national ritual before the game against Daegu Korea Gas Corporation held at Sajik Indoor Stadium in Busan on the 1st. Provided by KBL“/>
Busan KCC players are performing a national ritual before the game against Daegu Korea Gas Corporation held at Sajik Indoor Stadium in Busan on the 1st. Provided by KBL
The national ritual before professional basketball games will become autonomous starting this season. This change comes from the judgment that national consciousness cannot be enforced at professional sports games.
The national ritual before a game was mandatory for 28 years from 1997, when Korean professional basketball was founded, until last season. When the national anthem was played, players, coaches, and even spectators had to stand facing the national flag. Foreign players were no exception. Daven Jefferson, a foreign player who previously played for Changwon LG, was handed over to the disciplinary committee for stretching during the national ceremony in 2015 and was eventually expelled from the team.
Criticism has consistently been raised that national ceremonies at professional sports games are excessively nationalistic. There is no basis for enforcing national rituals at sporting events for commercial purposes other than national competitions.
After deliberation by the board of directors, the KBL League decided to leave it up to the clubs to decide whether to conduct national rituals before games starting from the 2024-2025 season. A KBL official explained, “As there is a trend of national rituals disappearing from professional sports games, we removed the mandatory rule with the intention of allowing clubs to choose whether or not to proceed with the rituals.”
Suwon KT and Seoul SK players are performing a national ritual before a game held at Suwon KT Sonic Boom Arena last year. Provided by KBL
Three clubs, including Changwon LG, Daegu Korea Gas Corporation, and Seoul Samsung, will not hold a national ritual before home games starting this season. An LG official explained, “There was some opinion as to whether it was right to perform the national ritual in a professional game rather than a national competition, and the flow was interrupted while the players were warming up, so we eliminated the ritual.” A KOGAS official said, “We decided to hold the national ceremony only in games with special meaning, such as the opening and closing matches, and not at other games.” He added, “The atmosphere became more natural because we did not hold the national ceremony.” A Samsung official said, “We decided not to hold a national ceremony because it could disrupt the atmosphere of the game.”
Even after autonomy, there are still more clubs performing national rituals. Many are of the opinion that there is no need to change it as it is a long-standing practice.
Now, among the four major professional sports in Korea, baseball is the only one where national rituals are mandatory. According to the KBO League regulations’ Guidelines for Player Conduct During the Game, when the national anthem is broadcast just before the start of the game, players on the bench come forward and line up, and referees and players in other stadiums take off their hats and place their hands on their left chests. It should be put on. Personal outbursts are prohibited until the performance ends.
The Professional Football League (K League) and the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) do not have regulations on pre-match national rituals. Seongnam Ilhwa held a national ritual before each home game until 2013, but the custom was abolished when it was re-established as Seongnam FC in 2014. Professional volleyball also does not hold a national ritual before a game.
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