NO TRADE, NO PROBLEM? Shohei Ohtani faces legal risks over gambling debt repayment. Shohei Ohtani’s endorsement earnings are revealed, and the numbers are staggering
Shohei Ohtani is one of the biggest stars across the globe, not just in the baseball world. His stardom transcends past what most baseball players have ever done.
He is on the level of some of the greatest athletes of all time and he is still in his prime. Ohtani is the show and he has been raking in all of the endorsements that come with being a star.
His endorsement earnings have been revealed and they tell quite a story. The gap between Ohtani and the next closest player in baseball is seismic, showing how large his gravity really is.
Ohtani earned $65 million in endorsements alone, according to Sportico. The next closest player was Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies, who totaled $7 million. Following Harper was Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, coming in at $6 million.
This gap suggests what we already know that Ohtani may be the most popular athlete on the planet right now. With him receiving these huge endorsements, he was able to defer all but $2 million annually of his record-breaking $700 million contract.
This extra money saved by the Dodgers allowed them to make the team stronger around him, including landing starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Ohtani only cares about winning, and he knows that the money will be there through the endorsements.
All the money from his contract will come in from Los Angeles at some point. But for now, he is more than content with pulling in all of the endorsements.