball. Various media contents are emerging with the development of media, and interest in professional sports is naturally falling. Among them, baseball has a long game time, making the influx of young fans more difficult. It is more time-consuming for those in their 20s who prefer short video content of less than one minute.

Last year, the average time of a pro-baseball game was three hours and 15 minutes, which is much longer than the soccer game time that ends in two hours. What unnecessarily delays baseball games are long pitch intervals, long pre-at-bat routines, and frequent runner checks. In line with changing people's preferences, Major League Baseball (MLB), the home of baseball, introduced a pitch clock, a rule that limits pitching and batting preparation time, to shorten the game time. Lee Kyung-Ho, a leader of the KBO communications team, said, “KBO is considering the introduction of the pitch clock following the precedent of MLB,” in an interview with “Channel PNU.”

The regulation on derivative work of pro-baseball content is also a major obstacle to the influx of people in their 20s. Prior to the regulation, people unfamiliar with baseball often became baseball fans after having fun in GIF (animated pictures) or short videos. However, the derivative works of fans were limited because KBO contracted with a consortium of telecommunications and portals, a combination of three mobile telecommunications companies, Naver, and Kakao&Daum, which broadcasts baseball games. If the content containing video clips of the game is uploaded without prior consultation with the consortium, it is considered a breach of copyright. This is contrary to the rapidly increasing demand for short-form (short video content). Lee said, “KBO and each club are making videos by requesting the consortium when producing content. The contract with the consortium ends this year, and in the new contract, we are considering proposing allowing the short-forms that fans produce themselves."

■The Constantly Declining Level of the Korean Baseball League

Sluggish performance in international competitions is also undermining the KBO league's popularity. Korean pro-baseball teams have been criticized for their poor performances in recent international competitions, both the Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 WBC (World Baseball Classic). It contrasts with the fact that other sports, such as soccer and women's volleyball, have performed well in international competitions such as the Qatar World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics, attracting a large influx of new fans. Experts analyze that the KBO League continues to suffer from sluggishness in international competitions due to problems such as a lack of player-rearing, generational change failure, and the declining quality of baseball.

The deviant behavior of some baseball players also has a fatal impact on the popularity of the KBO league. Recently, pro-baseball players have been accused of various criminal activities such as drunk driving, drugs, gambling, match-fixing, and sex crimes. These criminal offensces are not uncommon among baseball players, and the deviant behavior of some baseball players negatively affects young people's perception of the entire league.

KBO also recognizes and tries to solve these problems, but it is not easy. Even though it tries to prevent deviant behavior by conducting online and offline education, operating a clean baseball center, and operating an investigation committee composed of police officers, the players' participation should be premised. Lee said, "It is difficult to control their lives because they are professionals and adults, but we are concerned with the education of the players."

Reporter Im Hyeon-Gyu

Translated by Kwon Eun-Ji