On the 25th, a double header was held at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan for the first time in the history of men’s and women’s professional basketball in Korea. At 2 p.m., Busan BNK played the second round of the WKBL against Bucheon Hana One Q, and from 5 p.m., Busan KCC and Daegu Korea Gas Corporation faced off in the second round of the KBL.

Usually, the word doubleheader refers to a case in which two clubs compete in the same match on the same day in professional baseball. The first game of the doubleheader will be held in the early afternoon, and the second game will begin after taking a break as soon as this game is over. Recently, however, the meaning has been expanded, and it is also used to refer to consecutive games in which the two clubs who use the same stadium in the National Basketball Association (NBA) face different opponents.

In fact, even a few months ago, the double header at Sajik Gymnasium was unexpected. KCC was originally based in Jeonju, not Busan. However, the situation changed when KCC moved its home turf in August. Since the KBL and WKBL have already scheduled all this season, the match days between KCC and BNK overlap, and the first case was Saturday, the 25th.

KCC and BNK, which had concerns, chose a solution called a doubleheader instead of adjusting the date. They put their heads together so that fans could enjoy the game in one place by adjusting only the start time. This was also the only common denominator in both the KBL and WKBL that the hometown and home stadium are the same. Both KCC and BNK agreed that marketing such as a doubleheader is needed to boost the basketball heat in Busan even a little.

The biggest problem with this double header was ticket reservation. KBL and WKBL each sold tickets through their own sites, so this part needed to be coordinated. At this point, BNK decided to make a concession for KCC, who newly moved into Busan. The entire ticket purchase window for viewing all double headers has been unified to the KBL website. The ticket price was also adjusted to the existing KCC game price.

Fortunately, it was easy to use the stadium. Usually, basic settings such as the club logo, court design, and billboards are all different, so a major replacement work is inevitable between the first and second games. However, major spaces at Sajik Gymnasium, including the court, were designed in the form of both KCC and BNK logos, so there was no big problem in this part. In addition, the interview time and TV broadcasting issues were also discussed in advance by both clubs to minimize the gap. After a few weeks of coordination, a total of 5,272 spectators came into the doubleheader.

Of course, he left behind a number of tasks. As ticket sales were centered on KCC, fewer fans came to the BNK game than usual. Analysts say that the weekend-like atmosphere has not been revived due to many empty seats.

In addition, there are voices of regret that there was a lack of publicity in the region. BNK Jung Sang-ho, secretary-general, said, “It is true that the number of women’s basketball fans has decreased, perhaps because the ticket price is higher than before.” In addition, there are some parts that have not been properly promoted because it is the first time for such a double header. “We will discuss the problems that came out through this game with KCC in the future,” he said.

Grades evaluated as a key factor in crowd mobilization also remained a homework. BNK and KCC, who played a historic doubleheader, lost 54-63 and 81-96, respectively. BNK, which did well in second place last season, has a bad start with two wins and four losses this season. KCC, which has national team lineups such as Lee Seung-hyun, Heo Woong, Song Kyo-chang and Ra Gun-ah, also fell to the bottom of the list with three wins and seven losses, breaking expectations.

KCC and BNK will also overlap their schedules once on the 17th of next month. It is also planned to be held as a doubleheader on this day. This time, it is said that it is also considering a method of dividing and selling tickets. A KBL official said, “There are some fans who want to watch both KCC and BNK games, but I think there are others who don’t.” Still, as the resignation doubleheader has a symbolic meaning, we plan to make up for the shortcomings such as this crowd problem until the next game, he explained. 먹튀검증