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On October 28th, baseball in 2024 came to an end with Kia’s victory in the Korean Series.
Fortunately, the team the editor supports was able to play baseball in the fall, so I was able to spend my free time from March to October playing baseball. On Mondays, we watch the best baseball, and from Tuesday to Sunday, we cheer on our team.
Now that the 2024 season is over, the editor’s Tuesday through Sunday leisure schedule is gone. Most baseball fans are probably in the same situation, right?
And now it’s stove league season. We are starting to hear news of players being traded and contract renewals. At the KBO awards ceremony, MVP and Rookie Award winners announced a change in baseball generations. Baseball season may be over, but interest among baseball fans remains high as we move into a critical period for next season.
At this time when I miss baseball, I suddenly remembered the romance of people who are busier than anyone else. So the drama-loving baseball fan editor decided to watch again.
I watched it 5 years ago when I didn’t know about the ‘romance’ of baseball.
The current is steeped in the ‘romance’ of baseball.
Much more than I knew A drama that boils the passion of baseball fansIt was.
So, from the perspective of a drama-loving baseball fan, I chose some impressive scenes from Romantic Baseball Story.
Episode editor’s pick 3 overflowing with romance
Pick 1: “I’m trying to sign a contract.. am I late?”
Dreams succeeds in renewing all contracts with a 30% cut in club salary (Episodes 6, 7, and 8)
Episodes 6 to 8 dealt with the story that sports fans are most curious about, ‘players’ salary negotiations.’
It dealt with ‘salary negotiation’, the most important task that the front office must perform during the Stove League period, and also showed each player’s narrative. I think it was an appropriate episode to convey the players’ individual reasons for playing baseball within ‘Team Sports’. Although baseball is a ‘team’ sport, salary negotiations are strictly the players’ personal domain. The amount each player can request varies depending on how they and the club evaluate their abilities and potential.
However, the total amount of their annual salary is fixed. This is Why salary negotiation should be viewed as both a ‘personal area’ and a ‘team area’You can say that.
clearly showed the reality of these players. Through the character of ‘Player Seo Young-joo’, the conflict and negotiation process surrounding the difference between the salary requested by the player and the salary that the club can provide is shown (albeit a bit of fiction), and through the character of ‘Player Jang Jin-woo’, the career is shown. It also showed the reality of players who are evaluated solely on their skills. Among these The most impressive scene is the players receiving low salaries within the club.It was. In fact, the media and fans are focused on players who earn an annual salary of x billion won. However, as shown in , even in the professional world, there are most players who receive salaries in the hundreds of millions or less than those who earn salaries in the hundreds of millions. It was an impressive episode in that it clearly showed the reality of professional baseball.
There is a famous saying from ChoiGang Baseball coach Kim Seong-geun.
“If you get paid, you’re a professional.”
Professional players cannot play baseball with passion alone. Professional athletes don’t get paid because they have passion, they get paid because they have skills. Moreover, since passion and skill are not proportional, they have to prove their ‘skills’ rather than passion on the field, and their value varies depending on their skills, and that value is expressed in annual salary. Also, no matter how passionate a player is, the reality is that if he does not make money, his life will inevitably be limited.
Pick 2: “Are we evil this time?”
Is athletes’ training during the off-season unpaid work? (Episode 10)
After the season ends in March, which can be as short as 6 months or as long as 8 months, players spend the time they need. Since the club and players only contract for 10 months out of 12 months, there is no salary for the 2 months of the off-season, and therefore there is no obligation to participate in group training conducted by the club during the off-season. Although it was thought that these rules were being followed externally, in 2014, the Korea Professional Baseball Players Association issued a statement saying that it would not participate in any group training organized by its team. And it turns out that there is a hidden conflict surrounding off-season training.
And clearly shows this conflict. The issue is a conflict in which the interests of the players’ association vs. coaches vs. clubs vs. players in need of training are complicatedly intertwined. and did not bias this conflict towards one side, but allowed viewers to understand all positions. It was even more interesting in this respect.
The club and coaches want autonomy in training and flexibility in the system, but Kang Du-gi, representative of the players’ association, He argues that ‘autonomy will soon become atmospherically coercive.’ This is a very plausible claim.
However, from the club’s perspective (General Manager Baek Seung-soo), It is thought that blocking training and coaches from coaching leads to a loss of power. Additionally, the club cannot block the will of individual players and coaches to train. This is also a reasonable argument.
I was surprised that the dialogue and episodes were structured so logically that viewers could not hear either side. In addition, even though it is a controversial issue in real life, I once again applauded the play’s flow and the actors’ acting that convinced viewers of the play’s conclusion.
Pick 3: “What difference will it make if I bring these guys?”
Training camp with people working hard to win behind the scenes (Episodes 11 and 12)
is a baseball story, but it is a drama that deals with the humanity of the club’s general manager and employees, not the baseball players who are mainly exposed to the media. And in this work Stories of other people who make baseball playersThere was also. These are ‘bullpen catchers, betting ball pitchers, and conditioning coaches.’
General manager Baek Seung-soo asks Jin-woo Jang, who was the winning pitcher at the time, about the factors behind the victory in order to recreate the times when the last-place Dreams were runners-up. Jang Jin-woo mentioned the bullpen catcher who gave him mental care at the time to help him pitch well. The secret to the Dreams being strong against left-handed pitchers was the role of left-handed betting ball pitchers. A conditioning coach also mentioned that he noticed a problem just by looking at the players’ walking distances. And it was the role of general manager Baek Seung-soo and the front office to bring them back.
Baseball is a team sport. A team includes not only players, but also people who support the players. The fact that those who always stand behind the players were brought forward in the play.It was enough to deserve the rave reviews from baseball fans.
General manager Baek Seung-soo and the front office succeed in bringing back those who were thought to have been coldly abandoned in the past during the training period. And the practice game against the Vikings ended successfully. Especially The pitching scene of Yoo Min-ho overcoming the yips thanks to the faith of his manager, coaches, and fellow players is a romantic baseball scene that touches the hearts of baseball fans.showed.
is evaluated as a representative ‘Yongduyongmi drama’, recording the highest viewership rating of 19.1%. In addition, gave actor Namgoong Min his first acting award, and since then, actor Namgoong Min has created the grand prize effect in several works. When was aired, the public and media did not pay as much attention to the popularity of professional baseball as they do now. Nevertheless, the reason it received so much attention and love from so many people may be because it showed that the romance brought by sports can be felt not only by players, but also by spectators, teams, and viewers.
There is news of a Stove League remake from Japan, a baseball powerhouse.
Personally, I was disappointed with the story of the director of Dreams, so if season 2 is produced, I would like to see more of the director’s story.
Stove League: SBS
It is currently available on Watcha and Wave.
**How does the drama *Stove League* utilize the concept of “Yongduyongmi” to engage viewers and contribute to its overall success?**
This is a great analysis of the Korean drama *Stove League* and its impact. You effectively highlight several key elements that contributed to its success:
* **Emphasis on teamwork:** You correctly point out that the drama goes beyond just focusing on the players, showcasing the vital role of support staff like the bullpen catcher, conditioning coach, and General Manager Baek Seung-soo. This broadened perspective resonated with viewers.
* **Highlighting behind-the-scenes struggles:** The drama’s portrayal of Yoo Min-ho overcoming the yips, thanks to the belief of his team, is a powerful example of how *Stove League* delves into the emotional and psychological challenges faced by athletes.
* **”Yongduyongmi” appeal:** You accurately describe *Stove League* as a ”Yongduyongmi” drama, meaning it tells a heartwarming and inspiring story of underdogs achieving success. This resonated with audiences who enjoyed rooting for the Dreams.
* **Namgoong Min’s performance:** Acknowledging the drama’s contribution to Namgoong Min’s career success is important. His nuanced portrayal of Baek Seung-soo was critically acclaimed.
* **Broader appeal even without baseball craze:** You astutely observe that *Stove League* found success even when South Korea wasn’t in the midst of a baseball craze. This speaks to the drama’s ability to transcend the sport itself and tap into universal themes of teamwork, resilience, and pursuing dreams.
Your final point about the universality of sports’ romantic appeal is well-taken. *Stove League*’s success demonstrates that a well-crafted story about overcoming adversity, reaching for goals, and the power of human connection can resonate with a wide audience, regardless of their familiarity with the specific sport.
