If you didn’t think Shohei Ohtani was a global star, think again.
He was already a household name internationally because of the uniqueness of his achievements.
Then, he went out and won the World Baseball Classic with Japan, took home MVP honors, and did the same in the 2023 MLB regular season.
It was his second MVP crown in the last three years.
His Instagram account grew exponentially after the Classic, and he became a global star on par with some of the most widely recognized athletes in the world.
After signing a mammoth 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team released the official jersey with his No. 17 on the back.
Unsurprisingly, it broke all kinds of records.
“Shohei Ohtani’s no. 17 Dodgers jersey set Fanatics’ all-time record for sales within 48 hours of release. Their previous jersey sales record-holder was Lionel Messi for Inter Miami,” MLB on FOX tweeted.
Shohei Ohtani’s no. 17 Dodgers jersey set Fanatics’ all-time record for sales within 48 hours of release 📈🔥
Their previous jersey sales record-holder was Lionel Messi for Inter Miami. pic.twitter.com/1fTD37ZABB
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 13, 2023
Ohtani is MLB’s best and most popular player by a wide margin.
He is extremely marketable and popular in a number of countries.
Los Angeles is also one of the biggest markets in the sport.
The fact that he surpassed Lionel Messi in jersey sales in such a short period of time is nothing short of amazing.
Yes, the Dodgers just spent $700 million in Ohtani.
However, the player will help them recoup their money through merchandise sales and other deals.
The player, in this case, has enough marketing power to do that.
He hasn’t even started playing for the Dodgers and is already breaking records.
NEXT:
Dodgers Insider Reveals Star-Studded Meeting With Top Free Agent
