“Xingyi Baseball”: What's Up with Chinese Baseball · Baseball Position #1

⚾️ Why is the progress of baseball in China so slow? Reasons for the stagnation of Chinese baseball

❶ Cultural foundation & public awareness are weak

Historical gap: Baseball wasn’t introduced into Chinese traditional culture, so public awareness is lacking (whereas Japan/Korea/Taiwan received the sport during colonial periods)

“Niche Sport” label: The public sees baseball as a “high-end, niche activity,” not widely played like basketball

Media visibility is low: CCTV5 broadcasts fewer than 10 games annually, compared to MLB’s 2,430 games per year in the US✨

❷ Infrastructure Deficit: Major construction challenges

Limited venues: Only 200+ standard baseball fields nationwide (America has over 16,000)

High cost barrier:

Building a standard field costs about ¥5 million+ (the same as building five basketball courts)

Expensive equipment: A regulation bat costs around ¥800+, making youth participation less accessible

❸ Fragmented System: Lack of cohesion in the development pipeline

Broken youth training chain:

School baseball: Only 0.3% of primary and secondary schools offer it (Ministry of Education 2022 data)

Career pathway: There’s little connection from U12 to U18 to pro leagues, with over 90% talent loss

Weak league ecosystem:

CNBL (Chinese Baseball League): Season lasts less than 3 months, player salaries are about average city wage

Low commercial value: Sponsors are mainly local governments and gear suppliers, with no media rights revenue

⓸ MLB system inspiration: How can China break through? MLB System Reference → China Solution

Core Strategy: Transforming with a pyramid model

[TOP] Pro league CNBL ↗ Connect with MLB international talent programs

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[Middle] Regional leagues (East China/North China/South China alliances)

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[Base] School system (elementary to university leagues) + community clubs

Five Major Action Plans

⓵ Build a strong grassroots ecosystem

Policy push: Ministry of Education makes baseball a mandatory “sports literacy” course✅

Low-cost venues:

Convert abandoned factories into indoor batting cages

Shared community fields: Schools use them during the day/public access at night️

Affordable gear: Partner with manufacturers to launch “national trendy value baseball kits” (bat + glove + ball ≈ ¥299)

⓶ Upgrade the competition system

Learn from MLB’s farm system:

Create a CNBL second team league as a talent pool

City teams partner with universities (e.g. Beijing Tigers × Tsinghua University baseball team)

Extend the season:

Regular season runs April to September + winter training camps in warm areas (Hainan/Yunnan)

⓷ Tech-powered engagement

AR gamification:

Develop “Home Run for All” app: Scan with your phone to hit, earn points, and redeem for gear

Short video tutorials: Douyin/KOUSHOW baseball challenges #LearnCurveballIn15Seconds

Immersive viewing experiences:

Metaverse ballpark: Virtual fan parties on Xiaohongshu + live comment cheer support

⓸ Activate commercial closed loop

Create local baseball IP:

Design baseball uniforms with Chinese style (ink dragon patterns + digital fabrics) → collaborate with trendy brands

“Baseball Music Festival”: Post-game concerts × meet-and-greet with star players

Monetize data:

Player performance uploaded to blockchain → NFT trading cards for baseball stars

⓹ Global synergy: Connect to international resources

Upgrade MLB China Academy:

Send 50+ players to the US for training each year → nurture “China’s Shohei Ohtani”

Introduce Asia-Pacific tournaments:

Host “East Asia Cup Baseball” (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau) → boost international visibility

Key Takeaway

“Field of Dreams” alone isn’t enough! Chinese baseball needs:

Policy leverage × tech empowerment × commercial engine × cultural breakthrough → build a top 3 Asian baseball ecosystem in 10 years!

Let’s make baseball the next big thing in China!