Shohei Ohtani: The New King of Sports and Baseball Icon

We are used to associating the success and prestige of athletes with names like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or LeBron James, but now there is a new protagonist who has earned the title of king of sports on a global level. His name is Shohei Ohtani, he is Japanese and he is a real baseball star. But it is not only for his exploits on the field that he will go down in history, but for the enormous ten-year deal worth 700 million dollars (almost 650 million euros) that he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It is the highest sum ever obtained by a professional sportsman on a single contract, surpassing by approximately 200 million the previous record set by Patrick Mahomes, champion of the NFL (American football), in 2020. It is incredible to think that baseball, such a popular sport in Japan, led Ohtani to reach such an extraordinary financial agreement.

There are several possible explanations for the great success of baseball in Japan. First, it was introduced to the country in the late 19th century by some Americans who were there for work or study. Since then, the game has spread rapidly among schools and universities, being seen as a way to promote discipline, team spirit and healthy competition. Furthermore, baseball has played an important role in Japanese history and culture. During World War II, for example, it was considered a symbol of resistance and defiance towards the United States. After the war, baseball helped rebuild relations between the two countries and aided the integration of the Japanese into international society. Baseball fits perfectly with the mentality and character of the Japanese. These value concentration, precision, strategy and teamwork. Baseball also requires a strong work ethic and constant dedication to improvement, values ​​that are highly respected in Japan.

Getting back to Shohei Ohtani, it’s important to point out that he spent the last 5 seasons with another Los Angeles team, the Angels. Now he joins the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the most famous and richest franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB). The owners of the Dodgers, Todd Boehly and Mark Walter, are also co-owners of Chelsea FC, but despite huge investments in the transfer market, the English football club is going through a difficult phase in the Premier League.

To get an idea of ​​the size of Ohtani’s signing with the Dodgers, just think that Lionel Messi reached a total of 674 million euros with all the contracts signed with Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo, according to the ranking drawn up by Forbes magazine, remains even off the podium with a gain of 518 million euros from the agreement with Al-Nassr. Better than him, but only by just 2 million, is the golfer Jon Rahm, third with 520 million euros a year.

Despite all these impressive numbers, there is one record that Ohtani failed to break: that of the people who followed Romelu Lukaku’s flight from London to Ciampino online. This summer, in fact, around 50,000 people virtually monitored the football champion’s journey. But one thing is certain: Shohei Ohtani is destined to become an icon in sports and leave an indelible mark on the history of baseball and the world of sports in general.

2023-12-14 11:03:00
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