Shohei Ohtani may be costing the Los Angeles Dodgers a small fortune, but he already is making some of that money back for the team.
Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, $700-million US contract with the Dodgers this week, has set the all-time record for jersey sales within a 48-hour period.
Fanatics announced on Thursday that the Japanese star surpassed the sales generated by Lionel Messi when the soccer star joined Inter Miami earlier this year.
Ohtani also breezed past Cristiano Ronaldo, Justin Fields and Bryce Harper on the impressive list.
There were many factors weighing into Ohtani’s favour in his march toward breaking the record.
First, he is the most popular baseball player in the world, a bona fide international megastar. He has won two of the past three AL MVP awards and has his own media contingent from Japan that follows him.
And while he is moving just an hour north of Anaheim, Calif., the brand power of the Los Angeles Dodgers is far more immense than that of the Angels.
The Dodgers have been perennial World Series contenders, making the playoffs every year since 2012 and winning the 2020 championship. On the other hand, the Angels failed to even make the post-season during Ohtani’s time there.
Next, with the Christmas season right around the corner, many sports fans are looking for holiday gifts.
All of this before Ohtani even appeared in a Dodgers jersey himself. They planned to introduce their newest superstar later on Thursday afternoon.