Students of the 7th batch landed an opportunity to conduct their team project during the Korean Baseball Organization Postseason in November 2020 at Gocheok Sky Dome, despite all the hurdles brought upon sporting events by the COVID19 pandemic.
Team projects are part of the DTM curriculum where students are able to apply the information acquired from past lectures to reality. Students typically carry out research while volunteering at sport events in Korea.
Due to emerging social distancing practices in all areas of life, minor modifications to the project assignment were made this time round so that DTM 7th batch students were able to witness the undergoing adaption of sport events amid the pandemic. Students were split into four groups and assigned specific days to conduct research in different topics of venue management, branding through broadcasting, spectator satisfaction, and sponsorship.
This opportunity certainly offered students an insight into the future of the sport industry.
7th batch Maria Barakat from Jordan remarked, “In the middle of a global pandemic, conducting the team project research at a KBO postseason match was fascinating.” She explained that her team had to adapt their method of collecting data by using software, “We used a QR code for individuals to scan to fill out our research survey, to minimize contact with individuals, you know, COVID!”
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Je Raimee expressed her delight in participating in the team project in the face of the corona blue. “In this pandemic scenario, it was very nice to see the sporting matches in my home country kept alive. Of course, with the tighter safety measures taken and lower guidelines for social distance during that period, thankfully we can still observe the stadium atmosphere and not just watch it from the television.” she said.
We cannot see what our future holds, but we are eyewitnesses to the fact that the pandemic cannot stop sport events from happening. Ultimately, the show must go on!
