[Current & Culture] Grabbing Baseball by the Collar and Shouting

Today's column begins with a story about one person. His name is Jeon Sang-gyu. He led a rock band called ‘Why Not’ and still makes a living through music. He loves baseball as much as music, especially the LG Twins, so much so that he produces a baseball podcast and even threw the ceremonial first pitch at Jamsil Stadium. He has even appeared as a panelist on sports specialty programs, which suggests that baseball has become more than just a hobby?it seems like a second profession. Occasionally, he released songs about baseball, and recently, he published a book. The book’s title poses a meaningful question: ‘Did Baseball Love You Too?’

Last year, our baseball didn’t just fail to love its fans?it blatantly toyed with them. During the season, players invited women to their dormitories and held drinking parties. Even though they should have been doing their best to manage their bodies and compete in top condition, they showed a level of negligence worse than the passion of their cheering fans. In the process, they violated quarantine rules and caused confusion in epidemiological investigations with false statements. It was an incident that couldn’t have been worse. Their performance on the field was also disappointing. Their showing at the Tokyo Olympics was below expectations. Many fans left, and I was one of them. I thought it would be better to watch professional wrestling, a blatantly scripted game, than to watch players fight so carelessly.

Fortunately, there was an alternative: Major League Baseball. Among them, I became deeply captivated by Shohei Ohtani, cheering and supporting him wholeheartedly. What excited me about Ohtani was not his innate physical attributes or genius athleticism. It was seeing the image of the ?bermensch that Nietzsche spoke of in his relentless efforts to surpass his limits both on and off the field. Besides him, there are many players in Major League Baseball who are outstanding in both skill and attitude, so I wondered why I should watch our baseball at all.

However, it was inevitable. What’s ours is the best. Shintoburi (body and soil are inseparable). This expression didn’t come out for no reason. When the season actually started, my eyes and ears naturally turned to our baseball. There were many exciting matches, and with the lifting of COVID-19 social distancing, the fun of going to the stadium to watch baseball was quite enjoyable. Just as I was about to feel relieved thinking that things were finally getting back on track, a series of distressing news broke out within a few days.

In the middle of the season, news came out that coaches got into a fistfight while drinking and ended up hospitalized. In college baseball, there was the devastating news that the president of the College Baseball Federation resigned amid allegations of match-fixing, admission corruption, and operational corruption?a triple scandal. Anger surged, and the words of Park Ji-hyun, the emergency committee chairperson of the Democratic Party, echoed in my mind. “Oh no, do these men really need to be grabbed by the collar to come to their senses?” The thrill of baseball lies in the suspense of not knowing when the game will turn around. But that tension should be felt while watching the game. If you’re anxious about accidents happening outside the stadium, something is seriously wrong.

Jeon Sang-gyu, the author of the book ‘Did Baseball Love You Too?’ recently named his newborn baby Ji-woo, explaining that it is an abbreviation of ‘LG Championship.’ In my study, there is a separate display case filled with baseball cards and signed balls. Although the popularity of baseball is gradually fading, many fans still love the game. The only way for this love to be reciprocated is one: to see the team you support compete fairly and do their best. Winning is better, but it’s okay to fight hard and lose. However, if they keep causing scandals and disappointing us, the warmth of love inevitably cools down. I grab baseball by the collar and shout: Even if it’s unrequited love, please let me keep loving you!

Lee Jae-ik, Novelist

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.