Shohei Ohtani‘s 2023 MLB season went like nothing else. When it takes astounding hard work and fortune to feature in the MVP list for once, Ohtani just did it twice this season. That rare feat earned him two things- one is definitely to carve his name in the history and another is a land-breaking deal. The LA Dodgers gave him an offer that he couldn’t refuse. Meanwhile, the prized sum remains one of its kind.
Eventually, several sports seemed gloomy in front of that 700 million USD deal. Swimming is just one of those sports that is on the brink of a lackluster future to grab such a deal. One popular X-voice thinks so on this matter.
Shohei Ohtani’s deal has no match in swimming
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After breaking Shohei Ohtani’s rich news, Kyle Sockwell took to the X to bring a harsh truth regarding the swimming world. The Swimming Twitter CEO outpoured, “Shohei Ohtani just signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the LA Dodgers. To put that into perspective for swimmers, that’s $700 million more than the LARGEST Professional Swimming League contract this year.” Sockwell stated the reason with a pause, “Because we don’t have a professional swimming league.”
Shohei Ohtani just signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the LA Dodgers.
To put that into perspective for swimmers, that's $700 million more than the LARGEST Professional Swimming League contract this year.
Because we don't have a professional swimming league.
— Kyle Sockwell (@kylesockwell) December 9, 2023
Shohei Ohtani’s free-agent deal came out as captivating to most sports. But to the swimming, it hit hard. The baseball player, nicknamed ‘Shotime’, grabbed the deal after continuing several offensive seasons with his best pitching capability. However, in swimming, none has received such a contract yet. Kyle Sockwell also made another point about the importance of having such a high fiscal outcome in swimming.
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The quagmire of International Swimming League
Kyle Sockwell justified the enormous sum Shohei Ohtani is making from his deal with the Dodgers in his Instagram story. He perfected it with a comparison of “$700,000,000=1.75M Tech Suits”. After the latest lackadaisical effort of the swimming professional league, Sockwell’s words might bring a larger meaning.
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The International Swimming League garnered tremendous interest from the swimmers of different corners. Being one of the first of its kind, the first two seasons saw jam-packed arenas and flying deals. However, since 2022 the occasion has a turmoil. In that year, it created a larger gap in the swimming calendar. That resulted in a desperate outcome. Later, in 2023, it didn’t show any chance to stand up again. For professional swimmers, this kind of absence gutted not only their chances of landing huge deals but also taking it as a chance. Kyle Sockwell might have wanted to point out the same.
Watch this story: Young Shohei Ohtani’s Journey To Elite Hitting : Proving His Little League Coach Wrong
