Lotte Giants has lowered the threshold of Sajik Stadium (Busan Sajik Sports Complex Sajik Baseball Stadium) with "fun beyond baseball." In 2016, it became the first in the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization (KBO)) to put cartoon characters on player uniforms, and every year it set up large character sculptures in the stadium plaza and held exhibitions to draw in child spectators.
On top of that, it established a system—also a KBO first—of securing separate on-site sales seats for the digitally vulnerable, launched the "tee-ball academy" and "cheering culture experience" that visit Busan's elementary, middle and high schools, and even added "Born to Be Giants," which gifts school supplies to all new elementary school students, enabling Lotte to build a solid fandom that spans all generations.
Lotte Giants ranked No. 1 among the 10 KBO clubs in 2025 with operating profit of 16.56 billion won. It was well ahead of Doosan Bears (8.71 billion won), Kiwoom Heroes (8.51 billion won), SSG Landers (4.93 billion won) and NC Dinos (470 million won). Dependence on the parent company also fell from 59.4% in 2015 to 26.2% in 2025.
Kim Jong-ho, Lotte Giants head of business operations, said, "All added value in the pro baseball business begins at the touchpoints where fans gather in offline spaces," and noted, "When the sense of bonding by breathing together with others at the ballpark and the variety of food and sights accumulate into a satisfying experience, the revisitation rate and average check naturally rise together." The following is a Q&A.
It ranked first in operating profit among the 10 KBO clubs last year. What key performance indicators (KPIs) does Lotte Giants prioritize most internally?
"The top priority metric is 'attracting visitors (attendance).' That's because all added value in the pro baseball business begins at the touchpoints where fans gather in offline spaces. Sufficient attendance must underpin the formation of a linkage that leads to merchandise and food and beverage (F&B) sales. In particular, when the sense of bonding by breathing together with others at the ballpark and the variety of food and sights accumulate into a satisfying experience, the revisitation rate and average check naturally rise together, so we set attendance as the foundation of the club's business."
The composition of spectators is changing noticeably, including an influx of female fans. What changes in the fan base and consumption patterns are you sensing on site?
"Clear changes are evident both on site and in the data. The female share increases every year, rising from 53% last year to 55.1% this year, up 2.1 percentage points year over year, and is now predominant. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of female spectators has been trending above 50%. Consumption patterns have also shifted from a focus on 'value for money' to a focus on the 'quality of experience.' A prime example is that premium seats, which are relatively higher priced, sell out first when ticketing opens. While Avenue L seats (150,000 won on weekends), the most expensive, and the central table seats (up to 66,000 won) are over 99% occupied, outfield seats (up to 12,000 won) are at the mid-85% level. Team merchandise sales have more than tripled compared with before, and F&B sales have also tripled. We also moved up the ticket on-sale date by two weeks to help more spectators plan visits at their convenience."
You've focused on planting "fun beyond baseball" in and around the ballpark through uniform-character collaborations and plaza festivals. What is the background and direction of these efforts?
"Back in 2016, when we collaborated with Doraemon, the uniform was a kind of 'sanctuary.' But after pondering, 'Can't we offer other enjoyment at the ballpark beyond baseball?,' we held a character exhibition, and seeing families come for picnics even on non-game days gave us confidence. Expanding that to uniforms drew such a response that it was covered by Japanese media. It's the result of completely shifting the club's business identity to 'providing fan experiences.' Gifting low-priced uniforms to all spectators, holding fireworks shows and concerts after games, and floating a special stage on the natural grass to host a 25,000-person fan festival are in the same vein. Even if there is an expense in the short term, turning every moment a fan spends at the ballpark into a sensory and special memory is the key to long-term fandom lock-in."
Your "all-generation fandom" initiatives, spanning children to seniors, are also active.
"It comes from the belief that 'a childhood ballpark experience leads to a lifelong fan.' In partnership with the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education, we regularized the tee-ball academy (120 sessions annually) and the cheering culture experience (20 sessions annually), and we have steadily run Born to Be Giants, which gifts school supplies to all new Busan elementary school students, and the high school snack event 'School Attack.' Even if they don't know baseball rules, the strategy is to instill the perception that 'Sajik Stadium is a fun playground.' Conversely, to prevent seniors from being left out, we introduced the KBO's first 'on-site ticket sales system for the digitally vulnerable' to build a fandom without generational disconnection."
As a club with the Lotte Group's retail base, what strengths do you think you have compared with other clubs?
"The ability to immediately transplant the group system—encompassing both online and offline channels—into club infrastructure is a unique competitive edge. The club's official online merchandise sales are conducted exclusively through the group platform 'Lotte ON,' and since 2025 we have combined the club IP with 7-Eleven to roll out various convenience store food collaborations. We are combining Lotte Chilsung Beverage's Pepsi and Kloud branding with on-site experiences at Sajik Stadium and co-planning large summer festivals, actively leveraging the group's distribution network and brands as club revenue diversification assets."
What are the tasks to sustain the heat at Sajik Stadium, and what is Lotte Giants' ultimate aim?
"The fundamental basis is a 'comfortable and safe viewing environment.' As it is a space where more than 20,000 spectators stay for over three hours per game, maintaining the infrastructure is essential to sustaining the content's appeal. At the same time, 'broadening the base' must go in parallel so younger generations, accustomed to rapid trend shifts, can stay interested. When base expansion harmonizes atop comfortable hardware, long-term sustainability is secured. Given that whether there is a game at Sajik Stadium directly affects foot traffic and sales in nearby commercial areas, Lotte Giants bears a sense of responsibility as 'Busan's core cultural infrastructure' beyond a mere sports team. Going forward, pro baseball clubs will become corporations that provide fan experiences that fill the lifestyle and daily life of their home cities, beyond the realm of sports."
Plus point
Characters on uniforms, baseball clubs and a wave of collaborations
Since Lotte Giants became the first in the KBO in 2016 to put characters on uniforms, character collaborations have become a box-office formula across the league. Kia Tigers in May 2025 unveiled uniforms and merchandise in collaboration with the popular character "Catch! Teenieping," drawing huge crowds of fans to online and offline outlets from the first day of release. Samsung Lions also in March of the same year joined hands with Everland's "Bao Family" and ran a pop-up store featuring about 100 limited-edition merchandise items.
LG Twins this year teamed up with "Anpanman" to roll out collaboration uniforms, marking kits and character badges, while setting up a pop-up store and photo zone at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. Characters also took part in ceremonial first pitches and swings, extending character IP beyond products to on-site ballpark experiences. As other clubs have followed with similar character collaborations, observers say what began as one club's novel attempt has now settled as a league-wide strategy to expand fandom.