Shohei Ohtani Just BROKE Sports

Today will go down as one of the most historical days in sports. Not just baseball, not just North American sports, but sports. Period. Worldwide. We all knew that Shohei Ohtani was going to get the bag in free agency, that was pretty clear, and we've known that for at least a couple of years now after he won his first MVP award unanimously in 2021 after both hitting and pitching at a star level. He followed 2021 up with another great year in 2022 doing the same thing, with it taking a historical hitting season by Aaron Judge for Shohei to not win it back to back, and then he'd win it again in 2023 unanimously. $500 million was brought up for how much Shohei would make, and that number eventually went up to $600 million, with the argument being that you are virtually paying two players in one. $30 million for his elite hitting, and $30 million for his elite pitching. And that was pretty much set as what he was expected to get, $600 million. That is until he suffered another elbow injury, having to get surgery on that elbow which would knock him out from the mound for 2024. So now you're thinking, ok obviously that number will go down, he's still gonna make a lot of money, but maybe not quite $600 million now with the certainty he won't pitch in 2024, and the uncertainty that comes from that point forward. But as Shohei's free agent sweepstakes continued to roll on, reports started to make it seem like he really was going to be getting $600 million after all. So after all these reports, reports that even claimed Ohtani was on a plane en route to Toronto to sign with the Blue Jays yesterday, Drake, who's from Canada, even posted a picture of him wearing an Ohtani jersey on his Instagram story, only for the whole plane situation to be fake. And Ohtani was actually just chilling in his Southern California home. It was clear nobody really had a clue what was going on. And I guess the Drake curse lives. Some reporters and fans like to believe they did, or at least act like they knew what the truth was, but in reality nobody knew anything other than Ohtani himself and the closest people around him. Because all of a sudden, out of absolutely nowhere, Shohei would announce on his Instagram page himself that he is signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Okay, crazy and wild enough on its own. And we'll get to that. So that was something. I also love that it was Ohtani himself that announced it. There were no leaks and it didn't happen via any reporters. Ohtani just took matters into his own hands and revealed it to the world. I love that. And then came the details of the deal. The amount of years, and the amount of money, and like I just said, because of those numbers and this overall situation, this will forever be one of the most historic days in sports history. Really quick, I'm trying to get to 140,000 subscribers before 2024. So if you enjoy the content or are new and haven't hit that button yet, consider doing so. Thank you. Shohei Ohtani did not sign for the highest amount of money anyone seriously predicted for him to get, which was 600 million dollars. And that's because he just signed with the Dodgers for 700 million dollars. Immediately as I saw this, my mind didn't completely register that it was real. It had to be, because it was a notification from Jeff Passan on Twitter, the most credible and trusted baseball reporter, and I wouldn't be getting notifications from a fake account. This was real. And then I originally thought I had read it was a 12 year deal. No, it's a 10 year deal. So Shohei will have an annual salary of 70 million dollars. With that said, that won't exactly be the case, because this contract will have quote unquote unprecedented deferrals. Meaning there's a lot of money that will come in more over time rather than immediately. He will be taking less money in the short term while still eventually adding up to the overall 700 million. And this was actually Ohtani's idea, because what this does now is lessens the stress on the Dodgers luxury tax and payroll issues that come with giving out such a massive contract, and it gives the team more flexibility to get other players as well. So Ohtani wants to win, he's made that very clear, and that's a big reason as to why he left the Angels. Yes, he's getting a ton of money, but the last thing Ohtani wants is to just go home in October every year. He wants to win MVPs, Cy Young awards, while also going to the playoffs and winning World Series championships. So he's helping the Dodgers and himself out here by the deferrals. Now here's where things get crazy. The most crazy. I've mentioned multiple times now that this is easily one of the most historic days in sports history worldwide, and that's because it genuinely is. 700 million guaranteed dollars is the largest guarantee in sports history. But let's start small. Let's just compare it to other baseball contracts. 700 million dollars is almost 300 million more than the next largest contract ever in baseball. If you combine Mookie Betts and Aaron Judge's contracts, that's only 25 million more than Ohtani's one contract. You get the point. The second largest contract in baseball history is not even remotely close to 700 million. Okay, now let's spread into the other major sports in the United States. Shohei Ohtani now has more guaranteed money with his 700 million dollars than the largest guaranteed contracts in the NFL, NBA, and NHL combined. Let that sink in for a second. The largest contract in North American sports was quarterback Patrick Mahomes' deal with the Chiefs for 450 million dollars over 10 years. Not all that was guaranteed, but even if it was, Shohei just obviously blew that out of the water with ease. The NBA has some of the highest annual salaries, so Jalen Brown on the Celtics currently has a 60 million dollar annual salary on the 5 year max contract that he's on. Ohtani of course just surpassed that with 70 million. Again, Ohtani's contract will be deferred, but he's still technically averaging that much money over the next 10 years. Now, when a historical number is being given to a player like this, you're going to start seeing some things and thinking about things that never even remotely entered anyone's mind. At least not mine. For example, Ohtani's money compared to what owners are making or are worth. I realize Ohtani has the potential to be richer than some owners, so I looked up how much each MLB owner is worth, and the owners of the Rockies and Brewers are both worth 700 million dollars, the number Ohtani just of course got today. Then you go down a little bit lower, where you'll find the Diamondbacks owner who's worth 600 million, the Marlins owner who's worth 500 million, and then the Reds owner who's worth 400 million. I know taxes will take off a ton of this money, and Ohtani's not getting nearly 700 million exactly from this, but add on all the extra ways he'll be making money from endorsements, sponsorships, commercials, merchandise, whatever it is, Ohtani literally may become richer than a handful of owners. He's going to have enough money to buy a damn team himself, and his contract is already worth more than some other sports franchises. Shoei Ohtani's 700 million dollar deal with the Dodgers is worth more than 6 different NHL franchises and 23 different MLS franchises. It's also insane to see how much Ohtani will technically be making per game. If he plays every game in a season, he'll make over 430,000 dollars per game, while also technically making 1.35 million dollars a week for the next decade. So here comes the part where some may ask why the Dodgers did this. Yes, Ohtani is a great player, but is he worth 700 million dollars? No, obviously he's not. Nobody is. Well, let me put it this way. Shohei Ohtani the baseball player is not worth 700 million dollars, but Shohei Ohtani the superstar is worth that much money. As far as pure talent and on-field play, obviously 700 million dollars is an overpay, and that still goes for a guy who both hits and pitches. And then he's also not even going to pitch in 2024, so you're paying all this money for a DH in 2024, and then hoping he can get back to pitching too and staying healthy. That's a negative way of looking at it, but it's valid and understandable. But here's why this isn't a dumb move by the Dodgers at all. In fact, it's a very smart move. First off, the Dodgers knew that, every team knew that in order to sign Ohtani, you were going to have to go overboard. That's just the reality. I would say Ohtani the baseball player is worth about 500 million dollars, but when you add on that he isn't just a baseball player, but also someone who is an international superstar, someone who can single-handedly bring more people to games, bring more eyes to the TV, drive up jersey and merchandise sales, that is why you tack on that extra 200 million dollars. Shohei Ohtani is the closest thing baseball has ever had to a celebrity. So the Dodgers signing this contract and also working it out the way they did is genius. Because for as much money as they are giving away to get Ohtani, they will easily make that money back and much more because of how much money Ohtani and his presence and brand will bring to the Dodgers. Then add on the fact that they won't even be going overboard on the annual salary because of the deferrals that Ohtani wanted to do in order to keep the Dodgers payroll from getting out of hand and opening the door for other players as well that can help them win. And this deal looks even better. This isn't just a baseball roster and team decision, it's so much more than that. It's a business decision. Do you know how many people went out of their way to go to Angels games in Anaheim and even on the road just to see Ohtani over these last few years even though the Angels were trash? Now put him on the Dodgers, a franchise that has made it to the postseason for the last decade, already has other superstars on the team, it's actually Los Angeles. I mean everything about this is so obviously a massive deal for the city, for the fans, for baseball fans everywhere in any state or country. When Bryce Harper signed his contract with the Phillies back before the 2019 season, which was actually the largest contract in North American sports at the time, Harper's Phillies jersey became the highest sold in any sport for any player in the first two days since it was put on sale, beating a previous record set by LeBron James. I think it would be pretty foolish to think that Ohtani's Dodgers jersey won't not just break Harper's record, but annihilate it. Whatever Ohtani touches turns into a ton of eyeballs on it. Team Japan, the team that had Ohtani on it, had almost half the entire households in Japan watching their games during this past year's World Baseball Classic. Angels games had higher attendance despite the team sucking just because of Ohtani being in the lineup and especially for games Ohtani pitched. Wherever the Angels visited brought more people to the ballpark. I mean anything that has to do with this man drives up more attention and money. I can even say that I'm affected in this, we all are. Right when the news dropped I went live on this channel to talk about Ohtani signing with the Dodgers. Now I'm not a big streamer and haven't ever been, so we're not going to go off consistency and a large sample size here, but my previous biggest live stream was when Juan Soto was traded to the Padres a year and a half ago as I reached a peak of over 900 people watching at one point. This stream about Ohtani had over 1400 people watching at one point. I mean it's just how it is. Is signing Ohtani a risk for the Dodgers? Yeah man, any contract to any player is risky and only gets more risky the more money and years you add on to it obviously. But Ohtani is a great player, we all know that. There are some concerns if he can get back to pitching consistently and at an elite level. He can always get hurt in general whether it's his arm, leg, back, you name it. You just never know because Ohtani, despite a lot of evidence hinting otherwise, is human. So yes, it's a risk, maybe even a big risk, but again this is more than just a baseball decision. This is a business and marketing decision along with the baseball and winning aspect of it. The Dodgers are going to make so much money in the long run because of Ohtani. Ohtani will be making so much because of this contract obviously, but also because of everything else. So as of right now, it's a win-win for everybody. It's a good team and business move for the Dodgers, it's great for the game of baseball, and it has impacted the game of baseball in a way we have never seen before because it's also just impacted sports like we've never seen before. Not just North American sports, sports. So as a result, today will go down as one of the most historical days in the history of sports. The most talented athlete in the world's decision to sign the largest guaranteed contract ever in world history to play for the Dodgers in Los Angeles, California will impact Los Angeles, California, the United States, and the entire world.