The future customers of professional baseball are in schools. School marketing is the starting point for expanding the base of baseball. [Ryu Sun-kyu's Bizball]

*This content was translated by AI.

From 2018 to 2019, over two years, I conducted the "IncheonSK Baseball-Math Talk Concert" with SK Wyverns. This event was a field trip program designed for elementary, middle, and high school students in the Incheon area, consisting of lectures on the theme of "the convergence of baseball and mathematics" and visits to professional baseball games. From the club's perspective, it was a marketing activity aimed at securing future customers and expanding the reach of baseball. For schools, it meant providing an experiential education program linked to the mathematics curriculum.

What was interesting was the response from schools on the front lines. Although the program was planned for students in the Incheon area, interest spread much more widely than expected. Schools from all over the country continued to inquire about participation, and some schools did not hesitate to travel long distances. In fact, schools from Seoul and Gyeonggi, as well as Gangwon, Chungcheongnam-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, and Gyeongsangbuk-do, chartered buses to lead their students and participate in the event. This was a case showing that interest in the convergence of baseball and mathematics in the education field was higher than expected. At the same time, it was a good opportunity for the club to expand its future customer base by allowing students across the country to experience professional baseball beyond its home region of Incheon.

The most memorable scene was the group viewing by students from Ganghwa Girls' High School. At the time, about 250 students participated, divided among six buses. The enthusiastic support of the high school girls made the atmosphere in the stadium even hotter. Since the game was held on a weekday evening, students had to return home before the game ended. As students left their seats during the game, voices of regret could be heard from surrounding spectators, and some were even seen trying to hold them back, saying, "Are you leaving already?"

There is significant demand in the education field for convergent educational content that can capture students' interest. This has not changed much from then to now. The meeting of baseball and mathematics was received as a new attempt to meet these demands, and the response from participating schools and students was better than expected. Ultimately, although this event was initially planned as a one-off program, it was expanded and operated as an annual event. Over the two years from 2018 to 2019, about 5,000 students participated in the program.

However, the event was suspended in 2020 with the spread of COVID-19. Since then, no on-site programs on the theme of "the convergence of baseball and mathematics" have been held in Incheon.

Subsequently, based on my experience with the "IncheonSK Baseball-Math Talk Concert," I published the book "Baseball × Mathematics" in April of last year together with a current high school mathematics teacher. This book introduces various mathematical principles hidden in baseball and was planned to help students approach mathematics more easily and interestingly.

After the book was published, requests for lectures continued from all over the country. I and the mathematics teacher visited schools and educational institutions in various regions including Incheon, Wonju, Cheongju, Pohang, Changwon, Goseong, Gwangju, and Gwangmyeong to conduct lectures on the theme of "the convergence of baseball and mathematics." When mathematics was explained through the familiar subject of baseball, students naturally focused and asked questions actively. Through this, I was able to confirm once again that baseball holds sufficient value not just as a sport but also as educational content.

While conducting lectures, I also discovered an interesting fact: there were differences in student responses depending on the region. In cities where a professional baseball first-division team is based, student participation and response were much more active. There were many questions, and the reaction after the lecture was enthusiastic. On the other hand, in regions where opportunities to directly experience baseball were relatively scarce, interest and participation were somewhat limited. It appeared that the environment in which students could regularly experience professional baseball games had a significant impact on their familiarity with and interest in baseball.

Recently, I participated as a lecturer in the "Public Mathematics Lecture" organized by the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education. This event was held in the format of a "Baseball × Mathematics Book Concert," which was a meaningful occasion for me to recall past memories of the "IncheonSK Baseball-Math Talk Concert." Most importantly, it was even more welcome because I was able to confirm once again the intense baseball passion of Incheon students that I had felt during my 20-plus years of activity with the Incheon professional baseball team.

About 600 people attended the event that day. Among them, a satisfaction survey conducted with 110 participants recorded a satisfaction rate of about 95%. The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education evaluated that they successfully sparked students' interest by connecting mathematics, which can feel rigid, with actual data from the baseball field.

A similar experience was possible at the "Public Mathematics Lecture" organized by the Gyeongnam Mathematics Culture Center last November. This lecture, conducted for about 200 high school students and teachers, also received a high evaluation of 96.7% in the satisfaction survey.

However, the events of the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education and the Gyeongnam Mathematics Culture Center differed from the past "IncheonSK Baseball-Math Talk Concert" in that they were lecture-centered programs. On the other hand, the "Mathematics in Sports" program recently held by the Busan Mathematics Culture Center was most similar to past events because it was linked with baseball viewing.

I also participated as a lecturer in this program. Over two days, Saturday and Sunday, I conducted a total of eight lectures together with a current mathematics teacher, and 480 students from 40 middle and high schools in the Busan area participated. A few days after attending the lectures, the students went on a group viewing at Sajik Stadium. Although the operational method differed from the past "IncheonSK Baseball-Math Talk Concert," where lectures and game viewing were held on the same day, the basic purpose of the program was very similar. Most importantly, it was a meaningful time because I was able to confirm once again the intense baseball passion of Busan students.

During the past two years, while publishing "Baseball × Mathematics" and conducting public mathematics lectures at schools and educational institutions across the country, I once again realized something. The most important target that the baseball community should focus on to expand the base of baseball is students, who are future customers. When I planned the "IncheonSK Baseball-Math Talk Concert" seven years ago, I focused on securing future customers.

Many of the students who participated in the program at that time have now become adults. While we cannot definitively say that all of them became baseball fans, it is highly likely that their childhood experiences of visiting baseball stadiums remain as familiarity and positive memories of professional baseball.

Clubs and the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization) also need to pay more active attention to marketing and educational programs utilizing school fields to expand the base of baseball. Although professional baseball has enjoyed its golden age by breaking through 10 million spectators for two consecutive years, the current popularity does not guarantee the future. Ultimately, the spectators of the future are today's students.

Memories of the baseball stadium experienced during youth remain as lifelong memories. The excitement and joy of cheering felt at the stadium become an important asset that leads adults to seek out baseball even after they grow up. This is also the reason why programs like the "IncheonSK Baseball-Math Talk Concert" were investments in creating future fans rather than simple educational events. If the baseball community is concerned about securing future customers, it needs to take more active steps in various experiential programs linked with schools.

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*This content was translated by AI.