KBO All-Star Game Held Every Year's 'Unrelated City' Caught 'Two Rabbits' [RYU SUN KYU's beaded ball]

*This content was translated by AI.

On January 25, the "Jin Air 2025-2026 V-League All-Star Game" organized by the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) was held at Chuncheon Hoban Gymnasium. Excluding four wheelchair seats and 17 viewing room analysis seats, 2,871 tickets were sold, and the event ended in great success. It was a gym with not many seats, but it was the result of volleyball fans from all over the country.

The professional volleyball V-League consists of a total of 14 teams, including 7 men's teams and 7 women's teams. If you look at the location, it is Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Suwon (2 teams), Busan, Gwangju, Uijeongbu, Hwaseong, Cheonan, and Gimcheon. Chuncheon is not the home of any of these teams. Except for Seoul, where there was no affiliated team in the past, this is the first time that the All-Star Game has been held in an area without a professional volleyball team, and it is also the first time that it has been held in Gangwon-do.

There are nine middle and high school volleyball teams in Gangwon-do. Including the club team, two girls' middle school, three boys' middle school, two girls' high school, and two boys' high school are fostering elite players. However, if the scope is narrowed to the Yeongseo area west of Daegwallyeong, where Chuncheon is located, the Hongcheon-gun Sports Council, which runs the girls' middle and high school club teams, is the only one. In other words, a 'party of stars' was held in a typical volleyball barren land.

In the background of KOVO's choice of Chuncheon as the venue for the All-Star Game, there was a clear goal of "expanding the base of volleyball." Professional volleyball is based in a total of 10 regions, with a mixture of large cities and small and medium-sized cities. In any event, the gap in interest between the relevant and non-related regions is bound to be large. If extra games such as the All-Star Game are held in non-annual cities, new fans can be created. This is also the purpose of KOVO's delivery of tickets to local low-income children and teenagers prior to the event. It aimed to expand its base and contribute to society at the same time.

The effect was also clear from the perspective of Chuncheon City, which hosted the All-Star Game. A transportation and medical response system was established through preliminary safety checks, and accommodations and restaurants were also revitalized as visitors flocked over the weekend. The effect of city promotion through broadcasting and SNS was also great. It has been shown that sporting events can function as a means of urban marketing.

This scene also has great implications for professional baseball. The KBO All-Star Game was also held in the non-Yeonho area. Examples are Masan and Jeju in 2000, Pohang in 2013, and Ulsan in 2018. Except for Jeju, however, it was held at the second pitch of the professional baseball team, and the rest were existing home stadiums. This was the result of considering the large-scale audience capacity, broadcasting infrastructure, and realistic conditions such as accommodation and transportation.

Recently, the KBO All-Star Game has been changing in a way that emphasizes the nature of the event rather than the game. It is more of an "event game" centered on player performance and fan participation programs. With this trend, it is worth considering to hold the All-Star Game regularly in the barren of baseball. With many local governments hoping to attract professional baseball teams, the All-Star Game can be a powerful interest-inducing content. For example, if the KBO All-Star Game and the Futures All-Star Game are held in Ulsan, which will participate in the Futures League from this year, it can serve as a catalyst for raising local baseball fever.

The origin of the All-Star Game is also in line with this purpose. The Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game was an event that was scheduled to be held only once to mark the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Proposed by Archie Ward, the Chicago Tribune sports editor, the game was an event aimed at reviving stagnant baseball popularity and promoting the city. Babe Ruth hit a home run in the first game at Comiskey Park, making it a regular annual event.

The hosting of the All-Star Game in the non-related region can be expected to promote the city and revitalize the local economy from the perspective of local governments, and the KBO League to expand the base of baseball at the same time. It is well worth reviewing regularization, not a single shot, to catch "two rabbits."

Due to the schedule, the conditions are not bad. Since last year, the rest period for the All-Star Game has increased from 4 days to 6 days. It is also possible to play two games in two cities like the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). KBO also played up to three games (two games in 83 years) in Seoul and provincial cities from 1982 to 1985. At that time, it was a "three-seasons" concept that focused on winning or losing, but now two games are enough because of the strong nature of the event.

The first game will be held at the existing stadium, and the second game will be held in non-related cities. Both the festival and the expansion of the base can be achieved at the same time.

Player movement and fatigue can also be problematic. However, selecting two cities as neighboring areas can reduce the burden. For example, it is held in nearby cities such as Busan and Ulsan.

Of course, profitability may be low in non-Yeongo stadiums with small seating sizes. Most of Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium (12,048 seats), Pohang Baseball Stadium (12,120 seats), and Cheongju Baseball Stadium (about 9,000 seats) are smaller than professional baseball home stadiums with around 20,000 seats. On a single-game basis, there is a possibility of a deficit. However, it is a cost that can be borne from the perspective of future investment such as "expanding the base of baseball."

In the past two years, professional baseball has continued to be an unprecedented box office hit. In these booming times, more attention should be paid to expanding the base. The "Next Level Training Camp," which KBO continues to promote youth development, is also a positive example. Now, it is necessary to expand not only the youth but also the general fan base.

I gave a baseball lecture at a middle school in Gyeonggi Province two years ago. Since it is about 10 kilometers away from the home stadium of the professional baseball league, it was expected that there would be many fans of the team, but most of the students were not familiar with baseball. Just because there are five clubs in the metropolitan area does not mean that the entire metropolitan area is full of baseball fans. Non-linked areas are still large.

The V-League All-Star Game held in Chuncheon left important implications for professional baseball as well. Even if the seat size is small, it can create an atmosphere through selling out, and it can have a positive effect on the local economy and city brands. It proved that the success of sporting events does not necessarily presuppose large stadiums. Professional baseball players also agree on the need to expand the base. If the KBO All-Star Game goes beyond a simple festival and functions as an investment for the future, its value will be even greater.

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*This content was translated by AI.