Cheerleaders Pump Up Crowds for World Baseball Classic Qualifiers

TaiwanPlus News

Cheerleaders play a big role in Taiwan's baseball culture but their distinctive style of encouragement didn't originate here. TaiwanPlus looks at how the culture evolved and what it takes to be a cheerleader.

Transcript

00:00Igniting the crowds and pumping up the fans, these are Taiwan's baseball cheerleaders who

00:11have been a fixture in the sport for over a decade.

00:15And at this warm-up game ahead of the World Baseball Classics qualifiers, they're cheering

00:19on Team Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei.

00:31The cheerleaders are responsible for getting fans invested in the game, making everyone

00:36at the stadium feel like an essential part of the match.

00:55Cheerleaders were first introduced to Taiwan's baseball scene in 1995, known as the Budweiser

01:00Girls.

01:01They were former models who helped sell drinks at games.

01:05But they weren't tied to an individual team.

01:08Then, in 2004, the Samsung Lions, a South Korean baseball team, brought their team's

01:14cheerleaders to Taiwan for an exhibition game, creating a sensation.

01:31This inspired Taiwan to form its first homegrown cheerleading team.

01:35The Lanyu Girls, setting the stage for cheerleaders we see today.

01:43Taiwan now has over 100 professional baseball cheerleaders.

01:47But becoming one of them is no easy feat.

01:50The selection process is rigorous, assisting candidates for dance skills, social media

01:55management and, most importantly, the ability to be approachable and engaging.

02:25And once they're on the team, there are more challenges to come.

02:28They undergo intense training and have to memorize at least 50 chants for different

02:33players.

02:48And to stand out among the cheerleaders in Taiwan, and get more fans and possibly sponsorships,

02:54they need to find something extra.

03:16For the World Baseball Classic qualifying games, cheerleaders from across the domestic

03:20league were chosen to form a special squad, called the CTMAs.

03:25They'll be priming the crowds to support the national team.

03:28These cheerleaders may not be the main characters on the field, but they definitely electrify

03:36the atmosphere here at the stadium.

03:37No one can deny that they play an important role in Taiwan's baseball popularity.

03:42Devon Tsai and Sunny Chi in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.

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