The Shadow of Sports Fandom in South Korean Classrooms

In South Korean classrooms, the vibrant world of sports fandom has become an integral part of children's lives and play. For elementary school teacher Song Ah-reum, this immersion is a noticeable shift from a decade ago. Students enthusiastically follow both domestic and international soccer and baseball teams, memorizing and reciting team anthems, slogans, and individual player chants.

What initially seemed like a fascinating aspect of youth culture soon turned into a source of concern for Song. When she revealed her past as a fan of the Lotte Giants baseball team, a team that has historically struggled, her students found it amusing. This led to her becoming a target for playful teasing, with students even sharing recent game scores to elicit a reaction. However, the issue extended beyond her; students who supported teams other than their own or their local favorites often became targets of ridicule and mockery.

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When I said, 'Teacher is a Lotte fan!', it was like a button for some kids to laugh.

This dynamic created a classroom environment where team affiliation could lead to taunting and exclusion. Students might choose colors associated with their favored team, asserting its superiority, or engage in chants that included jeers and insults directed at opposing teams. The author observed that this behavior caused some students to feel hurt and excluded, while others developed an unwarranted sense of superiority based on their team's performance, even though they were not directly involved in the games.

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The shadow of sports culture was present in the classroom like a game that could be applied very simply.

While acknowledging the positive aspects of sports, such as understanding game systems, techniques, and building a narrative around a team's history, the article questions the negative consequences of this intense fandom. The author notes that when students identify solely by their team affiliation, their individual identities, as a teacher, a writer, a sister, can be erased, replaced by a simple label: 'team fan.' This reductionist view, mirroring an 'us vs. them' mentality, fosters a superficial understanding of people.

The article concludes by suggesting that the "shadow" of sports culture in the classroom is the simplistic application of this binary worldview. It advocates for teaching children to move beyond seeing opponents as enemies. Encouraging empathy, imagination, and the recognition that fans of other teams also have stories and perspectives is presented as a vital lesson for children navigating the world of sports and beyond.

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Imagining that fans of teams I don't like also have stories, and making that flat imagination thicker, seems to be what we need to teach children alongside enjoying sports.