PRESS RELEASE – ESPN today announced it has reached an agreement with Eclat Media Group regarding the KBO League – South Korea’s most popular sports league – to exclusively televise six, live regular-season games per week in the U.S. starting with Opening Day – NC Dinos vs. Samsung Lions – on Tuesday, May 5, at 1 a.m. ET / Monday, May 4, at 10 p.m. PT.
Tag Archives: Korea Baseball Organization
Get Your LIVE Baseball Fix: ESPN to Air KBO Games Starting Late Tonight
Filed under League & Franchise, Media
KBO to Start Playing May 5
The South Korean baseball league announced it will start its delayed season on May 5, and wasted no time getting preseason games going. The teams will play initially without fans. Read more here.
Filed under League & Franchise
Independent Pro Ball Taking Root in South Korea
Baseball has a long history is South Korea. The professional Korea Baseball Organization has been around since 1982. Relatively new to the country is independent baseball in form of the Korea Independent Baseball Association (KIBA) and affiliated Gyeonggi-do Challenge Baseball League (GCBL). Read more here and here.
Filed under League & Franchise, Market & Location
South Korean Baseball Culture: Dance Moves and Booming Cheers
Drumbeats roar and electric music plays as people dressed in uniforms swing to the rhythm together. At first, it may seem like a rock concert, but this is actually what a South Korean baseball game is all about. Read more and watch ABC news report here.
Filed under Fun & Atmosphere
Debating the Merits of a New Domed Ballpark in Seoul
Experts in architecture and sports facilities management on Friday debated the merits of building a new domed baseball stadium in Seoul, South Korea. Read more here.
A Taste of Ballpark Food in Korea
Hot dogs and nachos are often associated with baseball in the United States. For Korean baseball fans, however, the range of options is far wider. Read more and view photos here.
Filed under Food & Beverage
Heroes Strike Domed-Stadium Deal
The Nexen Heroes (Korea Baseball Organization) on Monday reached an agreement in principle with Seoul Metropolitan Government to move into South Korea’s first domed baseball stadium next season. The Heroes, one of three Seoul-based KBO clubs, will relocate from Mokdong Stadium to Gocheok Sky Dome for two seasons starting in 2016. Read more here.
Filed under Lease & Contracts, Stadium Issues
Korean Pro Baseball ‘Sportainment’ Attracting Larger Crowds, Particularly Young Women
South Korean baseball is attracting ever larger—and ever younger—crowds, with particular growth among college students, young professionals and women. The LG Twins say that the percentage of women in its team fan club has jumped 45% this year from 25% in 2011. Read more here.
Filed under Rankings & Attendance
Still No Tenant for New ‘Gocheok Dome’
South Korea’s first domed baseball stadium, dubbed the “Gocheok Dome” for the time being, is expected to be completed in August. But, the 18,000-seat facility still doesn’t have a tenant. The local government is in talks with the Korea Baseball Organization‘s Nexen Heroes, but souring construction costs has forced officials to seek lease terms that would be financially challenging for the KBO’s only franchise that is not corporate owned. Read more here.
Filed under Design & Construction, Lease & Contracts, Stadium Issues
Councilman Throws Eggs at Mayor Over Baseball Stadium Location
Changwon City Councilman Kim Sung-il threw two eggs at Mayor Ahn Sang-soo over Ahn’s decision to relocate the construction site for the NC Dinos’ baseball stadium from its originally planned location in Kim’s Jinhae District to another area. Read more and see photo here. Watch video here.
Filed under Design & Construction, Human Interest, Stadium Issues
Site Selected for New Ballpark for NC Dinos
The southeastern city of Changwon (South Korea) on Thursday announced the site for the new baseball park to be built for the Korea Baseball Organization’s NC Dinos, ending a months-long dispute over the stadium’s location. Read more here. Read background story here.
Filed under League & Franchise, Market & Location, Stadium Issues
Korean Pro Baseball Team Introduces ‘Fanbots’
The Hanwha Eagles ( Korea Baseball Organization) of Daejeon (South Korea) have dedicated a section of their stadium’s seating to new robots, which will project messages and photos sent from fans who are unable to make it to games. Read more and watch video here.
Filed under Amenities & Features, Fun & Atmosphere
KBO’s Kia Tigers to Open New Ballpark
The Korea Baseball Organization’s (KBO) Kia Tigers will open the new Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Saturday against the Doosan Bears. Read more here. Watch the Tigers v.s. Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in 2013.
Filed under Design & Construction, Stadium Issues
Safety Concerns Prompt Korea Pro Baseball to Require New Outfield Padding
The professional Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Thursday it will require its teams to add new protective padding to walls at their home ballparks before the start of the 2015 season. The padding must be at least 80 millimeters thick. Read more here.
Filed under Stadium Issues
MLB Consultant Looks Over KBO Ballparks
Murray Cook, Major League Baseball’s head field and ballpark consultant, was in South Korea last week at the invitation of the Korea Baseball Organization to conduct reviews on their facilities and establish maintenance guidelines that will lead to an overall increase in standards. Read more here.
Filed under Field & Turf, Stadium Issues
Korea’s Professional Baseball League Has a New Logo
We are not exactly sure when the Korea Baseball Organization introduced its new logo, but maybe you can figure it out by trolling through the league’s website. In any case, we like the makeover and appreciate how the KBO has creatively chosen to unveil the true meaning behind it. Watch nifty video here. View old logo here.
Filed under Branding & Marketing
Pro Teams in Seoul Not Interested in New Dome
Strike one up for outdoor baseball. The three Korea Baseball Organization teams that play in Seoul, South Korea — the LG Twins and Doosan Bears, who share Jamsil Stadium, and the Nexen Heroes, who play at Mokdong Stadium — appear to have little interest in moving their teams to the new state-of-the-art, 22,000-seat domed stadium on track to be built by next year. Read more here.
Filed under Design & Construction, Stadium Issues
‘Cheering in Korea’ Documentary in the Works
Philip Riccobono, an American teaching English in Korea, became intrigued by the art of cheering at Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) baseball games. He is now making a documentary about this phenomenon to show the world, particularly MLB fans, what they’re missing out on. Read more here. View Facebook page here.
Filed under Fun & Atmosphere
A Refreshing Ballpark Treat in South Korea
One of the ballpark favorites in South Korea is bingsu, a refreshing shaved ice treat with toppings. The original bingsu is shaved ice capped with red beans, but now you can dress up your shaved ice with pretty much any topping(s) you like. Read more here.
Filed under Food & Beverage
Kia Tigers to Get New Stadium
The Kia Tigers from the Korea professional baseball league are slated to get a new 25,000-seat, $3 billion won (around $26 million US, we think) ballpark in Gwangju. The stadium is expected to open in 2014. Read more here.
Filed under Design & Construction, Money & Financials, Stadium Issues
Pro Baseball in Korea: Cheerleaders, Music, Fun to the Extreme
In South Korea, the professional baseball experience for fans is more football game or rock concert than America’s pastime. Games in South Korea appear to even put the wacky minor leagues to shame when it comes to fun. And the game itself is actually integral to the fan experience. Read more and view news clip here.
Filed under Fun & Atmosphere, Promotions & Entertainment
Baseball a Corporate Game in South Korea
The professional baseball business is a little bit different in places like South Korea and Japan. Corporate owned teams are used as marketing vehicles to drive image and corporate brands. Read more here. Oh, and the Kia Tigers won the Korea Baseball Organization title last weekend.
Filed under Branding & Marketing
The Business of Baseball in Korea
Staff reporter Kim Tong-hyung from the Korea Times takes an interesting look at the business operations of the eight teams in the Korea Baseball Organization. Read more here.
Filed under League & Franchise, Money & Financials