"Ohtani was awarded his fourth most valuable player award on Thursday, but the designation fails to encapsulate his influence on the team that employs him and the league in which he plays. He's elevated the Dodgers. He's elevated Major League Baseball. He's elevated the entire sport. Ohtani is more than the most valuable player of the National League. He's the most valuable athlete in North America, if not the entire world."
"Part of this is personality, part of this is where he's from, but the foundation of his celebrity is his unprecedented on-field performance. Ohtani delivers. He was the NL's MVP for the second time in as many seasons, this time as a two-way player. A year after becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season, the 31-year-old Ohtani homered a career-high 55 times as a hitter."
Shohei Ohtani won his fourth MVP after a historic two-way season, hitting a career-high 55 home runs while posting a 2.87 ERA across 47 innings as a pitcher. His performance elevated the Dodgers, Major League Baseball and global interest, driving strong viewership in Japan with nearly 10 million World Series viewers. Despite Ohtani's impact, the sport faces significant challenges: a possible player lockout after next season, declining broadcast revenues amid changing media landscapes, and mounting threats from widespread sports gambling that has already entangled players. Ohtani's dominance provides current momentum, but long-term structural issues leave the future uncertain.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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