10 Million Spectators in Just 587 Games
A New Record for the Fewest Games Needed
Korean professional baseball has attracted 10 million spectators for the second consecutive year.
On August 23, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced that the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League games held in Daegu (Kiwoom Heroes vs. Samsung Lions, 24,000 spectators), Changwon (Lotte Giants vs. NC Dinos, 17,983 spectators), Gwangju (LG Twins vs. KIA Tigers, 20,500 spectators), and Daejeon (SSG Landers vs. Hanwha Eagles, 17,000 spectators) were all sold out.
As of the previous day, the KBO League had drawn a total of 9,987,273 spectators. With the sellouts on this day, the league has surpassed 10 million attendees for the second time in its history, achieving this milestone for two consecutive years following last year’s record of 10,887,705 spectators.
The league also broke the record for reaching 10 million spectators in the fewest games (587 games). Last year, it took 671 games to surpass 10 million spectators. This year, professional baseball set new records for the fewest games needed to reach 5 million (294 games), 6 million (350 games), 7 million (405 games), 8 million (465 games), and 9 million (528 games) spectators, as well as the fewest games to reach 10 million.
Since its inception in 1982, Korean professional baseball drew 6 million spectators in 2011, 7 million in 2012, and surpassed 8 million in 2016. Although it failed to reach 9 million in the following years, last year it became the first time in Korean professional sports history to surpass 10 million spectators.
This year, the popularity of nationwide teams such as LG, Hanwha, and Lotte, along with intense competition for the top spots and a fierce mid-table battle, has fueled even greater enthusiasm. If the current trend continues, there is speculation that the KBO League could surpass 12 million spectators for the first time in its history this year.
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