Shohei Ohtani, a multi-million dollar performance for MLB in Asia

The Major League Baseball (MLB) want to take advantage of the attraction Shohei Ohtani the new global face of this sport and magnet for sponsors, with the aim of increasing its projection in Asia of the North American Championship through two opening matches that will be played in Seoul in March.

The Ohtani Dodgers and San Diego Parents Kim Ha-seong, who became the first South Korean to win a Golden Glove in 2023, will meet in two games between the 20th and 21st of next month to begin MLB. These inaugural series will be the first official Major League games to be played in South Korea.

The two franchises chosen for this occasion are well known among local fans. In addition to Kim’s presence at Parents, Dodgerthey were the team where pitcher Park Chan-ho, the first South Korean to make the jump to the Major Leagues, made his MLB debut in 1994.

But if there is a name that transcends boundaries in baseball and can attract more fans from South Korea, Japan and other countries to the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul who will host the matches is the one of Ohtani, who last December signed the largest sports contract in history with the Dodgers ($700 million over 10 years).

IN Japanthe fourth largest economy in the world and with a population of 125 million, baseball is the second most watched sport after soccer, although in 2023 its viewership increased thanks to the country’s victory in The World Baseball Classicol ya trajectory Ohtani in his previous team, the Los Angeles Angels.

The club has become the club with the most fans in Japan, surpassing the Yomiuri Giants in the national league, according to a report by data analysis company Nielsen Sports.

IN South Korea, where baseball is also the second sport after the ‘king’ of football, MLB It has 10.5 million fans — about a fifth of its population — and the most followed clubs are the Dodgers, Yankees, Blue Jays and Padres, in that order, according to Nielsen data.

Ohtani’s hook and first matches on MLB in South Korear was visible in the speed with which the tickets were sold, they were sold out in less than 10 minutes.

A magnet for sponsors and an economic engine

‘Shotime’, as it is known in NOW, He is currently a league player The big leagues with more income from sponsorships, which for this year is estimated at about 48.5 million dollars, and comes mainly from Japanese sponsors.

Can the ‘Ohtani Effect’ be quantified?

According to a study by a Japanese economist Katsuhiro Miyamoto of Kansai University, In 2023, the player earned about $342 million, including about $8 million spent by the Japanese who traveled to NOW. to watch their games and another 6.5 million in contracted advertising at Angel Stadium alone.