There’s been a long debate about Shohei Ohtani being the biggest brand ever from the MLB circuit, and now the time has come to put it to rest! Yes, because Ohtani is now representing MLB to the world and not the other way around. He is now getting featured with other greats like Lionel Messi and LeBron James, further cementing his command at the top of the MLB. The trio was featured in the latest commercial for Beats by Dre. Something first from MLB in all these years. 

MLB is part of American culture, and it is popular in Japan, Latin America, and a few other countries, but is still way behind soccer and basketball in terms of worldwide popularity. All MLB required a face who could run the place, and here comes Shohei Ohtani, the most recognizable face currently from the MLB circuit. So what caused Ohtani to take this crown, and what’s ahead for him? 

Ohtani is a global brand now

While there was no doubt about Ohtani being a major crowd-puller in MLB, it took a few steps for him to achieve an unthinkable feat. It all started when Ohtani burst into the MLB scene with rare two-way playing skills. This means Ohtani can throw fastballs as well as slug it out of the park. The next turning point came when he fetched the record-breaking $700 million deal from the Dodgers, breaking the $700 million ceiling. The last turning point came in the form of achieving a 50-50 feat in a year. Shohei Ohtani is the first to get 50 HRs and 50 SBs in a year, achieving unique feats at each turning point. 

The other two greats featured in the commercial are also known for defying odds. Lionel Messi is a legend in soccer, if not the greatest to ever play. He ended Argentina’s World Cup drought of 36 years after his country won last year under his captaincy. LeBron James is also defying the biological logic of putting his best performance at 40 and eyeing his fifth NBA championship. Ohtani is matching these two greats in terms of global recognition also. While the global popularity of Messi and James is beyond doubt, Ohtani symbolizes the increasingly multi-cultural, multi-national nature of the MLB brand. Currently, Ohtani is the most recognizable face in and out of the US and a true-blue global ambassador of MLB. 

Happening future ahead 

Ohtani will be the key going forward for MLB to increase its global footprint. Apart from his growing popularity among the MLB circuit, collaboration with other global sports legends is further enhancing Ohtani’s international branding. Ohtani is now 30 and has a few years still left to bring his A-game, which means a few records will be rewritten in the coming years. Thus, MLB ultimately got a global face that is not limited to the US boundaries but rather already went beyond it. However, behind all these feats achieved, the sheer passion of Shohei Ohtani for the game is all that brought him here. 

“Even though we come from different sports, what connects us is our shared passion to perform at the highest level,” Messi commented about their collaboration. The greats, irrespective of their genre, get connected by their shared passion. Although Ohtani still has a few numbers to be broken, certainly he is the most popular player ever played in the MLB. It will be wise for the MLB management to leverage the popularity of Ohtani in bringing their product to the global market. This is the best opportunity MLB has had in years to tap on. 

Ohtani was always about unthinkable skills, and this iconic commercial just proved that he is the face who currently runs the place in MLB. What do you think about Ohtani being the biggest brand from MLB? Share your thoughts with us.