As I write this, CPBL spring training is well underway and exhibition games are due to kick off this weekend. It will be an exciting new season with the addition of the Wei Chuan Dragons to the fold and the league's newfound popularity abroad. The league was the first to resume play after the COVID-19 pandemic began to ravage the planet. Fast forward a few months later and the Uni-Lions had erased a 3-1 deficit to win the championship to cap off a season that was very much a microcosm of CPBL's season. Uni-Lions overcame a rough first half to win the second half title and then the league much like the league (and the country) overcame the early adversity of empty stadiums and the other more consequential ravages of COVID-19 like strained hospitals and job losses due to the lockdowns. We saw first hand the triumph of a league and of an entire country that has been an example around the world of good pandemic management even in the face of significant geopolitical challenges. Taiwan's and CPBL's 2020 was a year of triumph over adversity.
The reason I am even able to write about this and sit awaiting the new season with great excitement was the decision last year to broadcast games in English on social media. This provided baseball to watch as MLB spun its wheels in tough labor negotiations and worked a pandemic management strategy. It also allowed me to immerse myself in a new community of highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic baseball fans and commentators who spoke my language and could help me learn my way around the league in my language. This was a richly rewarding and happy experience in a year of lowlights. Yet, for all the excitement and the influx of baseball refugees landing (virtually) in Taiwan it seems English broadcasts will not be back at the start of 2021. I hope this winds up being wrong though.
I believe the league is missing an opportunity to follow up on the success of a year ago in luring new fans to the league. In a baseball scene that is increasingly internationalized leagues need to be able to draw fans from around the world and English is the most widely spoken language in the world. The fans tweet, blog and talk about games, they buy CPBL merchandise and when the world begins to open up again, you bet you will see them at games in person. Strong outreach to English speaking fans (especially Americans) is beneficial to the league and will be to the Taiwanese tourism sector as COVID-19 subsides. Moreover, they have highly competent, enthusiastic and knowledgeable English language commentators at their disposal. (Richard Wang, Jean An, Clive Hsu etc.) English language broadcasts made classic moments like "What have I done?!" and "the catch" available to a worldwide audience and I do hope the league reconsiders.
I believe that cost may be the main blocker here and if that is the case I would propose some kind of paid subscription package like what currently exists for CPBL TV. I have also seen Game of the Week type proposals for English broadcasts and I do like this as well. For now however, the current CPBL TV package is a nice option. It gives you access to just about the entire league schedule including spring training and playoff games. I would suggest integrating a few English language broadcasts to the mix even if it requires a slight price increase because it is a fairly affordable package as is. Either way, I will be watching this year whether it be in English or Mandarin and look forward to another season filled with great memories and interesting storylines.
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