There’s no question that Shohei Ohtani was the focus of MLB’s All-Star festivities in 2021. Not only does it show in the coverage of the event, but it clearly translated to merchandise sales, too.
According to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Ohtani accounted for 28 percent of all All-Star merchandise sales for the 2021 game. That means that of all the jerseys, shirts and anything else sold for the game, more than a quarter of it had Ohtani’s name on it.
Ohtani is doing things that just haven’t been done before, and people are taking notice. It’s not every year that the league leader in home runs also throws the fastest pitch in the All-Star Game, for instance.
Ohtani’s popularity wasn’t limited to fans, either. The simple fact of the matter is that he’s become the biggest star in baseball, and with good reason.
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