Young women transform Korean baseball into a lifestyle experience

Spectators cheer at the 2025 KBO All-Star Game at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon. [HANWHA EAGLES]

 
Baseball’s hottest trend in Korea isn’t on the field — it’s in the stands. 
 
Women in their 20s are turning ballparks into weekend destinations, packing seats in coordinated jerseys, flashing photo cards like VIP passes and singing team anthems loud enough to rival the stadium speakers. With brand pop-ups, poolside views and mascot merch drops, the game has become a full-blown lifestyle event where style, fandom and sport collide. 
 
 
Female fandom in Korean baseball is nothing new. Interest in the sport surged after the national team won its first Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, steadily expanding the women’s audience. 
 
More recently, sports variety shows like JTBC’s “A Clean Sweep” (2022-) have brought in new fans. But today’s 20-something female fans are not simply a matter of numbers. They approach baseball through emotion and personal taste, interpreting it in their own way and consuming it as content.
 
 
‘I can’t imagine a weekend without baseball’
 
Women made up more than 48 percent of spectators in the 2024 season, with those in their 20s accounting for about 30 percent, according to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Their presence is clear on social media, ticketing platforms and YouTube channels.
 

Doosan Bears fan Seok Da-yoon’s collection of uniforms and Manggeureojin Gom merchandise. [SEOK DA-YOON]

 
Visiting southern Seoul’s Jamsil Baseball Stadium during a late-July heat wave, 24-year-old office worker Seok Da-yoon said, “At first I came because a friend brought me, but now I can’t imagine a weekend without baseball.” 
 
She began attending games for the fun of singing along to team anthems, wearing jerseys and enjoying a beer, but it has since become a deep, consistent part of her life.
 
These young women are building their own aesthetic and identity inside the world of baseball. Fans create short-form videos of their favorite players, save game-day moments like collectible photo cards, or collect mascot keyrings and photo card binders. Some turn jerseys into handmade eco-bags. 
 

CJ OnStyle sells figure tumblers modeled after KBO team mascots. [CJ ONSTYLE]

 
Brands catch on
 
Brands have been quick to notice the trend, creating more ways for fans to express their tastes. 
 
A KBO survey last year found that women in their 20s spent an average of 237,000 won ($171) annually on team merchandise — slightly more than the overall spectator average of 235,000 won.
 
That spending power has translated into sales. In July, CJ OnStyle released a line of Odense x KBO Figure Tumblers featuring team mascots, which sold out. 
 
7-Eleven’s 2025 KBO Collection Cards topped 3.8 million packs sold, sparking a buying frenzy. 
 
“Collecting and trading photo cards has become a form of play culture, and it’s now part of 7-Eleven’s signature marketing,” a company official said.
 
Brands increasingly see the ballpark as more than an advertising backdrop. Samsung Electronics, AXA Insurance, Roborock, Hankook Tire and Starbucks Korea actively set up interactive booths and dedicated cheering zones to integrate their brands into the fan experience. 
 
The results have been strong. Hyundai Department Store, for example, reported that the baseball club pop-up stores it hosted over 84 days since last year generated 55 percent higher daily sales than typical fashion pop-ups.
 

7-Eleven sells the “2025 KBO Pro Baseball Collection Cards,” which have been available since May. [7-ELEVEN]

 
Teams are also shifting their strategies. LG Twins said it is planning collaborations with popular intellectual properties that resonate with young female fans, including Hello Kitty, Choigosim, Bloomingtale, and boy band Tomorrow X Together’s Ppulbatu characters modeled after the group’s members.
 
KIA Tigers’ Teenieping, Doosan Bears’ Manggeureojin Gom and Hanwha Eagles’ Kumdori mascots are helping clubs broaden their appeal to character-focused fan bases. 
 
“We see it as a key challenge to give fans opportunities to express their tastes at the ballpark, record them on social media and experience the brand,” the LG Twins said.  
 

Spectators watch a KBO game from the infinity pool inside Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon. [HANWHA EAGLES]

 
Ballpark facilities are evolving as well. Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon offers an infinity pool for watching games while swimming. KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi, and Samsung Lions Park in Daegu allow fans to barbecue during games. Jamsil Stadium hosts a summer water festival where spectators get soaked between innings.
 
“Baseball is shifting from simple viewing to content that blends emotion and taste,” said Lee Eun-hee, a consumer studies professor at Inha University. “With cheering, merchandise, and a culture of sharing, the ballpark is becoming a routine and a playground.”
 
Practical changes have followed, such as expanding women’s restrooms and offering more diverse food options. For many, the combination of cute merchandise, food choices, photo opportunities and cheering makes for an affordable entertainment package in an era of high prices.
 

A scoreboard message at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon during a Hanwha Eagles game marks the KBO’s first streak of 24 consecutive home sellouts. [HANWHA EAGLES]

 
From pastime to identity
 
Young women’s passion for baseball goes beyond passing trends. Many are actively learning the rules, studying statistics and building expertise.
 
Female creators who analyze games and produce data-based content are emerging on YouTube.
 
“At first I worried I’d be seen as a fashion fan or someone who didn’t know baseball, so I studied the rules and watched more games,”  said Park Eun-young, 26, a fan of the Kiwoom Heroes since 2023.
 
“Before I knew it, baseball had become part of my life,” Park said.
 

Fans cheer and enjoy a KBO game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. [LG TWINS]

 
Why baseball over other sports? For many, it’s the sport’s relatively slow pace, near-daily schedule and raucous team anthems.
 
Each team’s unique cheering culture draws new fans and keeps them coming back. Weekend games become fixed routines, team anthems slip into morning commutes and YouTube algorithms fill with baseball videos.
 
“In the past, all our marketing had to be directly connected to the game, but now we focus on becoming part of fans’ daily lives,” Hanwha Eagles’ marketing team said. “We design experiences so the team blends naturally into their routines.”
  

Soobin, a member of boy band Tomorrow X Together, prepares to throw the ceremonial first pitch wearing a collaboration uniform with the team’s official mascot, Ppulbatu. [LG TWINS]

 
Baseball also offers emotional space. One day a team loses, the next it wins. A player who struggled early in the season might become the hero in the postseason. Fans immerse themselves in these shifting storylines, sharing emotions and a sense of belonging.
 
“The energy baseball gives me is beyond imagination,” said Lee Se-young, 25, a Lotte Giants supporter from Ulsan.
 
“In a life where I’m always running for myself, the experience of truly cheering for someone else actually makes my life more enjoyable. When the game starts in the evening, I throw my whole voice into it as if I were part of the team.” 
 
For many women in their 20s, baseball is more than a sport. It is a routine that fills their days, a way to express themselves, and a lens through which they shape their emotions and identity. They are not just watching the game — they are living it.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE JI-YOUNG [[email protected]]