Shohei Ohtani, the superstar in baseball, has often dealt with controversial privacy invasions. Earlier, it was a gambling scandal involving a former interpreter in his team, and now, Ohtani’s house privacy is under major compromise. Around a month and a half ago, the Dodgers’ designated hitter purchased a $7.85 million mansion in Los Angeles. Till then, everything to do with making California feel like home was working in his favor. That was until two Japanese media houses disrupted his privacy.

Although it was the Los Angeles Times that initially revealed details about his new house, the coverage by Japanese media took it a little too far, particularly showing things that shouldn’t have been displayed on television. Trying to settle things since May, Ohtani seems to be angry over the invasion of privacy by the Japanese media houses. 

Ever since Ohtani purchased his dream mansion, things have been absurd for him. According to a baseball team source, Ohtani said, “I can’t live there anymore.” It all started when Fuji TV and Nippon TV crossed the line and began showing coverage of his new mansion. Everything they displayed glorified the place, which could have posed a risk to the Ohtani family. Further, their reporting revealed the address by covering the front and back end of the house.

As reported by Yahoo, “Fuji TV was particularly bad. On the May 23 broadcast of ‘Live News It!’, a male reporter even took a sneak shot of the basketball court on the property, which could be seen through the gaps in the dense trees.” [Translated by Google] What’s worse? The media houses conducted interviews with the residents and Ohtani neighbors. The irony is that the residents didn’t know that Shohei Ohtani would be living in their vicinity before the interview. 

Currently, the house owner is still Dekofin LLC – Ohtani’s real estate management company – but they are making arrangements to sell the house. Since the news about ‘Shotime’s purchase was made public before Ohatani and his family could move in, that’s given the Dodgers’ designated hitter even more reason to be angry – this time at Dekofin LLC. The source from the baseball team reported that Shohei Ohtani requested the company to “look for a buyer responsibly. The real estate company did not expect this situation to occur, and they are apparently quite panicked as they sensed Ohtani’s anger.”

As for the media houses, while both undoubtedly sensed the baseball star’s anger, only one did something about it. Nippon TV remained silent, but Fuji TV’s president, Koichi Minato, apologized on their programs and at a press conference. “We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to Ohtani, his family, his agent, and other related parties due to Fuji Television’s report,” they said. Showing their intent to make things right, Minato added,

“As many tourists and locals are visiting the new home, we have asked viewers on our broadcasts and website this week to refrain from visiting Ohtani’s home and other private spaces.” But is this intent any good if reports about Shohei Ohtani revoking the press passes of both Japanese media houses? Well, according to Minato, that didn’t happen. However, he revealed they are going about their coverage more carefully. “It should be noted that some media outlets have reported that Fuji Television’s coverage passes for the Dodgers have been frozen, but it is not true that we are no longer able to cover the Dodgers.”

 Nonetheless, Ohtani’s decision to sell the place also points the finger at the Los Angeles privacy breaches that have happened in the past. 

Does Shohei Ohtani’s decision have more reasons? LA’s vulnerable situation has an answer

Ohtani has a valid reason to sell the house and have Dodgers allegedly blacklist the media, which invaded his privacy. But there is more to the picture. Being a costlier city, Los Angeles has seen plenty of robberies. The celebrities have been the targets in the past, one of them being Ohtani’s colleague. 

The Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy’s privacy was compromised when he was on his way back home with his family. Suddenly, the security alarm on his mobile phone went off. Further, the security cameras showed multiple trespassers entering his house, showcasing LA’s vulnerable privacy concerns. Undoubtedly, the life of sports athletes is hectic. In the case of matches away from home, they travel alone, often leaving their spouses and children at home. 

That said, it’s likely that Shohei Ohtani will sell his newly purchased house, which never became a home. Ever since this debacle started, his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, hasn’t come to any of his games. If that doesn’t explain the severity of this situation, what does? What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments!