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Former Mets pitcher Drew Gagnon recalls the first time he truly felt the power of Taiwan’s unique in-stadium experience. On April 24, 2021, during a game between his team, the Wei Chuan Dragons, and the CTBC Brothers at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, Gagnon was struck by the overwhelming atmosphere.
As he stepped onto the mound, preparing to face the first batter, the deafening roar from the stands and the constant flow of electronic music, along with the cheerleaders guiding fans through chants, left him in awe.
“I couldn’t even think,” Gagnon recalled. The sheer energy, amplified by cheerleaders dancing in the stands and on the dugouts, was unlike anything he had ever experienced in baseball. The dynamic combination of music and crowd participation was a far cry from the more subdued atmospheres he was used to in the U.S.
This immersive, high-energy experience, which was visible to international audiences during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, is the result of years of evolution in Taiwanese baseball culture. What began as a tentative attempt to revive the sport in the early 2000s has transformed into a spectacle that now drives the enthusiasm in stadiums across Taiwan.
In the late 2000s, Taiwan’s professional baseball league, the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), was struggling. A series of match-fixing scandals had drained fan enthusiasm, and the sport’s popularity was in decline. During this period, cheerleaders were introduced to bolster morale, but their initial impact was limited. Fans, disillusioned by the scandals, weren’t in the mood for added excitement from cheer squads.
However, the turning point came in 2013 when the Lamigo Monkeys (now the Rakuten Monkeys) introduced a new approach to cheerleading. After playing in South Korea, where cheerleaders and dance music are integral parts of the baseball experience, the Monkeys sought to blend this influence with Taiwan’s own fan culture of drums and chanting.
Initially, skepticism surrounded this idea. Taiwan’s baseball fans weren’t convinced that cheerleading could succeed, especially given past failed attempts. But over time, as Lamigo Monkeys began to attract larger crowds, the tide started to turn. By 2016, every CPBL team had its own cheerleading squad, and the culture began to grow.
Former volunteer cheerleaders, like Kenta Wu of CTBC Brothers, found themselves leading squads full-time. The role of cheer captains grew in importance. These captains weren’t just in charge of leading chants but were responsible for everything from planning pre-game events to designing tailored chants for each batter.
In Taiwan’s baseball environment, the cheerleaders have become much more than just a peripheral attraction. Their role is now central to the fan experience. Cheer captains take on the demanding task of creating personalized chants for each batter, matching their hitting profile. For example, chants for fast contact hitters are light and quick, while power hitters are greeted with louder, more thunderous chants to energize the crowd.
Every cheer captain must craft music and chants for every game, often improvising on the fly to match the dynamic nature of each team’s lineup. This ensures that the entire stadium is engaged from the first pitch to the last, maintaining a level of energy that keeps fans engaged.
One of the central figures of this movement is Travis, the cheer captain for the Fubon Guardians, who likens cheerleaders to a “charging cord” for the fans. “Fans come to the game after work, their energy is low,” said Travis. “The game itself is the plug, and the cheerleaders are the charging cord that keeps them going.”
The cheerleading squads now play an integral role in ensuring the vibrancy of the stadium, providing fans with a continuous source of energy and enthusiasm. Their efforts are seen as the “charging cord” that recharges the fans’ spirits, ensuring that the baseball game becomes more than just a sporting event, but an experience that invigorates the crowd.
This evolution in Taiwanese baseball culture has helped restore the sport’s popularity. What began as a struggling league, plagued by scandals, has blossomed into one of the most exciting and fan-engaged baseball experiences in the world. Cheerleading, once a peripheral addition, is now an essential part of the game’s cultural fabric in Taiwan.
