The KBO League is Korea’s professional baseball league, established in 1982. Until 2014, its official name was the Korean Baseball Championship Series, but since 2015, it has been referred to as the KBO League to strengthen its brand identity.

  Currently, the KBO League consists of 10 teams based in different regions: KIA Tigers (Gwangju), Samsung Lions (Daegu), LG Twins (Seoul), Doosan Bears (Seoul), KT Wiz (Suwon), SSG Landers (Incheon), Lotte Giants (Busan), Hanwha Eagles (Daejeon), NC Dinos (Changwon), and Kiwoom Heroes (Seoul).

  The league consists of the regular season and the postseason. The regular season, known as the Pennant Race, starts in late March to early April and runs until Oct.. After each of the 10 teams plays 144 games, their final rankings are decided. The top five teams qualify for the postseason.

  The postseason, which takes place from early Oct. to late Nov., determines the league champion. The team that finishes first in the regular season automatically advances to the Korean Series, while the 2nd to 5th teams compete in the Wild Card round, Semi-Playoffs, and Playoffs to decide the advancing teams. The Korean Series ultimately determine the KBO League champion for that year. Also, the team will win the KBO League championship title that year.

  As baseball gains popularity among the MZ, watching baseball games in person has become a cultural trend. On social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and X(Twitter), posting a photo from the stadium has emerged as a popular content trend. Various fan cultures have formed around this trend, including baseball stadium OOTD (Today’s Outfit), cheer song challenges, and photo zone snapshots inside the stadium.

  Kim Eun-jin (Dept. of English Language and Literature, 24), shared her experience; “I started seeing a lot of baseball game photos on social media last year, which sparked my interest in baseball. Then, by chance, I went to a game with friends for the first time and was captivated by the atmosphere. That is when I truly fell in love with baseball.” She added, “Even without prior knowledge of the baseball, the excitement of being in the stadium made my heart race.”

  The open and welcoming atmosphere of baseball stadiums has also contributed to the growing popularity of attending games in person. Yoon Seo-in (Dept. of English Language and Literature, 23), said, “Many people come to baseball games just to enjoy the experience, even if they are not fans of a specific team. Even those unfamiliar with baseball can easily immerse themselves in the atmosphere thanks to the vibrant cheering culture.” She also commented, “Compared to other sports, baseball has a more diverse and inclusive cheering culture, allowing fans of different teams to enjoy the game together. This openness makes baseball more accessible to everyone.”

  Another major attraction of baseball stadiums is the wide variety of food available. Fans can freely enjoy fried chicken, tteokbokki, pizza, and beer, to the point where there is even a common joke: “People go to baseball games just for the food.”

  MZ fans are redefining baseball cheering culture in their unique ways, incorporating internet meme culture and short-form challenges.

  One notable example is the KIA Tigers’ tradition of performing a specific dance routine to a song whenever an opposing player strikes out. During a game, a cheerleader’s performance of this routine went viral on social media, rapidly spreading through platform algorithms. This led to a craze known as the “Bbikki Bbikki Challenge,” among fans, where people enthusiastically imitated the dance.

  The cheering culture at baseball stadiums goes beyond simple performances—it actively engages fans and encourages participation. Yoon Seo-in responded, “Each player has a unique appearance and cheering song, accompanied by a matching dance routine. Teams create easy-to-follow choreography so that fans can join in, and it is fun to cheer along while watching the cheerleaders and the captain of a cheerleading squad.” She also said, “Since each team has its cheering style, comparing them is also part of the excitement of attending games.”

  Doosan Bears pitcher Kim Do-yun added, “Baseball has one of the most vibrant cheering cultures in sports. The relatively simple cheer routines attract fans, and when they develop into viral challenge content, they also help promote the team.” He also said, “Even those who do not know much about baseball can easily be drawn in by the energy of live cheering once they experience it firsthand.”

  There are several reasons why baseball has rapidly become popular among MZ. First of all, the MZ is sensitive to media trends. Thanks to the influence of social media and the success of the JTBC (Korean broadcast channel) entertainment program, Strongest Baseball, baseball has been exposed to the media frequently, and younger generations who are familiar with media have naturally approached baseball.

  The following are the characteristics of the MZ that emphasize cost-effectiveness. For the younger generation, who are still lacking financial resources, baseball stadium tickets, which usually cost around 10,000 KRW to 15,000 KRW, are an affordable cultural experience. Yoon Seo-in said, “In the era of high prices if you can watch a baseball game for 15,000 KRW, it is good value for money. It is more beneficial to watch full baseball game  than watching a two-hour movie.”

  The emergence of young and talented players and the increase in female fans due to generational change are also characteristic of MZ baseball culture. “I saw Kim Ji-chan of the Samsung Lions in my first baseball watch, and I fell in love with his outstanding performance and passionate attitude, so I naturally became a Samsung Lions fan,” said Kim Eun-jin.

  As the MZ fan base grows, teams are introducing a variety of social media content, limited-edition merchandise, and collaborations. In particular, the production of goods targeting female fans stands out.

  The Lotte Giants released a uniform in collaboration with the manga character Crayon Shin Chan, while the Doosan Bears garnered attention for its uniform in collaboration with the KakaoTalk emoji character, Mangomee Bear. In addition, teams have created contents and merchandise based on popular players. SSG Landers released a limited-edition home run ball featuring home run king, Choi Jeong and a figurine of team leader Han Yoo-seom, while the NC Dinos introduced a post-game high-five performance between fans and players to attract intuitive fans. Outfielder Son Ah-seop, in particular, has a special support zone and mini-fan meeting.

  The KBO also collaborates with various companies to promote the league. On Oct. of last year, the KBO collaborated with PHOTOISM, a self photobooth brand, to hold an event where fans could take photos with popular players from each team, which was very well received by fans and has continued to hold similar events since then. In addition, the company collaborated with phone case brand CASETIFY to produce and sell team-specific phone cases and recently launched KBO Bread in collaboration with SPC Samlip. The bread is available in a variety of flavors that reflect the characteristics of each team and comes with a baseball player’s sticker when purchased. The bread sold 1 million bags in the shortest time since its launch.

  As the number of MZ fans grows, the stadiums are lively. However, there are concerns that older fans are being marginalized. As online ticketing becomes more prevalent than in-person ticketing, there are fewer opportunities for watching games in-person for older generations with less internet access. It is also pointed out that baseball needs a long-term fan management strategy to continue to attract younger generations. If they listen to the fans’ points and take measures, the golden age of Korean baseball will continue.