Whether it’s the nachos from the snack bar, the family bonding experience, or the excitement of watching your favorite player walk up to bat, baseball has remained a popular sport in Korea.

Different from other sports, yet similar to golf, baseball is a structurally slower-paced game that provides heightened tensions and more excitement- depending on the team playing. Watching several teenagers in a travel league from first-hand experience can get monotonous, and games could drone on for hours. My brother played baseball for ten years, and I still don’t know all the rules since I never paid attention to a single game.

On the other hand, watching a game from your favorite baseball team with the companionship of your family and friends offers an exciting experience- displaying the complexities of this nuanced sport.

Although the first known baseball games in Korea were in the late 19th century, missionaries from America in 1905 formally introduced baseball. American missionary Philips Zilete encouraged younger church members to play, which began to spread.

The popularity of baseball increased during Japan’s colonial rule in 1910-1945 when baseball was growing more prevalent in Japan, which encouraged diffusion into Korea; original baseball was encouraged to “modernize” and better integrate Korean and Japanese culture.

Baseball was banned during WW2 until the U.S. military occupation. The very first baseball league was the mid-high school league in 1947.

In the 1980s, the Korean Baseball Organization was created with six teams- during the pinnacle of baseball popularity and now reaches the top ranks of the best baseball leagues in the world. Today, only two of the six original teams still exist(with the same name)- Samsung Lions and the Lotte Giants, though several teams have changed their branding.

For the start of the 2024 MLB World Series, The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will be playing in Seoul, marking the first time an MBL game will be played in Korea. From its humble beginnings in Korea to its massive popularity, many families in the coming weeks can enjoy these games.

Today, many appreciate the lengths that baseball in Korea has come- once a symbol of colonialization, to one of the most successful sports in Korea. And if a parent in attendance decides to dedicate a child to a future Korean Baseball Organization player, their siblings can exercise the right to wear the “I have no life, my brother plays baseball” shirt.

<Ellie Byun Santiago High School 10th Grade>