The admirable humility of Japanese sports stars

Who is the best paid sportsperson in the world? Cristiano Ronaldo perhaps? Or Kylian Mbappé? Lionel Messi? Novak Djokovic? LeBron James? Well, no. As of last week, it is someone even reasonably well-informed sports fans may not have heard of – a certain Shohei Ohtani, Japanese slugger and pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani’s ten-year, 700-million-dollar contract is the most lucrative in sporting history.

Except technically Ohtani will not be the best paid sportsperson in the world, or at least not until the end of his term, as he has chosen to defer nearly all of his salary so that the bulk of the money can be invested by his new club in the team (he apparently has written assurances to that effect). He will exist on a paltry stipend of two million dollars a year (virtually minimum wage in Major League Baseball) and no interest will be paid on his postponed earnings.

Of course Ohtani, the clean-cut, good-looking, scandal-free bachelor will pick up an additional fortune from endorsements – he has what the Asahi newspaper called ‘transcendent marketability’ – so he will hardly be living hand to mouth.