Celebrating the Competitive Spirit—Rise of Sports Variety

Just imagine this: the rush of adrenaline keeping the audience alert as their eyes track the movement of the basketball accompanied by the sound of shoes squeaking against the sleek court floor. Or maybe feeling the rising tension in the atmosphere while watching the player dribble the soccer ball and passing it to the striker who connects it to a winning shot. 

Sports are a universal source of entertainment. A platform for emotional expression, they bring people together through actions and reactions that occur before, during, and after a game. They create a language of their own as different rules exist in different arenas for different sports. In fact, the beauty of this diversity reflects the values of teamwork and fairness while portraying the undying passion of dedicated athletes.

Busy lives often become the obstacle in preventing avid sports fans from finding time to physically attend sports events or participate in local sports themselves. However, there’s no need to worry anymore. SBS’ Handsome Tigers and JTBC’s Let’s Play Soccer have your back, bringing the thrill and excitement to the homes of sports fans worldwide.

Let’s Play Soccer: The Rise of Soccer

Join the crowd in cheering for the legends on the field. JTBC’s Let’s Play Soccer started in June 2019, drawing a lot of positive reactions from the public for its balance of competition and entertainment.

With the objective of illustrating the cast’s growth in skill and experience to reach victory in Korea’s local soccer league, former soccer player but current skilled entertainer Ahn Junghwan stands as the coach of the team. His background and past experiences as a soccer player definitely benefit the individuals of the team as he assists them with technical aspects as well as strategic planning. 

The lineup of players is filled with sports stars who have made history in Korea’s sports industry, moving fans with their hard work that led them to achieve valuable records. From the industries of gymnastics, tennis, marathon running, shooting, baseball, basketball, volleyball, speed skating, swimming, wrestling, and entertainment, former athletes and entertainers Yeo Hongchul, Lee Hyungtaik, Lee Bongjoo, Jin Jongoh, Yang Joonhyuk, Kim Byunghyun, Hur Jae, Kim Yohan, Mo Taebum, Park Taehwan, Kim Donghyun, Kim Yongman, Kim Seongjoo, Jung Hyungdon show off their passion to train for their matches against local soccer clubs. Dedicating themselves to the sport by even attending out-of-town training, the athletes work to further improve their ability as individuals and as a group.

Collective effort shows its presence as the episodes progress; however, the members have not yet achieved their first win, continuing a streak of 16 losses. Let’s hope for the best and await for the historical moment of the team’s valuable first victory!

Handsome Tigers: The Rise of Basketball

Bring out your competitive spirit and cheer for the Tigers on the court. SBS’ new variety program Handsome Tigers aired its first episode in January 2020. 

Starting off the new year with a boom, the show’s cast captured the attention of many viewers even before it started. Along with their noteworthy appearances, the celebrities on the team also succeeded in displaying their enthusiasm for basketball, constantly looking to enhance their skills to get further in terms of technicality. 

Consisting of ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo (guard), Mighty Mouth’s Shorry (guard), Yoo Seonho (guard), model Moon Suin (center), actor Lee Taeseon (guard), actor and model Julien Kang (center), actor Lee Sangyoon (forward), actor Seok Jiseok (guard), actor Kim Seunghyun (forward), and actor Kang Kyungjoon (forward), Handsome Tigers start off checking their skills with an unannounced basketball game against Huimoon Middle School. Coach Seo Janghoon and manager Red Velvet’s Joy plan this match ahead of time against the rising basketball stars from the middle school and the coach shows signs of satisfaction seeing the legacy of basketball being carried in his middle school Huimoon even up to this day.

Every member places an important role in the team and in their respective positions; among all, however, it’d be hard to deny the fact that Moon Suin caught your eye. Named the ace of the team, the model uses his height and swift actions to his advantage, not afraid to push through and perform both an excellent offense and defense play.

To fill up the weaknesses of the team, Coach Seo Janghoon decides to hold a tryout in order to make an addition of two members in the latest episode. At the end, MYNAME’s Kang Insoo and model Jeon Jihoon joined the Tigers in their adventure to win their next match as a point guard and center in the team. Now as a team of 12, it’s exciting to see how  Handsome Tigers will continue to grow under the coaching of Seo Janghoon and care of Joy and perform with positive synergy at every upcoming match.

Full of entertainment, sports variety programs bring people together to build a connection and create a sense of belongingness regardless of culture or background. As the overall competition and detailed technical plays become the main point of focus rather than personal opinions, these programs encompass a good balance of tension, excitement, and entertainment. Highlighting important etiquettes such as teamwork and fairness as mentioned previously give a good insight into the values that should be respected on the court or field as well as in real life. 

With this, the trend of sports variety shows seems to be on the rise. With soccer considered as one of the few national sports in Korea in present day, I think it’s an appropriate time for these programs to reignite the sports spirit in Korea that is no longer as prevalent among the public as it used to be.

(The Kraze sends our deepest condolences to the Bryant family upon the passing of Kobe Bryant as well as the families of passengers on board. Rest in peace.)