Cheerleaders in stadiums: a home run or bad call?｜Taiwan News

From basketball to baseball, nearly every professional sports team in Taiwan has a cheerleading squad. Fans go to stadiums not just for the games, but also for the animated sideline performances. As cheerleaders soar in popularity, they’ve helped to drive ticket sales and bring international attention to Taiwan. But they’ve also raised some pressing questions. Are they uplifting or undermining women? Are they helping or hindering Taiwan’s sports culture? We dive into the debate in our Sunday special report.

Here at Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium, nearly 10,000 fans wait in the stands to watch the Fubon Guardians play the CTBC Brothers. At the other end of the stadium, there’s a buzz of excitement as cheerleaders stream in.

Established five years ago, the Fubon Angels are Taiwan’s first cheer squad that performs for both baseball and basketball games. The Angels are exclusive to the Fubon franchise.

Anna
Fubon Angels cheerleader
I majored in dance, so I thought if I could combine my passion with my profession, I’d have the world’s best job.

Rain begins to pour in the second inning. The fans bring out their umbrellas as the cheerleaders continue to sing and dance.

Milkshake
Fubon Angels cheerleader
Sometimes it rains in the middle of a game, and it’s not too heavy, so the referee doesn’t call a timeout. So have to keep cheering in the rain, but the ground can be quite slippery.

On this day at Rakuten Taoyuan Baseball Stadium, the home team is scheduled to play the Wei Chuang Dragons. It’s a hot, stifling day. But the Rakuten Girls have arrived on the scene, even earlier than the players.

Behind the glamour of cheerleading is a lot of hard work.

Lan Lan
Rakuten Girls captain
Once we had a doubleheader. We played a game at noon and another at night. I developed heatstroke and felt like I needed to vomit in the middle of a routine.

Besides being able to brave the elements, cheerleaders must have stamina and a strong memory. Every player has a special chant and corresponding moves, and there are opening and half-time shows. Cheerleaders must memorize nearly 50 routines and perform for at least six innings.

Lan Lan
Rakuten Girls captain
This is my seventh year with the squad and a lot has happened over the years. I’ve gotten hit in the head with a dry ice blast. I was watching home plate and our team scored, so of course there was a celebration. The dry ice blaster went off directly into my face, which was a bit scary at the time.

The cheerleaders are popular, not just because of their appearance or dance skills. Their main appeal is how approachable they are, unlike big-name celebrities. Fans interact with the squad during games or promotional events. Thanks to diverse marketing channels, the cheerleaders have tremendous visibility.

Stanley
Rakuten Monkeys marketing manager
We essentially have our own platform. There are 60 home games a year. We have our own stage and run a YouTube channel.

Those who discover the squad on screens have been known to buy tickets to stadiums.

Taiwan baseball’s cheer culture has changed dramatically over the years. In the early days, cheerleaders were a spontaneously arranged group of spectators, not a handpicked squad.

The fans would beat drums, blow air horns, wave flags, and chant simple slogans.

In 2003, the La New Girls were launched by the La New Bears, predecessor to the Rakuten Monkeys. The Girls were the first cheer squad in Taiwan, and there were no permanent members. But ticket sales faltered after 2009 due to match-fixing scandals, remaining poor even when the team won the championship in 2012. That year, each game drew an average of just 2,400 spectators, 600 fewer than the year before. It was a red flag for the franchise.

Pu Wei-ching
Rakuten Monkeys general manager
At the time there were just 2,400 spectators a game. It was already affecting the team, and there were doubts about sustainability. It just so happened that in 2012, we had a chance to go to South Korea. We won the CPBL title and were representing Taiwan in the Asia Series, which was located in Busan. We looked at their ballpark and saw some of the shows staged during the game. We saw the routines of their cheering squad. And we saw that we had a lot to improve on.

In 2013, Pu Wei-ching began the work of bringing South Korea’s cheer culture to Taiwan. Artists were hired to write cheers for the team and every player. New speakers and dedicated DJ booth were installed to support the cheerleaders, amping up the fun in the stadium.

Pu Wei-ching
Rakuten Monkeys general manager
Suddenly your ticket had tons of added value. You didn’t just have a ticket to a baseball game, but also to a show inspired by baseball.

The new cheer culture was
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