Los Angeles Angels all-around talent Shohei Ohtani has become the first Asian star to be made a cover star of a major US sports video game; such is the 27-year-old’s momentous rise in the sport of baseball.
Ohtani is on the cover of MLB: The Show for 2022 after a superb season with the Angels and as a result, has taken his level of stardom up another notch. 2021 saw the Japanese MLB hero produce truly historic numbers.
He became the first player in MLB history to make the All-Star team as both pitcher and hitter and, unsurprisingly, scooped the MVP award in the process.
The chances of such a feat happening are unheard of, and as a result, the odds on the Angels making it to the postseason for the first time since 2014 increased, albeit they missed out by some distance. However, next season it will be worth keeping up with the odds at https://www.sidelines.io as Ohtani is clearly a player that can make the unbelievable a reality.
The MLB: The Show video game series started in 2006, following up on the successful MLB series, and last year’s iteration of the game sold over two million copies and 2022’s installment is likely to overhaul those numbers, with the use of Ohtani as an ambassador for the game set to push sales in a big way.
Ohtani is clearly thrilled by the prospect of being the figurehead for such a successful gaming franchise, commenting;
“I was very excited about the possibility, and it actually came true,”
“This game has a lot of history. It’s one of the only baseball games that has been out here, so it makes me want to get better on the field and live up to the hype.”
He went on to talk of the ability of the video game to increase interest in baseball and the MLB, as well as build on the loyalty of those who are big fans of the US league, adding;
“There’s a few types of fan,”
“I’m sure there are fans that love to play the video game but don’t actually watch the game. Then the opposite, people that watch the game but don’t play the video game. I’m trying to bring back the popularity and set an example for those watching the game. Sony and San Diego Studios they’re going the other route by making a video game trying to get the game popular that way. It’s a good combination, trying to bring the popularity back as a whole.”
Ohtani is also aware that by being on the cover of a major game, he can also boost his
exposure among Asians who may not be wholly aware of his efforts in the MLB;
“I know I’m sure there’s a lot of Asian people that don’t know me yet,”
“Hopefully, by being on the cover of The Show, you get my name out there to those people who don’t know me yet.”
Ohtani promises to be a big star in the making, and while he may struggle to hit the heights he reached in his epic 2021 season, he is sure to be a mainstay for the Angels (or indeed any other franchise that may be interested in acquiring his services) for some time to come.
