by STEVE HAN
It takes commitment and dedication to be a fan. That’s especially the case if you’re a fan of South Korea’s struggling baseball team, the Hanwha Eagles, which finished dead last in the Korea Baseball Organization in four of the last five seasons.
The Eagles are struggling yet again this year as they’ve been in the last place for most of the season. To save their fans from the misery of watching their team lose on a nightly basis–while providing a way to root for the team without having to deal with the agony of losing–the Eagles have brought in cheering robots into the stands that the fans can control from anywhere with access to Internet during the games..
The robots cheer, chant and even perform a Mexican wave, per fans’ instructions.
Many die-hard fans are dismissing the idea as a “gimmick,” but the ballclub has plans to further utilize the robot fans down the road.
“The robots allow fans to cheer for the team at the games even when they’re not physically present,” official at the Eagles told the Korea Times. “We’ll continue our future plans, which include robots using thunder sticks and other digital tools to cheer.”
