This morning’s report that ESPN is in the midst of seemingly productive talks to acquire the broadcast rights for Korea Baseball Organization games was met with a widely positive response in comments both here and on social media, although the potential arrival of KBO coverage in North America wasn’t universally lauded. While many fans would welcome any form of competitive baseball on television and relish a chance to see some former big leaguers suiting up with regularity, others questioned the level of competition (relative to MLB) and the awkwardness of watching televised games without fans in the stands.
KBO games coming to ESPN — and/or other major sports networks elsewhere in the world — isn’t yet a certainty but would at least provide some real-life baseball to follow if such an arrangement did come to fruition (no disrespect to the Players’ League in MLB The Show intended). I was perhaps remiss not to include a formal poll in this morning’s post on the topic, so let’s conduct a more formal survey here (link to poll for Trade Rumors mobile app users):
Sure
F yeah
It’s simple physics. Calculate the velocity, v, in relation to the trajectory, t, in which g, gravity, of course remains a constant.
Aren’t you the guy that put us in that Ramada in Milwaukee?
Ensalada grande
Not at Reggie’s.
No
I woke up at 530 in the morning the other day to watch the live feed of Taiwanese baseball on twitter, so yes to KBO. Watching the Rakuten Monkeys stomp teams like they’re the 1930’s Yankees wasn’t that exciting game wise, score was like 14-4, but still great to see live ball.
Yes I watched a few of those games too. Asian baseball has a cool atmosphere so I would be interested in getting into KBO or NPB games as long as MLB is not playing. The biggest issue is the time difference but maybe if ESPN shows games live and then shows replays later in the day that could work
Absolutely. I’ve been watching Nicaraguan league baseball…I’ll definitely watch KBO
Agreed. Subscription for years to both MLB and MiLB. Enjoyed it the year the Aussie league was on for like 20 games.. It’s baseball for the hard core gamer and well above college/HS level of play.. I’d watch
I’d try to watch depending on the time, it may contend with me watching some of NJPW’s free matches on their streaming service. I have to say Will Ospreay, Okada, Naito, Kota Ibushi, “Switchblade” Jay White, and many others are some amazing wrestlers.
LE CHAMPION
For sure!
I’d rather watch ducks swim in circles
Great, you go do that, and the rest of us can watch something more at our level.
But you‘ve been willing to watch the Reds for the past 6 years?
Does a duck with one foot swim in a circle?
only if it weighs the same as a witch.
Very small rocks.
Wood!
“…others questioned the level of competition (relative to MLB) and the awkwardness of watching televised games without fans in the stands.”
Who cares? Those people can watch HGTV then, and let the rest of us enjoy a sport for our own reasons.
BTW, I’ve already watched a Taiwanese baseball game live on Twitter a couple weeks ago. It was baseball. Does anything else matter?
Then why not just watch rerun MLB games? You’re acting like people are crazy for valuing level of competition and live crowd, but those things matter. I would watch rerun MLB games over crowdless KBO games
why on earth does there being a crowd matter?
Hate to agree with DarkSide, but seriously, who cares about people in the stands? I want baseball that I don’t already know the result of. If both the hitters and pitchers are of lesser quality than MLB, it’s still going to be a good, fair game.
At risk of stating the obvious, crowd reactions add to suspense and absolutely make the game more exciting. As a side note, we have the cringiest crop of players of all time and I don’t want to hear them talking and interacting on the field. The mic’d up segments at ASG and the antics of the like of Bregman and Puig demonstrate how much we need crowd noise
I disagree. I watch the game for the game, not the crowd reaction to it. Baseball is baseball. Y’all don’t have to watch it if you don’t want, but those of us who are true fans of the game itself will be watching.
@justhereforthecomments I might watch on mute, but to your point, just watch reruns. Stop acting like you’ll be enthralled with KBO play or competition. There are tens of thousands of old games you’ve never watched yet
So watch a game I already know the outcome of or I can watch a new game with no crowd? Wow, tough choice. I’d love to comeback with a counter argument, but your suggestion makes my point for me. Most ridiculous suggestion out there. Again, don’t ruin it for the true fans. You fair weather fans can come back later when everything is exactly to your specifications.
I’ll watch KBO games. But to your point, nothing wrong with HGTV or DIY either – I highly recommend Maine Cabin Masters.
Same way a sailor on leave can’t be too picky.
Not if a subscription to ESPN is required.
This.
If you don’t have cable or don’t already have ESPN subscription, you’re not the level of fan they are aiming for anyways.
This.
If MLB.com streamed the games, yes..
yes, but it wouldn’t have me glued to the TV the way mlb does
Best scenario to me (given that MLB play is unlikely due to salary and other considerations) would be a televised MILB season featuring one team from each organization. That way top prospects would get meaningful development time and the cost of salaries wouldn’t be prohibitive.
Yes! I would love to see that.
I would watch, but I no longer have television. We cancelled cable because it wasn’t worth the money. (And people say the fans don’t pay for those big contracts.)
nope
It needs to be on mlb.tv. Each team needs to wear the uniforms of MLB teams. The players need to wear mlb players names and numbers. In all reality we are all just rootin’ for laundry, so I think this could work.
Hell yes! Bring it on.
Someone name the top 5 players in the kbo
Five American guys.
We will in a couple of months, thats the beauty of baseball, you cannot predict it. We know who the best players were last year in the MLB, we don’t yet know who they’ll be this year, until it’s over.
You may THINK you know, but google can only tell you about the past, albeit through someone else’s lenses; not about what’s to come. Algorithms are based on past data and can provide insight but it ends there. It’ll be exciting to see who stands above the rest in this 2020 KBO Season!
An aside, I want to be able to download the KBO teams on The Show.
Kim
Park
Lee
Choi
Kang
Yes because it’s baseball
Probably not. I’m not a fan of espn.
Do they keep score? Then absolutely!
Yes, I will watch some games. If decent announcing and starts growing on me, I will watch more. Started watching XFL games with my Dad with the expectation that I would watch a game or two then turn it off. Both of us started to like the games and starting understanding the new rule set as we watched some games and actually turned into a regular watcher.
As long as there is no alternative, absolutely.
Pete Alonso will be on Bill Hemmer Reports on FNC sometime between 3pm-4pm ET
Lol imagine being excited for KBO, I’m not that desperate like some of you
I want to hear a super excitable Korean broadcaster in Korean. Only way to watch
i will certainly try to, especially on weekends given the timing of them.
Bonus – KBO has hot, hot cheerleaders…
Their game isn’t that exciting but….
Only if leave it beaver wasn’t on at the same time.
Please, someone, splain to me why watching a game on TV is different depending on how many fans are there?
No problem re: Korean games with no fans in the stands. It’ll be just like watching a game played in Oakland.
Watched Mr Baseball movie the other night.
There were fans in the stands but don’t know what they were yelling. In fact, showing the field and not the fans was good.
Of course, the love angle was an asset, she was a looker and didn’t matter she was Japanese-she could warm any kind of sheets.
Although they drove cars on the left side of the road, they still ran the bases to the right. I guess that doesn’t confuse them.
Interesting, the finale was the Giants against the Dodgers (misspelled with “ragon” in the middle of the word after the D and before the s) but they were the same Blue and White.
Sir this is a tomato farm
I would rather play APBA games off the 2019 cards than watch games right now. It’s been years since I played APBA but I remember having a fun league with my friends. We picked teams, protected players, held a draft for the players on the unpicked teams and the unprotected players, then played all summer. Easily could do that apart from each other, it would be fun.
What would we be dealing with in regard to the game time element??? What time does KBO games start converting to West Coast PDT?????
Someone please advise………………………………..
Korea is 16 hours ahead….
6pm game time KST is 2am PST…
I would ABSOLUTELY watch. I’d bring my tablet outside, sling myself into my favorite hammock, pour myself a glass of Lysol, and enjoy all that a baseball season has to offer.
I like my Lysol on the rocks with a fresh lime.
@IhatemyFather And that shows how dumb you really are. Someone talked about disinfectant and did not mention “Lysol”, but that’s what you heard, hence you’re dumb.
Do you actually understand what a medical disinfectant is or do you just watch CNN all day and believe it all, it must be the latter.
Oh! He was talking about a medical disinfectant! Got it. It makes sense now.
But why then did the medical PROFESSIONALS react in horror?
@BobTillman Natural selection will get you anyway. Dumb and dumber. Someone talked about disinfectant you heard ‘lysol’. You obviously already had too much kool aid so forget about the ‘lysol’ whilst in your hammock.
Didn’t ESPN nix an MMA event recently? Why are they suddenly willing to sponsor sporting events? Is it okay because it’s far away?
ESPN, their owner Disney, and while we’re at it, the US as a whole, should grow a set of balls and get back to playing sports at home, instead of watching it played half a world away.
With MLB.com airing the last two year’s games, unless you have a eidetic memory, they are real and entertaining. KBO pales by comparison.
KBO talent is probably a little better than college baseball… probably…
That’s the MLB hurdle – key States not opening up. It’s very hard to envision California agreeing to live pro sports in this calendar year.
I’d probably DVR it and at minimum have on in the background while working, looking up now and then at key moments.
No
Baseball is baseball. I’ll watch anything right now
GO BEARS! (Doosan)
Yes. For the amazing bat flips alone I would watch.
Especially on foul balls.
Why couldn’t one of the options just be a straight yes?
Anyone who says no isn’t a true baseball fan. Give me two teams competitive against each other and I’ll enjoy it. Rookie ball, community ball, doesn’t matter. You still get to see the raw talent.
I agree one hundred percent. I’ll even take my sons baseball team or my daughters softball games – although I do enjoy watching them ply because their older. But I live and breath baseball. Like you said give me two teams competing and watch a good game. Whether it’s the MLB, Japanese, Korean, DR..anything but old replays on MLB network
If they aired the senior or junior leagues here in Saskatchewan i’d watch, Just because i love baseball. So yes to any competitive baseball available!!!!!
I’d love to see this be the catalyst to make the game more global – baseball should have a Champions league like soccer – division winners in mlb vs division winners in Japan and Korea for a single elimination tournament. If you make it equitable for the players, I bet they’d buy in.
I’d rather have (internet) radio broadcasts than TV.