On August 25th, tens of thousands of spectators flocked to Dodger Stadium to witness a heated baseball game. Yet, for a few brief moments, the spotlight shifted away from the players and onto the one who delivered the ceremonial first pitch — K-pop superstar V.
The moment V appeared on the field, the stadium erupted, even louder than a curveball or a home run. Meanwhile, local media turned their cameras exclusively toward the idol. The official Twitter accounts of the Dodgers and MLB continuously shared crystal-clear portraits and pitching shots of him, garnering millions of views and interactions.
At the same time, South кσяєαn outlets published hundreds of reports solely covering V’s appearance at the LA stadium, underscoring just how mαѕѕive his influence is, even overseas. Keywords related to V and the event also dominated trending charts across multiple social media platforms. Unsurprisingly, fan reactions and online buzz surrounding V’s photos and articles from the Dodgers vs. Cincinnati game were nothing short of ecstatic and electrifying.
However, most strikingly, V’s lively presence also sparked a wave of curiosity among local spectators. Several attendees on the 25th noted that many who had never heard of him immediately pulled out their phones to Google “V,” eager to find out who could excite the crowd so intensely.
Although no official data from Google has been released following the event, fans speculate that searches for V in the U.S. — and even globally — must have skyrocketed. In fact, during the first half of 2025, V had already been ranked the most-searched K-pop star worldwide, topping the charts in 75 out of 81 countries, including the United States.
Media experts point out that this is a prime example of the so-called “curiosity effect” and V’s irresistible global pull. More importantly, in V’s case, that effect doesn’t end with surprise — it often translates into recruiting new fans.
On the other hand, experts also emphasized that the enthusiastic efforts of ARMY played a key role in amplifying V’s visibility. From a mαѕѕive 60-meter banner reading “ONE & ONLY MY SUPERSTAR V” flown over the stadium for four hours before the game, to digital billboards along major Los Angeles freeways, and ribbon board ads inside Dodger Stadium — fan-led support projects ensured that no one could miss his presence.
Even days after the event concluded, fans have not stopped talking about it:
- Another reason why V will become the most search letter next year
- He own that alphabet. He shows off his unstoppable charm
- Bro is genuinely one of the most beautiful men on the entire planet I've thought so for years. After seeing him at Dodgers, I decide to try Kpop
- Actually, it's a legit pitch… many other celebrities/personalities just throw the ball from a shorter distance but he did the whole distance and it was executed very well. Note that i'm not his fan, just a MLB lover
- Locals even might start to think @Dodgers signed Taehyung as their new pitcher. TaeTae is on all 3 pinned sections of @MLB
- Mind you taehyung has tweets over 100k likes , locals gushing over him , everyone praising him at the dodger game and people lining up just to see him
- we were free of corny and cringey kpop stan twt drags for tae's dodgers appearance and timeline was flooded with locals singing praises for taehyung and his amazing sкιℓℓs, the difference in mentality was so evident
- Locals googling V right after the pitch? Welcome to the fandom, you’re about to fall deep
- That’s the V effect — he shows up for two minutes and suddenly half the stadium is curious about him.
- ARMYs have been telling y’all for years, now even Dodgers fans are realizing V is the superstar
- Imagine going to watch baseball and ending up discovering one of the biggest artists in the world. Lucky locals
- Every time V steps out in public, new fans are born. Dodgers Stadium just became his recruitment ground.
