Скачать или смотреть Shohei Ohtani and Japan: It's much more than just baseball

(9 Mar 2023)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tokyo – 9 March 2023
1. Various of fan with Shohei Ohtani jersey posing for photo
2. Wide of Ohtani’s face on screen
3. Mid of people
4. Mid of baseball souvenirs
5. Wide of sign reading (English) "Tokyo Dome"
6. Various of people outside dome
7. Pan of bar owner Shinichi Narita and Sumiko Narita, wearing Ohtani jerseys
8. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Shinichi Narita, bar owner:
“(Ohtani) is a god. A god. He is a source of comfort for the nation.”
9. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Keiichiro Shiotsuka, businessman:
“(Ohtani) is the treasure of Japan. I don’t know if such a great player like him will ever exist in the future, so I am happy he is in Japan now.”
10. Mid of Keiichiro Shiotsuka and Yutaro Yoshiyani posing with jerseys
11. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Keiichiro Shiotsuka, businessmen:
“From a young age, Ohtani made great efforts in high school baseball and had chased his dreams to the major league. If we can mimic his strength to chase and run straight towards our dreams, I feel like I can also grab big dreams like him.”
12. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Kensuke Sonomura, university student:
“I did not really play baseball growing up, but even for me and for others who haven’t played baseball, Ohtani’s existence as a great player has made me excited (about baseball) and has deeply moved me.”
13. Various of fans in jerseys
14. Close of Sonomura
15. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Ryota Fujimoto, student:
“Of course I have seen all of his success in baseball on TV. But beyond that, I was really drawn to his attitude towards baseball and his humanity. He also has star quality. As a person he is wonderful, and I like that someone I can respect is succeeding.”
16. Sonomura and Fujimoto with friends, UPSOUND (Japanese) “Good luck Ohtani.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tokyo - 8 March 2023
17. Mid of Ohtani
18. Wide of Japan team
19. Mid of Ohtani
20. Various of Japanese team
21. Close of Ohtani
22. Wide of sign

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tokyo – 9 March 2023
23. Wide of people taking photos with Ohtani advert
24. Pan from Shibuya Station to Ohtani advert
25. Wide of person taking photo
26. Wide of Ohtani ad
27. Pan of Ohtani ad
28. Various of Shibuya crossing

STORYLINE:
Baseball fans in Tokyo shared their excitement on Thursday about Japanese player Shohei Ohtani preparing to play in the World Baseball Classic.

Ohtani is arguably the game's best player anywhere, but in Japan he's more than just a baseball player, he's a hero for many in his native country.

“Ohtani is a god. He is a source of comfort for the nation,” said Shinichi Narita, a bar owner.

His return after a long absence to play in Japan in the World Baseball Classic is reminiscent of the frenzy around Ichiro Suzuki’s final Major League Baseball games four years ago — also at the Tokyo Dome.

Outside the Tokyo Dome stadium, local businessman Keiichiro Shiotsuka called Ohtani a "treasure of Japan" and could not hold back his excitement for Ohtani’s return to Japan.

In anticipation of Japan’s practice game on Monday, the Sports Nippon newspaper noted in a large headline that it had been 1,974 days since Ohtani last played in Japan.

That was on Oct. 9, 2017, his last game with the Nippon-Ham Fighters before going to the Angels.

Similar to tennis player Naomi Osaka, Ohtani is not just a Japanese star but a global name who draws record endorsements.

Ohtani is reported to earn $20 million annually in endorsements, far more than any major leaguer.

Ohtani has agreed to a $30 million deal with the Angels for the 2023 season.


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