Recently, there has been a basketball craze in Korea that encompasses all generations. Starting with the screening of the movie “The First Slam Dunk,” which was released in January, basketball-themed content is emerging one after another in various industries, and it can be frequently encountered in daily life highlighting its popularity. In addition, “basketball play (After the popularity of Slam Dunk, a newly coined term for watching or playing basketball games)” does not stop in the media, but leads to the intuition of basketball games, continuing the virtuous cycle of the basketball syndrome. Therefore, let us investigate the variety of new content attracting attention, and think about the prospects and their impact on various industries together.
Introducing “Slam Dunk,” the starting point of basketball play.
The movie “Slam Dunk” shows high attention to detail, including facial expressions that reveal emotions while maintaining each character’s personality, the realistic texture of uniforms and sneakers, and beads of sweat flowing on the main characters’ faces. To briefly introduce the plot, it shows how Song Tae-seop played basketball in Buksan high school, Sanwang technical high school and how the members of Buksan, aiming to win the national championship, faced limitations and overcame them. In addition, Song Tae-seop, who did not receive much attention in the original cartoon, has a larger role in the movie, and his family’s story was treated as a key element of the work. The film brings you nostalgia for the cartoon Slam Dunk and gives you the same tension and joy as watching a real basketball game while enjoying the passion of the Slam Dunk characters. For this reason, not only the older generation but also the younger generation have fallen in love with the movie Slam Dunk and are enjoying various content basketball-related content.
The theater district held an encore ticket promotion to celebrate the movie’s success. It held an event to present various prizes through a lottery when watching a basketball-themed movie. In particular, the “Slam Dunk Pop-up Store” in conjunction Hyundai Department Store sold commemorative products related to Slam Dunk, which showed a new form of consumption, such as “open run” (a compound word meaning waiting outside the store before it opens to buy a desired product). In addition, the distribution industry is actively selling comic books using this opportunity. It is because the original cartoon also became popular again, increasing the number of customers looking for the comic books. Accordingly, 7-Eleven provided various sales strategies and benefits, including pre-order sales through the new Slam Dunk comic book edition.
The scope of basketball play has expanded
“Rebound,” a movie released in April, continued the basketball-based trend. It proved the popularity of basketball by ranking second at the box office on the first day of its release. In addition, the webtoon industry was also influenced by the basketball craze and has been successful. Naver Webtoon’s “Garbage Time” ranked sixth in the popularity list of Sunday webtoons, proving the MZ generation’s interest in basketball with an increase in the number of readers. This also affected the emoticon industry, which made webtoon characters available on KakaoTalk, and “Garbage Time” emoticons ranked first and fourth in the popular purchase rankings of teenagers and 20s in February. It has even created a new word, “basketball play,” and has become a game that even those not interested in basketball can enjoy.
More and more people are going to watch basketball directly, like college basketball, not just in the media. Some people certify on their Social Network Service that they went to watch basketball as the final point of basketball play, while others go to watch basketball at universities. In addition, a basketball game was also held at Dongguk University Gymnasium with the interest and support of Dongguk University students. Park Seung-jae, a captain of Dongguk University’s basketball team, said, “Last year, many fans came, but the stands were not full. When our first home game was held, we came in without nervousness because we did not think it would be that much. However we realized the trend when we saw the full crowd,” he explained the change following the basketball craze. In fact, according to Kang Seung-ah (Department of Chemical & Biotechnology Engineering 22), who actively participates in and enjoys basketball games, “Cheering for players who cut the court quickly and coolly is the charm of basketball games, and I will continue to enjoy various basketball contents.” As such, many Dongguk University students are participating as spectators of basketball games, and they are showing their willingness to participate in basketball games more actively in the future.
The basketball craze, ignited by “The First Slam Dunk,” has now permeated college basketball through the webtoon “Garbage Time” and the movie “Rebound,” solidifying its widespread appeal. What initially began as a fervor surrounding a single medium has evolved into an integrated cultural trend that transcends various groups, encompassing theater, entertainment, and university sports. As a dominant keyword expected to shape the discourse of the first half of 2023, the influence of basketball is projected to extend into even more diverse industries in the future. The interest shown by the MZ generation is a testament to the lasting impact of this basketball syndrome. As basketball turns into a more public-friendly sport, it is hoped that there will be more opportunities to participate in basketball games. With hopes of expanding its reach across different sports fields, the phenomenon is anticipated to attract a growing number of fans, revitalizing the popularity of various sports and further enriching the cultural landscape.