International Journal of
Physical Sciences

  • Abbreviation: Int. J. Phys. Sci.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1992-1950
  • DOI: 10.5897/IJPS
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 2557

Review

The idolization of Chien-Ming Wang and social psychological factors in Taiwan

Shane-Chang Lee1, Chun-Chi Wang2, Chih-Cheng Huang3, Jie-Shian Wang1, Chung-Hsing Huang3, Chen-Yuan Chen4,5,6* and Po-Hsuan Huang6,7
1Department of Physical Education, National Taiwan Normal University, No. 162 HePing East Road Section 1, Taipei 10610, Taiwan. 2Tourism and Lisure Management Department, Nanya Institute of Technology, No.414, Sec. 3, Zhongshan E. Rd., Zhongli City, Taoyuan County 320, Taiwan. 3Physical Educational Office, National Yang-Ming University, No.155, Sec. 2, Linong Street, Taipei, 112 Taiwan. 4Doctoral Program in Management, National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology, 2 Jhuoyue Rd., Nanzih, Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan. 5Global Earth Observation and Data Analysis Center (GEODAC), National Cheng Kung University, No 1, Ta-Hsueh Road, Tainan 701, Taiwan. 6Department and Graduate School of Computer Science, National Pingtung University of Education, No. 4-18, Ming Shen Rd., Pingtung 90003, Taiwan. 7Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Central University, No.300, Jhongda Rd., Jhongli City, Taoyuan County 32001, Taiwan.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 10 May 2011
  •  Published: 04 June 2011

Abstract

This study aims to explore the relationship between the idolization of Chien-Ming Wang and the social psychological factors in Taiwan. Documentary analysis was applied to analyze the time and political background of baseball development in Taiwan. Also in-depth interviews with sports journalists in Taiwan, the CEO of the World Games 2009 in Kaohsiung, and Wang’s fans were conducted. It was found that Wang’s image of a baseball superstar in Taiwan is related to the colonization of Taiwan by the Japanese. Because baseball was brought to Taiwan by the Japanese, as one of the colonized people, the outstanding baseball player Chien-Ming Wang’s appearance in the major league, the highest level of baseball, represented a way the Taiwanese people released their pressure from the complex about being colonized. Besides, in the aspect of political background, after the war, baseball was not recognized by KMT, the ruling party. However, under the pressure from the international environment, the government started to use baseball as a tool to consolidate its regime. In addition, with the complex political background and economic recession in Taiwan, people’s lives were difficult. Wang’s outstanding performance in baseball fields thus made the Taiwanese people to place hopes on him. Therefore, mass media had paid quite a lot of attention to Wang, further making him a superstar in Taiwan.

 

Key words: Chien-Ming Wang, baseball, sports star, endorsement marketing, news coverage, political turmoil.

Copyright © 2023 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article.

This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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