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Since Ryu Hyun-jin became a Major League Baseball pitcher in the U.S., the media in Korea have been obsessed with reporting his remarkable play.
Many Koreans think Ryu represents Korea and symbolizes it. They are thrilled about his phenomenal play and are proud of him. We wonder about the overheated attention on him around the country, and about what caused the excessive coverage of his exploits.
We ask ourselves what makes Koreans lose their minds during his games.
The frequent coverage impacts out daily lives. When people know he is starting a game, they are engrossed in how well he does that day. They root for him with fervor and become excited about the game.
Talk about him dominates their days and the coverage distracts some from their jobs and responsibilities. Although they are excited by his successes, they can lead to changes in their life patterns as they spend too much time and energy on his games.
We need to think about why the media outlets in Korea passionately cover his every move, and why Ryu went to the U.S. in the first place. We also need to know why people go crazy about him and express jubilation over his victories. Finally, we realize that nationalism drives us to cheer for him with patriotic fervor.
The British delight about David Beckham, and Brazilians still talk about Pele. Although they do not know each other, nationalism makes all people of a nation one.
Ryu's victories make Koreans all over the world excited about the pitcher and their country.
We should remember that our favorite sports, soccer and baseball, originated in Europe and U.S. When I was young, I enjoyed watching ssireum, Korean traditional wrestling. We have seen outstanding ssireum players such as Lee Man-gi, Gang Ho-dong and Choi Hong-man. Their brilliant techniques excited spectators. Ssireum brought out the traditional spirit of Koreans.
However, we never see ssireum on TV any more and few people in Korea pay attention to it. The professional wrestling game has lagged behind soccer and baseball. The younger generations are more familiar with the Western sports.
The sports of modern times are the product of westernization and Korea has been subordinate to it. Sports nationalism deepens the economically unequal relationship on the process of westernization. For instance, when the elite players in the underdeveloped country advance to the major leagues, the country ends up paying a huge broadcasting fee and citizens end up buying a variety of league and team products. Consequently, the dominant nation benefits even more economically.
The media arouses sport nationalism and increases it. The Kukmin Daily reported ''Ryu Hyn-jin's failure in New York Conquest." It reminded us of Japan's conquest over Korea and Manchuria. It also made us think that Korea is willing to defeat New York. The newspaper struck a militaristic and imperialistic tone. An inferiority complex related to the strong nation probably prompted the aggressive headline.
The media should seek critical and objective coverage, and set aside any hints of such nationalism.
The writer lives in Gwangju. He can be reached at freddd@ymail.com.
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