By Cho Mu-hyun
Arguments between couples abound over the remote control, gaining intensity on weekends, as baseball fanatic husbands want to watch the game while wives would prefer anything but that.
In a recent twist, this season many couples have been seen heading off for weekend baseball outings, together.
According to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Sunday, nearly 40 percent of the spectators at last season’s baseball games were female.
The KBO commissioned research and consulting group Sports Marketing Survey (SMS) in October to randomly question 1,053 spectators over the age of 16 at Incheon’s Munhak Stadium, Busan’s Sajik Baseball Stadium, Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, Daegu Stadium and Gwangju Stadium.
The results unexpectedly showed 39.2 percent of the respondents were female.
This year saw 6,809,965 fans through the turnstiles, the highest number in Korean baseball’s 30-year history, and the KBO believes the attendance of women is considerable.
Independent polls conducted by the Doosan Bears, SK Wyverns, and Kia Tigers saw similar results of 40 percent of the total spectators being female.
The playoff percentage was also high, with female fans making up 34 percent out of the 302,109 fans that attended the 14 games. The decline in percentage seems to be attributed to the cheering squads called to service by the parent companies, though it is still a considerable increase compared to 2009’s 31.4 percent.
By region, Sajik Stadium had the highest female distribution with 35.7 percent, while Munhak Stadium ranked second with 34.8 percent and Gwangju Stadium third with 32.5 percent.
On the whole, those aged between 20s and 40s were the dominant spectators, consisting of 82.2 percent of the total.
There were certain differences in why fans supported a specific club. Of those in their 30s to 50s, 60 percent showed a strong attachment to the team based in their hometown. About 30 percent of females in their teens to 20s chose a team because of a certain player or manager.
The growing fan base however is demanding improvements in facilities from the KBO and individual clubs, with more than half of the respondents rating current conditions as unsatisfactory.
These fans are loyal though. Some 60 percent answered that they have purchased a product of the club they follow.