Every year men take it upon themselves to make a bevy of predictions concerning the year ahead. Somehow, I doubt that any of them predicted the current global reality. The coronavirus pandemic has decimated global economies and killed roughly three quarters of a million at the time of writing. Each country's handling of this historic crisis has ranged from the truly impressive to the truly disastrous. Among the countries that has won praise for its handling of the pandemic is the small island nation of Taiwan, unrecognized by many in the international community and continually under threat by neighboring China. My main interest here however will be in a byproduct of Taiwan being able to contain the pandemic; there is professional baseball being played there with packed stadiums.
The 31st season of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) kicked off on April 13th with no fans. However, as time has passed fans were allowed back first in small dosages but now in almost full force. The result has been the liveliest baseball atmosphere in the world in 2020. Heck, the first on field fight even happened there. Add to this the highly enthusiastic and creative cheer crews and knowledge, engaging English language broadcast teams and you have quite the spectacle. In a few months, I've seen everything from breakdancing lions to in-game water gun fights between fans and even post-game singing competitions. In the most morose of years, CPBL baseball has been a source of joy and fun.
The reason for which I've come to know these things is that the league has kindly made English language broadcasts of games accessible via Twitter. As such, CPBL baseball has become a regular morning staple. My diet can now be said to consist of breakfast with baseball. I've been a baseball fan since I was ten or so and this was the first time I could not look forward to a Blue Jays game come April. CPBL, and KBO for that matter, have come to the rescue.
Now you may ask why I received CPBL games with such enthusiasm (I rarely miss a game) The underlying reason is that I'm reminded of the way we were, a world in which crowded stadiums with wildly enthusiastic fans was the norm and not the exception. It all seems so normal, so human, in a world where normalcy and basic human interactions are a commodity to be cherished. To watch a CPBL game is to be reminded that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It is to discover a new appreciation for the basic pleasures we took for granted before March here in the Americas. Furthermore, I find that the CPBL online fan community is vibrant. They are knowledgeable, engaged, and above all welcoming to the throng of baseball refugees, myself included, that have invaded their shores. CPBL baseball is an oasis of normality, a nation of the basic pleasures and freedoms that we now know cannot be taken for granted. Every pitch or swing, from Opening Day to the last out of the Taiwan Series will be a simple but important act of resilience and affirmation of life.
Eventually, fans will return to stadiums here also. Life will revert to normal and the economy will recover. When these things happen, I will remember how baseball became more than just a game and how CPBL became more than just some small foreign league a world away. I will remember how it reminded me that we can recover the basic pleasures and freedoms of life and that even in a world so disconnected, thousands of people who have never met and may have little in common can bond in the spirit of hope and human tenacity. That is why I watch, and will continue to watch the games in Taiwan In 2020 and beyond, CPBL will continue to be an inspiration and a testament to the indomitable human spirit.
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