When will we stop clinging to the "military medal"? Exemption from military service for just one Asian Games... It is time to introduce a "military service point system" based on combined results in the Olympics, WBC, and Premier 12 [Lee Jong-seong's Sports Culture & Industry]

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korean baseball defeated Japan 3-1 in a nail-biting match on the 27th, achieving a fifth consecutive title at the Asian Games. However, this feat had a dark side: the extreme burden of the team's "absolute must-win" mentality.

Since baseball became an official event at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games, South Korea has won the gold medal every time except for two occasions. The decisive reason for South Korean baseball's strong performance at the Asian Games is military service benefits and the participation of professional players in the tournament.

Japan, which has been South Korea's biggest rival at every Asian Games, fielded amateur (non-professional) baseball players. For South Korean baseball fans, the Asian Games are remembered as a tournament where they can win gold medals against relatively easy opponents and receive military service benefits.

For this reason, the pressure that national team baseball players must bear is immense. The core of this burden is the criticism that pours in when professional players lose to Japan, which is composed of amateur baseball players.

In fact, in the first match of this Asian Games Super Round, South Korea played a powerless game and lost 0-5 to Japan. While Japanese pitcher Higuuchi Shin's excellent pitching stood out, South Korea recorded three double plays at crucial moments and fell. In South Korea, public opinion exploded with criticism over losing to Japanese amateur baseball players.

In the final against Japan, which they had to win to restore their honor, South Korea adopted a "small ball" strategy. Perhaps mindful of the double plays that occurred in the first Super Round match, South Korea attempted a bunt a whopping five times in the final.

Of course, South Korea held an uneasy 1-0 lead through seven innings, and starting pitcher Kwak Bin's command was good, so the bunting strategy seemed necessary on one hand. However, this happened because for South Korea, the Asian Games is a tournament where winning breaks even, but losing means a significant setback.

Kim Do-young, who hit the decisive run in the eighth inning, also repeatedly said "I am sorry" in a post-game interview. He stated, "When I couldn't hit, I thought, 'I really should die,'" and added, "We were pushed to the brink, but we produced a result, so it is fortunate that our lives have been extended."

He suffered a fractured nasal bone injury just before the Asian Games. For Kim Do-young, who aims for MLB (Major League Baseball) entry in 2029, the Asian Games were very important. This is because winning the Asian Games and receiving military service benefits would allow him to overcome a major barrier to entering the MLB.

Therefore, he was more desperate than anyone else on the national team. On the other hand, as South Korea's center fielder, his burden was also immense. However, up until the situation facing the final against Japan on the 27th, he had managed only four hits in 19 at-bats (a .211 batting average). That is why he performed a very large celebration after hitting the winning run in the eighth inning of the final.

At the Asian Games, baseball is important not just for national pride and honor, but also for military service benefits. That is why the Asian Games gold medal is called a "military medal." In particular, since baseball has no teams that can threaten South Korea other than Japan and Taiwan at the Asian Games, this perception is even stronger.

South Korean professional baseball players began participating in the Asian Games starting with the 1998 Bangkok Games. However, following controversies over the selection process for the Asian Games baseball national team and military service exemptions that surfaced during a 2018 National Assembly audit, the criteria for selecting the national team were changed.

Currently, players aged 25 or under or in their fourth year or less of professional careers form the core of the Asian Games baseball national team. In addition, up to three wildcard players who are not subject to these restrictions can participate.

Since the 2018 tournament, the KBO League is no longer suspended during the Asian Games period. This is a result of accepting critical public opinion from baseball fans regarding the harsh gaze on some players listing themselves for the national team for military service benefits and the long-term suspension of the league during the season.

However, the essential problem with Asian Games baseball remains. The issue is how much longer professional baseball players who are Han Guk-eul (CEO) must struggle to play games so as not to be humiliated by inferior opponents at the Asian Games.

To address this, discussion is needed on a point system that determines military service exemption recipients based on combined results in major tournaments rather than performance in a single tournament. This is because for improving South Korean baseball's international competitiveness, the Olympics, WBC (World Baseball Classic), and Premier 12 tournaments are far more important than the Asian Games.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.