"Sold out for 10G in a row" Hanwha, but "Absolutely reduced attendance" is how difficult it is to watch "13 Million Years"...

*This content was translated by AI.

Hanwha Eagles created a sell-out craze in both opening games. Hanwha responded with two consecutive wins, coloring the away stands orange.

Hanwha smiled broadly at the home opener for the first time in 18 years. All seats (17,000 seats) were sold out in both the Kiwoom Heroes and the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League opening series held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 29th and 30th.

It has sold out for 10 consecutive games since the end of last season. Hanwha, which set a new KBO record with 62 sold-outs out of 73 games last year due to the opening of the new stadium, attracted 1,231,840 spectators to break the club's all-time record.

It wasn't just about Hanwha. The KBO League sold out all games for two consecutive days in the opening series of the weekend. It is only the second time in history after last year. As many as 211,756 spectators gathered at the ballpark.

The KBO League, which has been on a surprising rise in box office success with 12,312,519 last year following 8,103,326 in 2023 and 10,887,705 in 2024, will challenge 13 million spectators this season. However, it is expected to be much more difficult than when it exceeds 8 million to 10 million and 10 million to 12 million.

For the 13 million era, 687,481 additional spectators are needed compared to last year, but Hanwha's number of spectators for the season is decreasing even if it achieves a sellout in all games. Hanwha, which had a whopping 99.3% share of seats in home games last year, has only 9,160 spectators who can attract more, even if all 11 games are sold out.

Hanwha, which played 73 home games last year, will play 71 games in Daejeon this year, and even if it sells out all games starting with the opening series, the number of spectators is 1,207,000, which is 24,840 less than last year. Although it has only played the opening series, the drop in the number of spectators has already been confirmed.

The situation is similar for Samsung. Last year, the club set a record of 1.64 million spectators, and its share reached 96.3%. He will play 73 home games (three games in Pohang) this season, but even if he wins all games, he will have 1,716,360 spectators, up to 76,186 more than last year.

LG and Lotte also already had 91.5% and 91.1%. These clubs have clear limits on crowd mobilization. Doosan was also listed in the top five with 82.5 percent.

In the end, clubs with relatively low share need to rebound to achieve 13 million spectators. This will be possible only when clubs, which were somewhat disappointed in last year's box office, make more spectators visit the stadium, and at the same time, make efforts for fans of the other team to be more active on the road.

Of course, opening the 12 million era is already a huge achievement. Opening the era of 13 million spectators is very difficult in reality. Professional baseball has already emerged as an overwhelming "first-hwang" professional sport in South Korea, with no one to match. Nevertheless, both KBO and 10 teams are not complacent and are considering how more fans can be interested in professional baseball and find it on the field.

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*This content was translated by AI.