A Subway Series Showdown in Seoul!
ESPN has reached a deal with KBO to broadcast South Korean baseball on American television starting on Opening Day. In order to give my readers some insight into what Korean baseball is like, I’ve asked my girlfriend, travel writer Leap of Faith Chloe, to describe her experiences visiting a Korean baseball game last spring. – Matt Searle
I’m an anthropologist who travels the world visiting religious sites and ceremonies. In spring of 2019, I was in Seoul, South Korea for the lantern festival celebrating the birthday of Buddha. But, if we’re talking about Japan or South Korea, baseball is almost a religion in and of itself. So of course, when I had the opportunity to head to Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, South Korea to attend a live game, I was very excited.
Seoul was a very easy city to navigate by subway and bus, though I’m sure I stood out with my Mets jersey and hat. Just like riding the 7 line to Citi, I knew I was getting close to the stadium when the subway car became packed with fans in jerseys representing the two teams that were about to battle. This would be a fight between the Doosan Bears, who are the home team, and the LG Twins. Jamsil is also the home stadium of the Twins, and the two teams are rivals: as if the Yankees and Mets both shared Yankee Stadium.
Souvenirs & Merchandise
When I arrived, I showed my online reservation at the window and snagged my ticket for my first Asian baseball game. I walked around the exterior of the park first, to get a feel for the scene. And of course, I quickly found the two souvenir shops: one for the Twins, and one for the Bears.
From what I had heard in my conversations with locals, the Bears were a far superior team and far more popular. And based on the size of the shops, I’d have to agree. I snuck a peek in the Twins one, but was underwhelmed.
The Bears gift shop was a lot of fun to visit. It reminded me of a team store you’d find in any MLB park, with hats, jerseys, t-shirts, stuffed animals, and every other imaginable baseball tchotchke you can sell at a game. There was also lots of autographed merchandise, and special-event items for those with larger pocketbooks.
I really enjoyed the plastic headbands with little bears on top that looked like bear ears. I found that these were extremely popular amongst female fans in the stands. I picked up a baseball to add to our collection, and everyone, from the staff to the fellow attendees in line with me, was incredibly friendly and happy to chat.
Food Options
Also outside the park, there was a KFC and a few other American fast food joints, along with food trucks selling many excellent Korean dishes. Several offered Korean barbecue and hot pot, and just a brief scent was making my mouth water. But I opted, souvenir ball in hand and photos on my phone, to skip the outside food, get in line, and head in.
Even though all of the signs in the ballpark are obviously in Korean, most of them were also in English. This is likely due to the high number of American soldiers that spend free time in the energetic metropolis that is only 50 kilometers away from the DMZ and border with North Korea. So it was very easy to navigate around the stadium, find all the facilities, and find the section with my seat.
One of the first things I noticed after I entered the ballpark was that all those awesome food options outside are obviously where I was supposed to eat. There’s almost no food sold inside the park (this is very different than Japan) and almost all of it is oriented towards children. There was definitely a lot of beer sold; that was not a problem. I purchased something which vaguely resembled a sausage on a stick, though it is completely unclear to me what meat was inside. I’m betting on squid. As I sat in my seat and watched, fellow fans seated around me whipped out picnic baskets filled with sushi, Korean BBQ, kimchi, and more. Clearly bringing your own food into the ballpark was the norm and I had missed the memo.
Cheering Sections
Right off the bat, it was very clear to me that the Korean fans at the park were there to cheer. Without intending to, I had purchased a ticket for one of the sections that was “assigned” to fans of the away team. Though there weren’t any explicit rules, it became very clear that certain sections were for the visitors, and certain areas (with better views) were for home team fans. Each team had cheerleaders that would dance in the sections that corresponded to their fanbase. Fans of both teams wore their team colors and carried flags of their teams. This meant that entire sections of the stadium took on the colors of the respective teams.
The reason that this color blocking worked so well was that every single seat in the house was full. Kids were sitting on their parent’s laps, people were standing in the aisles. This Seoul Subway Series was a matchup between neighborhoods and classes, and all about general city pride. As a result, energy levels were extremely high, especially amongst the large number of school students at the game, enjoying their Buddhist holiday break from school.
Watching the baseball game was an absolute blast. It was a total blowout: the Bears were relentless, scoring 11 runs before the Twins got one on the board. While many of the adult Twins fans grew frustrated by the 6th, the kids simply didn’t care and had a blast. The outdoor seating was hot, and I ended up with quite the sunburn, but I couldn’t help but enjoy the endless energy these Twins kids brought.
But the thing I enjoyed the most about this game were the fans. They had coordinated dances, songs sung after everyone scored, and a real energy that hung in the air. I know a lot of us will be excited to watch KBO baseball here while we figure out how to get major league teams on the field, but it’s really too bad the fans won’t be in the stands. They are electric. They are joyous. They are so proud of their teams. And it’s a beautiful thing to watch, and to get to share with them.
Dr. C’s Final Say
It’s unclear when borders will open and we’ll all be able to travel again. But if you have the opportunity to visit Seoul in the springtime, make sure you check out a baseball game. It’s an absolutely fun experience. As for me, I’ll be rooting for the Doosan Bears this 2020 season, especially when former Met Chris Flexen is on the mound.
