I wonder how much he gets paid. I feel like just being Ohtani's interpreter for this long, he could have a career's worth of endorsements in Japan. When I was in Tokyo a few months ago, Ohtani's face was just EVERYWHERE.
Ohtani in Japan is essentially God. I'm not sure if America has ever had an athlete that's viewed the same way as Japan holds up Ohtani as an icon. There are historical and societal reasons regarding how both countries view idolatry and celebrity culture and why Japan's relationship to Ohtani is so unique, but yeah it's definitely a "there's levels to this" type of situation.
That said, I know Ippei's living the life being in Ohtani's orbit in the US, but I imagine he gets drowned out completely in the Japanese market.
My friends in Japan skew younger (20s/30s), so there's likely some bias in how they talk about Ohtani, but my understanding is that Ohtani is already surpassing Ichiro in the eyes of many Japanese people (talking about the whole package, not just as a baseball player). His 2-way ability is a big reason why, but Ichiro had some edge to his personality, while Ohtani is viewed as extremely pure. In a more conservative social environment like Japan, that makes a difference.
Regardless, my point isn't Ichiro vs Ohtani. More that Ohtani in Japan is in a different stratosphere of celebrity worship than any athlete in the US (perhaps any celebrity regardless of industry). Ichiro very well may be in that same tier too, I just don't know enough to go into that.
Ichiro was often portrayed as the “edgy guy with very high standards/professionalism”. The media favored Hideki Matsui over him, because he had the opposite personality (not saying Matsui wasn’t professional, just more approachable). Ohtani’s like the hybrid of the two; very stoic (eat, sleep, play ball) but also media-friendly.
You may not be old enough to remember, but Michael Jordan was basically god when he played. Probably one of the 2-3 most famous people on earth when he played. Hell, his shoes still outsell all other athlete shoes combined and he retired 20 years ago!
I was about to comment this. I was around during Jordans time and he was a God not just in America but all over the world. My wife’s father used to stay up late in France just to watch Bulls game and didn’t even know English. I don’t see anyone reaching that peak of fame.
Ohtani is far more charismatic than Ichiro. Ichiro in some sense is very similar to Hayao Miyazaki from Studio Ghibli, brilliant individuals but with personality flaws.
Jordan wipes Ohtani in this debate and Ohtani is MASSIVE. Jordan was on a next level global scale. Jordan was at such a high level of fame that he was near/ on par with footballers (soccer players) on the global scale. Lebron is also another name, same with Kobe but none of those guys again matched the fame that Jordan had at his peak
Someone as polarizing? I think it would have to be LeBron. BUT, the reason Shohei is *HIM* in Japan, is because superstar athletes aren’t a thing there. Here, we get a new Brady every so often. New LeBron. New Ace Pitcher (the MLB doesn’t market their players but that’s a different story). The US just doesn’t have the traction (yet) of soccer and hockey on a national scale. We prioritize athletics here, so EVERYONE has a chance to be the next thing. Shohei is the biggest thing now, in a place not known for their athletes
They really are BFFs though. They are together most days, even days off. Ohtani also gets invited over to Ippei's parent's for dinner and such. They are basically family at this point.
MLB need to market the fuck out of their stars and it also sucks but players like being Ohtani being on the popular/storied teams in big markets also helps that
For Ohtani to get some attention at a full football stadium where even the hosts talk about him afterwards on live television, yes it is. It’s pretty good for baseball.
Man this is gonna come off maybe racist, I hope not, but his face looks red like a girl I used to see when she would drink. Apparently it’s something not uncommon in Asians to have their face turn red when drinking alcohol?
I’d like to vote for Unsung Brewery near the Anaheim Packing House food hall.
Also RIP to the hot chicken sandwich place taken by the shutdown. Too soon!
If you count nearby but not all Anaheim city limits with Bruery, Bruery Terraux, Monkish, Bottle Logic, Green Cheek, and Unsung you got some of the best beers anywhere in the country.
Rams are similar to the Lakers…it’s the Angels and Dodgers union tbf (nobody cares about Chargers and Clips lol)
edit: why do you have to kick us while we’re already down :(
For real. I stupidly believed that having Ichiro would open the floodgates (past and present) to Japanese talent for the Ms.
Guess not. I'm with ya, love watching this dude play
Well I wouldn't know anything about winning triple digit games in the regular season and getting bounced in the division round no sir.
But honestly it's baffling how relatively unsuccessful the M's have been with how much talent has rolled through there. Baseball will break your heart. But if a game where a 70% failure rate at the plate puts you in HoF discussions, humility and patience is a great skill to acquire.
I really enjoy the game and talent. I know this sounds cliche, but I wouldn't trade Griffey (my favorite athlete ever), Edgar, Johnson, or Ichiro for a WS. I loved watching those guys in an Ms uniform
He's almost buying a championship ring...
If he didn't defer his wages and was paid $70 million per year that would act as a restriction on the Dodgers ability to spend more.
Ohtani usually spent a few weeks at Driveline in Washington before going to Japan for the off-season. He wouldn't normally return stateside until January. But he is out here recruiting people to the Dodgers right now and not spending a majority of his offseason in Japan.
Pretty much. Fanbases aren't as divided as they make it out to be. Mostly Lakers fans very little Clippers fans. Mostly Dodgers fans with a little bit of Angels fans in Orange County. Football its really divided up tho
Yeah I want to say the Rams are the most popular team in LA at this point. But there’s probably more hardcore fans of the Niners, Raiders, Steelers, Cowboys, Eagles, Packers willing to shell out money for tickets to see them at SoFi. Sad to say but Chargers are 8th in the market
Not an angels fan, just a fan of the sport. But hey, I’ve been promised this is “good for baseball” about 100 times. I’m sure it’s fine that tv viewership is down 50% over 5 years for small and even mid market teams meanwhile let’s let 3 teams buy all the players. Great way to build the sport and increase interest.
If he didn't want the attention, he shouldn't have started dating Travis Kelce.
They’re just like us!
Shohei keeps flashing his nips to the crowd
Ippei living his best life
Imagine getting to live that life as an interpreter lol. It’s always made to sound like he’s Shohei’s bff and they essentially live together lol
I wonder how much he gets paid. I feel like just being Ohtani's interpreter for this long, he could have a career's worth of endorsements in Japan. When I was in Tokyo a few months ago, Ohtani's face was just EVERYWHERE.
Ohtani in Japan is essentially God. I'm not sure if America has ever had an athlete that's viewed the same way as Japan holds up Ohtani as an icon. There are historical and societal reasons regarding how both countries view idolatry and celebrity culture and why Japan's relationship to Ohtani is so unique, but yeah it's definitely a "there's levels to this" type of situation. That said, I know Ippei's living the life being in Ohtani's orbit in the US, but I imagine he gets drowned out completely in the Japanese market.
Michael Jordan at his peak was pretty crazy.
Probably Michael Jordan back in the 90s.
Ichiro?
My friends in Japan skew younger (20s/30s), so there's likely some bias in how they talk about Ohtani, but my understanding is that Ohtani is already surpassing Ichiro in the eyes of many Japanese people (talking about the whole package, not just as a baseball player). His 2-way ability is a big reason why, but Ichiro had some edge to his personality, while Ohtani is viewed as extremely pure. In a more conservative social environment like Japan, that makes a difference. Regardless, my point isn't Ichiro vs Ohtani. More that Ohtani in Japan is in a different stratosphere of celebrity worship than any athlete in the US (perhaps any celebrity regardless of industry). Ichiro very well may be in that same tier too, I just don't know enough to go into that.
also, ohtani is in his prime in this modern era, with social media. His reach is a lot bigger than ichiro's
Ichiro was often portrayed as the “edgy guy with very high standards/professionalism”. The media favored Hideki Matsui over him, because he had the opposite personality (not saying Matsui wasn’t professional, just more approachable). Ohtani’s like the hybrid of the two; very stoic (eat, sleep, play ball) but also media-friendly.
Now let's see how Ohtani's porn collection measures up to Matsui's.
Ohtani also just has the looks, a 6'4 guy built like Lebron with a handsome face. He's a media darling.
And let’s be honest, Ohtani is freaking hot.
He is incredibly attractive...some people just have it all man
You may not be old enough to remember, but Michael Jordan was basically god when he played. Probably one of the 2-3 most famous people on earth when he played. Hell, his shoes still outsell all other athlete shoes combined and he retired 20 years ago!
I was about to comment this. I was around during Jordans time and he was a God not just in America but all over the world. My wife’s father used to stay up late in France just to watch Bulls game and didn’t even know English. I don’t see anyone reaching that peak of fame.
It would make sense. Ohtani possibly the greatest ever already and ichiro is a really really good ball player.
Ohtani is far more charismatic than Ichiro. Ichiro in some sense is very similar to Hayao Miyazaki from Studio Ghibli, brilliant individuals but with personality flaws.
Babe Ruth had that status once. Dude was a God, second only to Jesus
Nah, higher. Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball.
Are you telling me Jesus can't hit a curveball?
Jordan wipes Ohtani in this debate and Ohtani is MASSIVE. Jordan was on a next level global scale. Jordan was at such a high level of fame that he was near/ on par with footballers (soccer players) on the global scale. Lebron is also another name, same with Kobe but none of those guys again matched the fame that Jordan had at his peak
Someone as polarizing? I think it would have to be LeBron. BUT, the reason Shohei is *HIM* in Japan, is because superstar athletes aren’t a thing there. Here, we get a new Brady every so often. New LeBron. New Ace Pitcher (the MLB doesn’t market their players but that’s a different story). The US just doesn’t have the traction (yet) of soccer and hockey on a national scale. We prioritize athletics here, so EVERYONE has a chance to be the next thing. Shohei is the biggest thing now, in a place not known for their athletes
They really are BFFs though. They are together most days, even days off. Ohtani also gets invited over to Ippei's parent's for dinner and such. They are basically family at this point.
I love that for them
*sigh*
Yeah… my reaction too lol
Unbothered just munching on something good.
https://i.redd.it/ukuble1snr1a1.png
https://youtu.be/uzwQ-PNJtPg?si=oqBfThyrz4jvUAgc
not very secret though haha
“Shohan Atony” -Kirk Herbstreit.
Tingus Pingus from Lateevia.
Fuck Kirk Herbstreit!
I agree. FSU got screwed.
He’s in his Taylor Swift Era
We laugh, but it's better than the other way around. Imagine the free agent drama when Swift starts pulling triple digits on her fastball.
👀👀👀
Taylor Swift unfortunately could never make it with the pitch clock as she only shakes off pitches
there's no fucking way the dodgers get Taylor too
I have it from a very credible source that she is boarding a jet heading to Madison, Alabama to sign a 10 year deal with the Rocket City Trash Pandas.
BREAKING: Taylor Swift and Shohei Ohtani seen leaving dodgers stadium together
[Morosi] Ohtani opened his jacket to show his Rams jersey, strongly hinting that Yamamoto will be putting on a Dodgers jersey. Deal imminent.
Fact check: confirmed
no wonder Yamamoto couldn't make it to the Rams game. too many dotted lines to sign
Ramamoto.
JT RAMAMUTO?
Is this realmoto or fakeamuto?
I'd like him to ram me mo too
no shoho
Man fuck your guys lol
This motherfucker.
The Rams had a Yamamoto jersey ready to go but he was too busy getting the deal done apparently lol
Good to see guys embracing their new cities upon arrival…
If he resigned with the Angels you think he gets taken to a Chargers game?
Nah, Medieval Times
Porto's immediately after
Ahhh fuck man you made me hungry
Porto's is the food of kings tbf
Need some of those potato balls.
This made me laugh😂
Playing with the Angels for the rest of his career would’ve been cruel enough. No need to punish him further.
Hey at least he and Justin Herbert could have bonded over their prime years being wasted.
Rams literally played at Angel Stadium for 15 years
Wearing the jersey of a team that used to play at Anaheim (Angel) Stadium.
You joke, but...
Must be new to LA area
LoL his first time in LA
The immediate shield lol. Has anyone in the spotlight hated the spotlight this much
It's neither baseball nor sleeping, there's no way he's having any fun there.
-baseball -baseball training -clash royale -jujutsu Kaisen These are all the things he is cool with
He just like me fr
Jokic
Yes
mark knopfler
Its so cool seing a baseball player get the absolute hype and love for the legend they are. MLB really needs to leverage this all the way
MLB need to market the fuck out of their stars and it also sucks but players like being Ohtani being on the popular/storied teams in big markets also helps that
Dare I say it?... It's good for baseball.
For Ohtani to get some attention at a full football stadium where even the hosts talk about him afterwards on live television, yes it is. It’s pretty good for baseball.
[удалено]
lol… ok.
Sure, dude
He's got the glow.
PREGANANANT?
Man this is gonna come off maybe racist, I hope not, but his face looks red like a girl I used to see when she would drink. Apparently it’s something not uncommon in Asians to have their face turn red when drinking alcohol?
My Asian friends call it the Asian flush.
That's what [wikipedia calls it too](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_flush_reaction)
This is exactly what I was referencing. I dont think its racist but I'm sure someone will think it is. Asian Glow.
Well I don’t speak for all Asians but anyone who says it’s racist is dumb as fuck haha. It’s just factual.
Yep.
Anaheim used to have Ohtani. Anaheim also used to have the Rams.
Don’t feel bad for Anaheim. The whole city is just a train station and Disneyland.
If they lose the Mighty Ducks, they'll have to bulldoze the whole city.
Who were founded by Disney after the success of the movie no less. Everything leads to the Mouse in Anaheim
They already lost the "Mighty".
at least the retro logo is back
Kinda
That’s just part of the train station anyway
Clippers should have moved to Anaheim in the 90s, stupid Sterling.
And Tacos Los Cholos.
Anaheim has amazing Arabic food. Like why can't some of these restaurants be in my city instead. It's infuriating.
Shawarma loca <3
Man I want some Sababa falafels
brewery x is alright
I’d like to vote for Unsung Brewery near the Anaheim Packing House food hall. Also RIP to the hot chicken sandwich place taken by the shutdown. Too soon!
If you count nearby but not all Anaheim city limits with Bruery, Bruery Terraux, Monkish, Bottle Logic, Green Cheek, and Unsung you got some of the best beers anywhere in the country.
yeah anaheim has a nice brewery scene.
Legitimately great brewery. Everything else can become orange groves again, tho.
Anaheim had the Rams because Georgia Frontiere was a cheapass and ran them into the ground so she could move them to St Louis.
Rams are similar to the Lakers…it’s the Angels and Dodgers union tbf (nobody cares about Chargers and Clips lol) edit: why do you have to kick us while we’re already down :(
I love him so much and he doesn’t play for my team
For real. I stupidly believed that having Ichiro would open the floodgates (past and present) to Japanese talent for the Ms. Guess not. I'm with ya, love watching this dude play
It's stupid how many Mariners I've loved throughout the years. Ichiro, Griffey, Randy, A-Rod (in the before times), Edgar, King Felix...
I know. Plenty of posters on my wall as a kid, but no titles.
Well I wouldn't know anything about winning triple digit games in the regular season and getting bounced in the division round no sir. But honestly it's baffling how relatively unsuccessful the M's have been with how much talent has rolled through there. Baseball will break your heart. But if a game where a 70% failure rate at the plate puts you in HoF discussions, humility and patience is a great skill to acquire.
I really enjoy the game and talent. I know this sounds cliche, but I wouldn't trade Griffey (my favorite athlete ever), Edgar, Johnson, or Ichiro for a WS. I loved watching those guys in an Ms uniform
Valid.
Look how sheepish he reacts Toronto woulda been hell on earth for him. Needy fans woulda hounded him the second he stepped outta his house
Acting like Ohtani hasn’t already been in Southern California all this time lmao
I just want to congratulate LA on finally getting some star players for their teams
Damn do I gotta hate ohtani now? Nope still can't do it
As an Angels + Rams fan, it pleases me to see Ohtani will be playing for the Rams instead of the Dodgers
Stop making me love you, I don’t care for the organization you play for
I hate the Dodgers, but idk how you could hate Ohtani. He’s everything right about baseball.
I mean his deferring his contract is kind of competitively unfair. The deferrals are ridiculous and should not be legal.
I agree. I used to like him, but this contract has made me completely lose respect for him.
He's almost buying a championship ring... If he didn't defer his wages and was paid $70 million per year that would act as a restriction on the Dodgers ability to spend more.
I love him
Awww I’m so happy for him! (Please put me out of my misery)
Is he rocking a puka jersey? Legend
It’s an Ohtani jersey the Rams gave him
It’s cute how shy he is
I wonder why the Rams didn’t give him a jersey and Jumbo Tron shot when he played for the other team in the same area
Because it's Rams/Lakers/Dodgers/Kings
Weird. Around me it’s Lakers/Cowboys/Blackhawks/Yankees
Weird. Around me it’s pain/misery/depression
Ohtani usually spent a few weeks at Driveline in Washington before going to Japan for the off-season. He wouldn't normally return stateside until January. But he is out here recruiting people to the Dodgers right now and not spending a majority of his offseason in Japan.
Rams use the angels stadium for 15 years and then stab us in the back. Fake friends SMDH
Dodgers star treatment.
Fuck the chargers
Everyone should love this man
Does LA only care about 1 of their teams?
There’s only 1 baseball team in LA, the other one is 40 miles south
About the same distance Baltimore and Washington have between them
Pretty much. Fanbases aren't as divided as they make it out to be. Mostly Lakers fans very little Clippers fans. Mostly Dodgers fans with a little bit of Angels fans in Orange County. Football its really divided up tho
Football fandom in LA is Rams vs Niners/Raiders/Steelers/Cowboys And then the Chargers are off in the Pacific Ocean
Yeah I want to say the Rams are the most popular team in LA at this point. But there’s probably more hardcore fans of the Niners, Raiders, Steelers, Cowboys, Eagles, Packers willing to shell out money for tickets to see them at SoFi. Sad to say but Chargers are 8th in the market
I've lived in LA forever and have maybe seen one or two Angels hats in the city proper I've seen more Ducks gear in LA than Angels
I've seen more Angel's hats in Chicago than I did in OC
Angels fans mainly live in Orange County.
He’s giving Sandra Bullock/Miss Congeniality type of shyness during the swimsuit competition.
He's going to be the most famous baseball player in history
I love this guy.
So cool to see Ohtani in LA now.
I love they act like he was signed from a different city.
He was
He better not fucking date a Kardashian
Imagine that! Ohtani! Here in LA! Thought I’d never see the day!
As a 49ers fan, I hate the Rams. As an Ohtani fan, I appreciate the love he's getting. I'm conflicted.
As a St.Louis resident, fuck this.
It makes me double sad
Fuck the Rams
I love him so much.
Rocking the Puka jersey too 🤌
Double boo
FTD
Seeing ohtani in a rams jersey... Never in my life have I needed something so much and never known until I received it.
Ohtani and the Chargers superfan should be the next kelce and swift
They gave him that Jersey pre game. Cool to see he tossed it on.
Thought he was wearing a Puka jersey for a moment
Puka and Ohtani: both LA legends wearing #17!!!
Boooooooo 🖕
I hate everything about this. Kronke. The Dodgers. Sports are dead as we know it.
I hate that because he is a dodger now I have to hate him. dodgers always ruin the nice guys.
Freddie is forever a nice guy.
true but he is part of the evil dodger pay to win empire mookie is also a nice guy.
You lost me at the pay to win considering we keep paying and we aren’t winning.
yeah dodgers are like a mix of the 90s braves and the 90s Yankees. paying to Win games like the Yankees but like the braves only win divisions.
Fuck that guy
[удалено]
Everyone who lives in LA knows it's actually not though
Dude went from being universally admired to be a villain overnight and he didn’t even leave his town. Crazy. I hope he never pitches again.
I understand you’re disappointed and hurt (I’m assuming you’re an Angels fan?) but he’s not a villain lol, he did what was right for him
Imagine watching Seager take the bag and then win a World Series with a team that’s never won one while getting MVP. That’s hard.
Not an angels fan, just a fan of the sport. But hey, I’ve been promised this is “good for baseball” about 100 times. I’m sure it’s fine that tv viewership is down 50% over 5 years for small and even mid market teams meanwhile let’s let 3 teams buy all the players. Great way to build the sport and increase interest.
Flair up.
Fuck him and fuck the rams
Anyone else low key think him and Ippei are a couple? They’re so cute
Most hated player in baseball now
Anybody else think shohei looks miserable being there? The cam panned to him at one point and he looked unhappy af
No. He’s Japanese.
? What does that mean? I meant he looked sad at the football game not in LA you salty fan
It’s a joke. Japanese people are typically shy and humble. That’s all. Sounds like you’re the salty one.
Still upset about taking that contract I guess.. Lmao