BREAKING NEW:”Shohei Ohtani Was Offered a $600 Million Contract, But Still Wears a Seiko Watch While Kosé Sales Increased 13-Fold!”

Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani is helping advertisers in Japan reach a broader audience. Photo: @shoheiohtani/Instagram

A Japanese economist calculated that Shohei Ohtani helped to generate more than US$330 million in revenue for his team and advertising sponsors in 2022
The two-way player – he’s both pitcher and hitter – is brand ambassador for Kosé, Hugo Boss, Seiko, New Balance … and FTX before it went bust

If you know anything about baseball, chances are you’ve heard the names of greats like Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson. If you’ve been following the sport over the past few years, you would have heard of a new, rising star being compared to those names – Shohei Ohtani. The 29-year-old Japanese baseball sensation has been wowing fans at home for years and brought his incredible talents to America’s Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2017.

Shohei Ohtani has played for the Los Angeles Angels. Photo: @shoheiohtani/Instagram

He has swept up practically every single award since signing with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, and baseball commentators and agents agree across the board that he’s slated to land one of the biggest contracts in sports history, speculated to be upwards of US$600 million. Despite this, Ohtani has a track record of making career decisions with his heart rather than the bottom line of his bank account.

Humble Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani reportedly lives well within his means. Photo: @shohime0705/Instagram

In line with MLB by-laws, salaries of international players under 25 are capped at US$2.5 million. They can renegotiate new contracts when they hit their 25th birthday. Ohtani, who was already a national sensation, decided to pursue his lifelong dream of playing for the MLB at the age of 23. He made just US$2 million his rookie season.

His tremendous success and ability to sway fans’ spending habits earned him over US$35 million in endorsement deals in 2023 alone, according to Sportskeeda. Combined with the largest ever US$30-million single-year contract received by an MLB player, Ohtani is estimated to have banked over US$60 million this year.

But sales from brands he’s worked with show that the top dollar he commands for lending his image to products is well worth the spend.

Following his ambassadorship with Japanese skincare brand Kosé, becoming the face of its range of men’s serum and sun care products, sales for the products have shot up 13-fold, according to the company’s president Kazutoshi Kobayashi.

Thanks to as many as 21 million fans in Japan tuning into his games, advertisers, especially Japanese companies, are buying up ad space in stadiums. Research by a Japanese economist revealed the two-way player helped generate revenues for his team and advertising sponsors upwards of US$330 million during the 2022 season.

He’s also the face of Hugo Boss, Seiko, Mitsubishi, New Balance and an ambassador of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

Despite being a millionaire many times over, Ohtani is well known for his humble spending habits. Already earning a high salary in his early 20s when playing in Japan, he stayed at the Hokkaido Nippon Ham-Fighters dormitory, usually occupied by rookie players. All of his earnings went to his parents, who managed his finances while giving him an allowance of just US$1,000 a month, according to USA Today.

Even still, Ohtani is reported to spend just a few hundred dollars a month, opting to eat alongside and ride to games with his teammates who stay at the team dormitory.

Since moving to the United States, he got his driving licence and bought a US$110,000 Tesla X, per Sportskeeda – a relatively modest purchase for someone earning over US$60 million annually.

Unlike top-earning athletes such as NBA stars LeBron James or Steph Curry, who love luxury timepieces from brands like Audemars Piguet and Rolex, Ohtani opts for a modest US$2,500 Astron watch from sponsor brand Seiko.