Rookies who have just joined the KBL gathered together. The rookies took their first steps as true professional athletes with a variety of programs.
The KBL held an orientation for the rookies selected in the 2023 KBL Rookie Draft at the KBL Center 스포츠토토 on the 22nd. Of the 20 rookies selected on the 21st of this month, 19 gathered for the orientation, excluding Moon Jung-hyun, who was called up to the national team.
The orientation lasted from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and was held over one day. The orientation started with an anti-corruption education from the Korea Professional Sports Association (KPSA). Prof. Jang Seok-wang from Korea National University of Sports gave a lecture on professional sports ethics, emphasizing why athletes shouldn’t choose to cheat or drink and drive.
In the afternoon, Mr. Park Sun-ki from the Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) provided anti-doping education. During the class, the students learned about the anti-doping information needed to protect professional athletes, how to find information on the KADA website, the doping test procedure, and their rights as professional athletes.
Choi Yong-seok, a reporter from Sports Donga, also provided media training for KBL rookies. During this time, they learned about the competitiveness of the KBL as a Korean professional sport, the definition and qualifications of professional athletes, and their duties and responsibilities. Following this, the players were informed about the pension program offered by DB Insurance.
Lastly, SNC’s Dae-beom Sohn provided new media training. Under the title of ‘How to Fight Ferguson and Win’, Mr. Son explained to the athletes the ambivalence of utilizing personal SNS. In particular, he explained the concepts of ‘anchoring effect’ and ‘negativity effect’ using various sports examples to emphasize the negative cases of professional athletes’ SNS use. Finally, he conveyed that professional athletes are given various roles such as public figures and influencers, and that they should have the consciousness that ‘I am the brand and content’.
Meanwhile, the rookies who completed the orientation will make their first appearance as a member of their respective teams as early as the 2023 KBL Cup, which begins on October 8 at Wolmyeong Gymnasium in Gunsan.