Lotte Giants Baseball

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I went to my first Korean baseball game, the Busan Lotte Giants! Lotte is a department store that sponsors the team. All the teams have similar names. Like Kia or Hyundai. Shocking, right?

The fans were really into the game. They LOVE their team. The game itself was pretty bad - the other team got 6 runs in the first inning. Yikes. The fans were really nice though, no booing, and they clapped for the other team. Remarkable! They have special cheers for many players, including their one spanish player, who's cheer goes, "GAR-ciaaaa, Garciaaaaa Garrrrcia!!!" Not too original. Haha. Interestingly enough, the manager is Jerry Royster, who used to play third base for the Atlanta Braves in the 70s. Small world, right? I kept thinking he looked familiar, but I thought I was just assuming I recognized every foreigner (it's a bad habit), until someone mentioned it and I was justified.

Some things that make Lotte Giants games mayyyyybe more fun than the Braves (I'm sorry to say):
1. You can bring in coolers of food, beer, and soju.
More is encouraged.
2. They sell whole chickens at the door.
3. The sell beer out of camel packs. (See pic)
4. In the ninth inning, they pass out orange trash bags, which everyone wears on their head until the game is over. Then, they put all their trash in it and take it outside. Wow. (see pic)

Last, here's a video of the fans cheering. Funny how it sounds exactly like "Glory Glory to Ole Georgia." I wonder if Royster introduced this song to the Koreans? Haha. We ended up losing in the end, but you'd never know with these fans. Gotta love it.

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