The Big Lead

Dodgers can trace $70 million in sponsorship revenue to Shohei Ohtani, report claims

By J.P. Hoornstra

Nov 1, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) to speaks to fans, in english, during the World Series Championship Celebration at Dodger Stadium.
Nov 1, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) to speaks to fans, in english, during the World Series Championship Celebration at Dodger Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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The Los Angeles Dodgers reaped a total of $70 million in incremental sponsorship revenue in 2024 by adding 12 Japanese-based partners, according to research from SponsorUnited cited by Forbes.

The reason? Shohei Ohtani.

In his first season after signing a then-record 10-year, $700 million contract, Ohtani won the National League MVP award and helped the Dodgers defeat the New York Yankees to win the World Series last October. Along the way, Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to steal 50 bases and hit 50 home runs in the same season.

His presence made the most direct impact on the Dodgers, but the so-called "Ohtani effect" was not limited to Los Angeles.

SponsorUnited's Bob Lynch estimates Ohtani also generated roughly $15 million in cumulative revenue from Japanese brands inking signage for the Dodgers' away games, according to Forbes' Justin Birnbaum.

Birnbaum also quoted Tim Derdenger, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, who called the ability to customize digital in-stadium ads for games specific to Ohtani was a game-changer.

“The play for these brands, and wanting to spend millions of dollars and hundreds of millions of dollars in sports marketing, is to reach interested and captive audiences more efficiently,” Derdenger told Forbes. “Using technology to reach customers and personalize those messages for them is going to be a key player in the growth of sponsorship across the leagues.”

The latest report is the tip of the marketing iceberg that is Ohtani. His Dodgers jersey broke a record for MLB-licensed retailer Fanatics within 48 hours of the contract's announcement.

The Athletic reported in July that Ohtani's endorsement income is "nearing $100 million annually ... with the potential to exceed that figure, according to an industry." That windfall is largely why the Dodgers were able to defer $68 million of his salary every year until 2034, after the 10th year of his deal.

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