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| Former Samsung Lions' slugger Lee Seung-yuop, who was called the "Lion King" and bade a tearful farewell to baseball fans at his retirement ceremony last October after the regular season, debuted as a baseball analyst for SBS at the Asian Games. / Korea Times file |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
During the 2018 Asian Games when all eyes were on the athletes who were in their medal hunt, a silent but tense battle went on outside the stadiums.
The nation's three major broadcasters _ KBS 2, SBS and MBC _ were in a TV ratings battle.
In order to keep more sports fans tuning in, the three hired retired sports stars as commentators.
Their star power marketing saw mixed results. SBS won the ratings war in baseball, whereas KBS 2 topped football.
Baseball legend and former Samsung Lions' slugger Lee Seung-yuop helped SBS_ a self-proclaimed heartland in sports broadcasting_ save face.
Lee, who was called the "Lion King" and bade a tearful farewell to baseball fans at his retirement ceremony last October after the regular season, debuted as a baseball analyst for the Asian Games.
Back in view again following his smooth career transition from a hero athlete to a commentator, Lee gave insightful, witty analyses about South Korea's baseball games against opponents _ Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, China and Japan again in the final _ leading up to the country grabbing the gold medal.
In his strong southern accent, the soft-spoken man commented about the players, their strengths and weaknesses, and winning tactics.
"It's no surprise that SBS topped viewer ratings in the Asian Games baseball," said An Chi-yong, a LG Twins outfielder-turned-baseball analyst. "Lee was a great baseball player and having him as a baseball analyst definitely helped SBS gain a higher viewer rating that that of other broadcasters."
An said Lee revealed his strengths, as well as his weaknesses, in his debut as an analyst.
"His Gyeongsang-do accent is a drawback because like other broadcasters, baseball analysts are supposed to speak standard Korean," An said. "Lee is a man of character and everybody likes him. He rarely criticizes players, even though they make mistakes. He is too nice to be critical of any player, which is bad for him as a baseball analyst. Analysts are supposed to make objective, accurate comments about the game as well as the players and thus sometimes they need to be tough on players regarding their performance."
Despite such minor mistakes, Lee made a successful baseball debut as an analyst.
He sometimes surprised viewers with his fortune-teller-like predictions about the players as well as the opposing teams.
Prior to South Korea's first game in the Asian Games against Chinese Taipei, Lee disclosed his gut feeling about who would be the first South Korean player to hit a home run during the Asian Games.
He pinpointed the Doosan Bears' slugger Kim Jae-hwan as the sole candidate.
Asked why he believed so, Lee said he watched Kim practicing during training before South Korea faced off against Chinese Taipei and his swing convinced him to believe that he would be the one.
As Lee expected, Kim hit a solo homer in the game against Chinese Taipei, becoming the first South Korean batter to produce a home run at the 2018 Asian Games.
Lee's "fortune-telling" continued. In his experience, he went on to say that Chinese Taipei is the team that may not be formidable in the eyes of South Korean athletes but it's a tough team to beat.
Saying he played against the team several times when he was on the national team, Lee said South Korea never lost but every game was tough.
His warning was a prelude to South Korea's shocking defeat in its first game in the Asian Games. Chinese Taipei held back "star-studded" South Korea in their first game by edging out the latter 2-1, a result that put local baseball fans in shock.
Although SBS benefitted from the "Lee Seung-yuop effect" in its highest ratings for baseball, star athletes-turned-analysts don't necessarily guarantee higher viewership.
South Korea's football hero Park Ji-sung, the former Manchester United player, joined SBS as a sports analyst during the 2018 World Cup. But SBS was behind KBS 2 in the ratings in football during the entire event.
Retired football athlete Lee Young-pyo, who played with Park on the national team during the 2002 World Cup and later played for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, has commented on football games for KBS 2 for four years.
KBS 2 topped viewer ratings in World Cup and the following Asian Games football games.
Lee earned the nickname "Octopus" for his accurate prediction and insightful analysis. His nickname came from "Paul the Octopus" who gained international fame as an animal oracle for its accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup.
Like Paul the Octopus, Lee wowed football fans with his accurate predictions of football results and even the timing of Korean footballers scoring goals.
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| Lee Young-pyo, left, a football commentator for KBS 2, earned the nickname "Octopus" for his accurate prediction. His nickname came from "Paul the Octopus" who gained international fame as an animal oracle for its accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup. / Korea Times file |
KBS 2 benefitted from Lee. The aggregate viewer ratings for Korea's showdown with Uzbekistan in the Asian Games quarterfinals were 26.9 percent. KBS 2 gained 10.7 percent, followed by MBC with 9.2 percent and SBS with 7 percent.
Baseball analyst An claimed TV ratings in sports are usually "predetermined."
"In the professional baseball league, for example, some baseball clubs are more popular than others," he said. "The Kia Tigers and the Hanwha Eagles are the two most popular clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization and they attract more viewers than other baseball clubs. So I think the match-up is a key factor determining ratings."
But he said things are different when "viewers have a choice."
"Unlike KBO League games where five cable networks broadcast five different games, in the case of multiple broadcasters airing the same baseball or football games as we've seen in the Asian Games, there is a role that sports analysts can play in raising viewership," An said. "In my experience, viewers prefer the channel where their favorite athletes serve as commentators. Let's suppose three channels _ KBS, SBS and MBC_ air the same football or baseball games. In this case, viewers tend to watch those games through broadcasts featuring their favorite sports stars as analysts."
After the 2018 World Cup, SBS conducted a reshuffle in sports analysts. Park Ji-sung was replaced with Choi Yong-soo, former head coach of FC Seoul in the K League. It remains uncertain whether or not SBS' reshuffle was due to its lower viewer ratings during the World Cup.
After debuting as a football analyst at the Asian Games, Choi has entertained football fans with his witty remarks and unique narrative style which football fans called "calling upon."
Upon watching Son Heung-min accidentally missing the ball while dribbling in a game during the Asian Games, Choi said something must have gone wrong with the soccer ball.
"Son Heung-min is such a great player and he is perfect. It's not possible for him to miss the ball," he said. "The ball must have some problems."
SBS sportscasters near him giggled at his remarks.
Spotting goalkeeper Jo Hyun-woo's flattering hairstyle, Choi said Jo reminded him of manager Choi Kang who wears a wig.
"I admire Mr. Choi. His hairstyle remains unchanged whether it rains or not," said Choi. An SBS sportscaster responded, "We should check to see if they use the same hair care products."
Watching Hwang Ui-jo throw a ball between an Iranian player's legs, Choi praised Hwang and said he's a high-skilled player. "How could he do that? It's amazing. I tried it when I was a player, every time it was a failure."
Back in view again years after their retirements, former sports stars became relaxed as they no longer compete for records but try to entertain sports fans with insightful analysis and witty comments.
