Shohei Ohtani, Fanatics agree to exclusive memorabilia partnership

The terms of the new exclusive partnership makes Fanatics the “lone distributor of Ohtani’s full assortment of highly sought-after autographs, collectibles, and memorabilia, which will feature the largest assortment of Ohtani products ever offered,” according to the company’s press release.

“It’s an honor to join Fanatics as their latest exclusive athlete,” Ohtani said of the partnership. “Their global presence and reach throughout both the United States and Japan will help provide fans everywhere access to incredible products.” 

It goes without saying that landing Ohtani was a major coup for Fanatics, as illustrated in the news shared by “SportsCenter” on social media.

“Shohei Ohtani is a once-in-a-generation baseball talent and it’s incredibly exciting to welcome him to the Fanatics team,” said Fanatics executive vice president Victor Shaffer. “There is no doubting his growing popularity both in the United States and in his native Japan and we look forward to providing fans everywhere with the widest assortment of Ohtani officially licensed merchandise and collectibles ever offered.”

The partnership announcement comes amid Ohtani enjoying a historic, record-breaking season and meteoric rise to superstardom. He leads Major League Baseball with 34 home runs and a .686 slugging percentage. Ohtani has also excelled on the mound, posting a 4-1 record and 3.21 ERA across 14 starts. 

What’s more, it also comes on the heels of the Angels two-way superstar becoming the first player in MLB history to be selected to an All-Star Game as both a position player and a pitcher. Ohtani went on to both hit and pitch at the All-Star Game last week at Coors Field. The slugger also competed in the Home Run Derby.

Ohtani joins the likes of Tom Brady, Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts, Pete Alonso, Anthony Rizzo, Trevor Lawrence, Sabrina Ionescu, Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Zion Williamson, among others, who have an exclusive memorabilia partnership with Fanatics.