LG's KS Championship Bid Falls Through, What Was Said in the Dugout
Oh Ji-hwan's 'Bat of Fury'... Fans Say "Actually Refreshing, Let's Challenge Again"
On October 25 last year, at Seoul's Jamsil Baseball Stadium, the LG Twins faced the Kiwoom Heroes in Game 2 of the playoffs. LG had just ended a 20-year wait by winning Game 1 and was preparing for Game 2. Early in the game, Kiwoom dominated LG 6-0. However, in the bottom of the 5th inning, LG narrowed the gap to 6-7, just one run behind, stirring excitement among LG fans. In the top of the 9th inning, at the most crucial moment, captain Oh Ji-hwan stepped up. Kiwoom brought in Kim Jae-woong to the mound. This was the turning point of the game.
Kim Jae-woong threw the pitch, and Oh Ji-hwan's bat cut through the air and struck the ball. However, it was a flyout to right field. No further runs were scored. Up to this point, anyone who watched the game would know.
But what was Oh Ji-hwan's state of mind? Oh said, "As a captain and senior, I didn't want to put pressure on the next batter, Moon Bo-kyung. I was also overthinking a lot since it was my first autumn baseball in two years, and I think this mindset backfired. I believe it was a huge mistake."
These candid words from Oh Ji-hwan were not seen in any articles at the time. His remarks came out in the 'Our Game: LG Twins' episode released on Tving last month, nearly half a year later. The scene where he is out on a fly ball and, unable to contain his frustration, swings his bat in the hallway as he heads to the locker room was also revealed.
Recently, sports-related documentaries have been steadily released on OTT (over-the-top media service ? platforms providing various media content such as TV shows, movies, and education via the internet) platforms like Netflix, Watcha, and Tving. Due to the clear viewer demand stemming from sports fandom, platforms reportedly find it relatively easy to plan and produce such content. Additionally, teams see these documentaries as a kind of communication channel with fans and welcome their production.
"Oh Ji-hwan's angry bat swing was impressive... We believe in him."
So, what do fans think about the so-called 'Oh Ji-hwan player's anger bat swing'? Kim, a man in his 40s who identifies as an LG fan, said, "I've been a fan since the MBC Blue Dragons era. When I recall last year's playoff games, it still feels disappointing. I think the players must have felt very frustrated too, and I confirmed their feelings through the documentary." He added, "Fans have created group chats to discuss and are doing 'N-time viewing.' Regarding the 'Oh Ji-hwan anger bat' scene, fans say it feels relieving. He just needs to do well again this year." Another LG fan, Kim Min-seong (27), said, "Fans really want to know what happens in the dugout. They are very curious about why a player is substituted at that timing and other such details."
The desire of fans to see players' honest sides is also confirmed by a survey. According to the '2022 Pro Sports Spectator Tendency Survey Report,' conducted in February this year with 12,763 professional baseball and soccer fans, when asked about 'online content necessary for supporting teams and league popularity,' the largest 31.4% chose 'videos related to off-season player training and daily life.'
This is not the first professional baseball documentary. In March 2021, Watcha produced a sports documentary with the Hanwha Eagles. For Hanwha, a perennial lower-tier team, the documentary showed the process of overcoming the image of a weak team over recent years, becoming a hot topic not only among Hanwha fans but also fans of other teams. The documentary 'Die Hard Giants,' which captured the journey of Lotte players and was also made into a film in 2022, was also popular.
NBA Documentary Capturing Michael Jordan's Golden Era Gains Popularity... PGA Documentary Also Draws Interest
The desire of fans to know the inner thoughts of their favorite sports stars has already been proven by viewership on other OTT platforms like Netflix. The documentary 'Michael Jordan: The Last Dance,' released on Netflix in June 2020, captured the golden era of the 'Basketball Emperor' Michael Jordan. It originally aired on ESPN in April of the same year. Parts 1 and 2 were watched by 6.1 million nationwide, setting the highest viewership record for an ESPN sports documentary. Legendary coach Phil Jackson, Jordan's greatest teammates Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, who shared all the glorious moments with him, appeared and spoke candidly about their feelings toward Jordan, creating a huge sensation.
Netflix then released a three-part documentary miniseries 'Neymar: Perfect Chaos' in January 2022, depicting the life of the Brazilian star player Neymar. They also collaborated with the PGA Tour to produce a golf documentary. The golf documentary featured 22 of the world's top players and the world's number one amateur ranking player Keita Nakajima, gaining great popularity among golf enthusiasts.
Cultural critic Jung Deok-hyun said, "First of all, sports itself is attractive. It captures real-time stories that actually happened, which are very dramatic." He added, "Through documentaries, viewers can watch the entire flow of the game and see the process of winners and losers in detail. There are many elements that appeal to viewers and fans."
He especially noted, "Nowadays, OTT platforms tend to focus on content that has a definite fandom because it can achieve high viewership. (Therefore) from the perspective of OTT operators, there are many reasons to want to produce sports documentaries."
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