To be honest, there is little or nothing said on this board about one of the best athletes of all time, perhaps on the level of Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods... Players who dominated the sport they played and who transcended.
50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, is just one of the records of this athlete, a unicorn in the game of baseball and one of those rarities that appear from time to time in sports.
An interesting fact is that the ball has an initial value of $300,000, that is what was offered to the fan who was lucky enough to keep it, but now it will go to auction, which will surely exceed the value that was offered to him.
Source:
Dodgers' $300,000 offer for Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball declined by fan: Reports
https://www.sportskeeda.com/baseball/news-dodgers-300-000-offer-shohei-ohtani-s-50th-home-run-ball-declined-fan-reportsWho owns Ohtani 50/50 home run ball? Legal experts weigh in
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41574091/shohei-ohtani-50-50-home-run-ball-los-angeles-dodgers-mlbThat's amazing how Shohei Ohtani has redefined what athletes can do on the baseball field with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. Crazy, isn't it, thinking we're seeing players as dynamic as him both from being the pitcher and dominant at the plate?.
If the ball went to auction, its price is sure going to reach sky rocket levels. The talent that Ohtani possesses is extremely rare, and these moments overshadow even the very great performers in their prime, like Jordan or Woods. It would be interesting to learn how much the ball will eventually sell for. Taking into consideration that $300,000 was refused. Ohtani is a once in a life time player.
Baseball just isn't too popular on this forum. Ohtani is showing why he was offered that massive contract and doing things for the game of baseball that may change the opinion of the sport like CC has done for the WNBA or Steph did for the NBA.
Just looked it up and saw that Baseball actually originated in England but I see that it is a lot popular in America and even Canada. No denying that America did popularize baseball but it is still not the most followed sport outside of their country. Even in some asian countries since we do not have a lot of baseball fields, it is not usually played but it is interesting and I hope we see more athletes emerging from the sport and making the sport more well known all over the world.
Still, it is pretty difficult to miss such an amazing athlete. I think anyone who are into sports would be able to at least identify some of the most popular and greatest athletes of a sport that they may be not that interested in.
Although it might have originated in England, yet it is also an absolute fact that America has blossomed to a new height and is now considered a gigantic slice of American culture. You are right when you say that baseball is not one of the most mainstream games on earth like football or basketball. But the influence is rising. Especially with athletes like Shohei Ohtani who has broken the glass ceiling and brought his attention worldwide.
Even in regions where baseball is not as widely followed as some Asian nations. Ohtani's performance has indeed made the sport shine. He succeeded both as a bowler and a hitter. Even for those closely following baseball.
Absolutely. For, in the nature of any sport, Size often triumphs over, with athletes like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and now Ohtani known to people who might not even be watching their workouts. Just because they had reached that level. That's a sign. It's always great to see talented people like this bring a global perspective to their game.
