Hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, professional sports in most countries have come to a halt. Since the CPBL in Taiwan was the first professional baseball league to start a new season, it has become a focal point in sports circles worldwide, and was reported by international media outlets such as Time, CNN and NHK.
The CPBL’s games have aroused much interest and discussion among foreign journalists and commentators.
With the pandemic, the CPBL enjoys a “product scarcity” advantage.
For example, international media outlets have contacted it about broadcasting rights, and foreign fans have reportedly showed interest in CPBL-related merchandise.
Thus the business opportunities brought by the epidemic are perhaps the best catalyst for a transformation and upgrade.
The CPBL can make three improvements: language, data and online shopping interfaces.
First, they should make the interface of its Web sites bilingual. In addition to bilingual commentary in Chinese and English during broadcasts, the teams should create English versions of their official Web sites.
They should employ professional writers for pre and post-game analysis, with graphics and videos in a story-telling style in Chinese and English. By doing so, they would increase the depth and richness of the Web sites, and improve the readability of the game analyses.
Second, they should systematize the league’s data interface. If the CPBL could organize the overall, offense and defense data in detail, these could serve as a reference not only for coaches when deploying players, but also for teams when collecting information about rivals.
They would also be able to connect the teams past, present and future to shape multiple meanings, such as remembering old epic games while opening new chapters.
For instance, a team’s record for longest winning streak, a player’s record for most stolen bases and even mechanical statistics on base running skills and speed are all “magic numbers” that baseball fans praise and gasp at in awe.
Apart from highlighting the sports science and baseball artistry, such data could serve as references for sports betting.
Third, the CPBL should make its online sales interface easier to use.
In addition to contacting companies for broadcast rights, diverse viewing options — such as offering personalized viewing programs per game, month or season — and online display of related merchandise, ranging from caps to jerseys and cellphone straps, could all be further commercialized and internationalized.
The CPBL could duplicate Major League Baseball’s and National Basketball Association’s playoff season experience, and try to promote local features to the world, so that baseball fans in other countries could order championship T-shirts and other souvenirs online.
The quality of Taiwan’s professional baseball is among the world’s best. With a huge audience and a consumer base of millions of Chinese speakers worldwide, its possible to imagine future expansion into other international markets.
As opportunity knocks, CPBL authorities should give it a try. They should consider cross-cultural affinities and global market acceptance when improving the depth and scope of their marketing.
Hopefully the CPBL will continue to develop by forming a team of cross-disciplinary reporting, data and online sales talent.
Having built a world-class mask production team, Taiwan could hit another home run by building a world-class professional baseball league.
Tao Yi-che is a teacher at the Affiliated High School of National Chengchi University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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