It was just yesterday that Travis Hunter was being touted as the best both on and off the field. High off of a Heisman Trophy success and a ahead of becoming a first-round pick (possibly as a No. 5 pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars) in the upcoming NFL Draft, it seemed the only hurdle between the youngster and his professional career was the slow ticking of the clock. However, as time came for the Buffs’ player to make some noise to attract scouts, he did so in a way that attracted more negative attention than positive. Hunter ended up making a controversial remark about Ohtani that didn’t bode too well within the community. But before we get to that…

As a two-way player, Ohtani was a fascinating draft prospect. By the time he was 17, the youngster not only drew attention from scouts from all over the world with his mind-bending top speed of 99 miles per hour, but also as the most exciting two-way star to have emerged in a century. Ever since he joined the MLB in 2017 with the Los Angeles Angels—after being courted by all 30 MLB teams—and then joining the Dodgers for the largest contract in sports history for 10-year, $700 million, eyes have rarely stopped following him.

Doing justice to his massive salary, the 30-year-old became the first player to have 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season, in September last year. And, not to forget that Ohtani is the biggest star in baseball, with three MVP awards under his belt. However, there’s also a certain downside to such greatness and talent. The very two-way role—where he’s required to play both as a pitcher and hitter—that sets him on a league above the rest, is also the one thing that makes him much more prone to injury.

Even the Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes didn’t hold when appreciating his star for the immense physicality he shows on the pitch.“It’s really fascinating to be able to have not only the physical bandwidth, but it’s taxing mentally to do just one. So [Shohei Ohtani’s] ability to do both [pitching and hitting] is so impressive, and he takes the same attention and detail on both sides…We’re very spoiled that he’s one of the best in the game on both sides,” he said. But if you ask Hunter, it couldn’t possibly be tougher than what he himself does inside the gridiron.

Hunter being Hunter, didn’t hold back before commenting about the star player. As per a video shared by ESPN on Instagram, captioned, “Which do you think is harder? 👀”, on February 2, a journalist was seen asking the 21-year-old, “What’s more difficult? What do you do in football, or what Ohtani does in baseball?”

To this, he confidently responded, “Probably me. What I do in football because it’s a lot on your body, you know. Ohtani, he’s a great player. But you gotta do a lot in football.” And as expected, it wasn’t long before the MLB and football community united to show Hunter the mirror…

Update: Shortly after the video went viral, New York Yankees star Jazz Chisholm Jr, took to X, to firmly state, “Amazing athlete but not the same !” Even MLB Network’s baseball insider Jon Heyman pitched in, saying, “No. No one in their right mind agrees with that.” But seemingly, the controversy is far from over, and some rumors also suggest that Travis’ bold attitude can even land him in hot waters, akin to his teammate and brother…

It’s a known fact that NFL suitors have their critical eyes on players’ off-field moves as much as their on-field shenanigans. I mean, who doesn’t remember when Shedeur Sanders’ confident demeanor appeared to repel scouts instead of captivating them…

 Just a few days after news first surfaced that the QB might not participate in the NFL Combine, NFL Rookie Watch came up with some worrying insider information on Instagram on February 21, “Shedeur Sanders is reportedly being placed behind Cam Ward on several team’s boards now due to ‘off-the-field/attitude’ concerns. Some NFL teams are reportedly ‘concerned’ that Sanders isn’t solely focused on football, but rather his rap career and creating a personality out of himself.”

“Multiple scouts reportedly believe “it’s clear” that football is Cam Ward’s number one priority. Whereas some believe it gets “cloudy” when evaluating what Shedeur’s true priorities are. One anonymous NFL GM reportedly believes there’s “red flags” to Shedeur’s personality between his fiery attitude and the watch flexing. It may all be smokescreens, but the concerns are THERE 😳,” the caption concluded.

Notably, this report came just four days after Shedeur was seen visiting a car dealership, and casually eyeing a black Maybach G-Wagon, worth $1.4 million. Looks like NFL teams are concerned about their players’ performance, as well as personality. Do you think Travis Hunter’s draft prospects might be affected by his recent comments? Well, only time will tell. For now, though, the community has already made a decision…

Fans turn their backs on Travis Hunter

Hunter’s Ohtani comment seems to have hurt the feelings of MLB fans. Instead of attacking his skills, a fan thought of diving right into his personal life. Already things had hit sour notes in his relationship with Lenna Lenee after the Oklahoma Sooners game, where the two were spotted arguing. But despite that, these two, who are planning to tie the knot in May, have been showing each other plenty of love. Hunter’s life seems to revolve around his sweetheart, driving her to parties and having her by his side at the Heisman ceremony. And speaking of that, one fan couldn’t help but point out, “Ohtani don’t wait in the car for his girl at parties.”

Another fan did not make it a Hunter vs. Ohtani deal. Rather, he focused on making it about the two sports: “Baseball is the hardest sport in the world boss.” The throwing talent in baseball makes up a point for good debate. Not playing baseball, Hunter might not be aware of the arm strength it needs. As a fan wrote, “Throwing 100 mph and hitting 100 mph is pretty difficult travis.” Notably, Ohtani’s fastest pitch is 102 miles per hour (mph), which he threw in March 2023.

The Los Angeles star has the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, the Hank Aaron Award, and the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award under his belt. So, an MLB fan can see no one other than Ohtani as the best. Upset with Hunter’s comment, one wrote, “Ohtani is one of the greats and I’m standing by that. I don’t think people outside of baseball realize the athleticism it takes.” 

Well, even Hunter’s idol, HC Deion Sanders had played multiple sports, including basketball, track and field, beyond football. But he found baseball to be the hardest. Drawing that reference, a fan wrote, “Didnt deion sanders even say hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports?” With his height and talents, the Dodgers star comes off as the perfect package. And to a fan, Ohtani can even beat Hunter for that WR1 role, no question.

The comment read, “Ohtani is 6’5″ and has the speed to steal 50 bases on professional catchers, he could probably beat Travis if he was covering him, honestly if I had to draft one of the two as my WR1, Give me Shohei all day.” Travis Hunter’s got to do some serious damage control after that Ohtani slip.