When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed superstar Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking $700 million contract earlier this year, they didn't expect their prized player to have to deny betting on baseball or any other sport at the start of the regular season.
The Dodgers want everyone's focus to be on Ohtani hitting impressive home runs and, later when he fully recovers from Tommy John surgery, striking out batters and winning games. Ohtani is an exceptional talent who can do things that remind fans of the great Babe Ruth.
Exceptional talents attract a lot of attention, so Ohtani's 12-minute announcement on March 25 is not the end of the scrutiny. Ohtani stated that he was not aware of his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, having a gambling problem or using Ohtani's money to pay off gambling debts.
Ohtani said that Mizuhara stole money from him and then lied about it. It is Mizuhara who lost his interpreting job with the Dodgers and is accused of stealing $4.5 million.
Ohtani did not take questions from reporters, but his teammates and those in the front office who brought Shohei to the Dodgers believe that Ohtani's denial and explanation are sufficient.
The pieces to this puzzle are not all in place, though. Are we to believe that Ohtani is so careless about his bank account that he could be unaware of such large sums of money missing?
Not everyone agrees with the Dodgers' assessment. Social networks, sports bars, and fans in the stands are full of personal opinions about Ohtani's knowledge of Mizuhara's gambling and the possibility the interpreter may be covering for his friend.
It doesn't matter that such claims may ultimately be proven unfounded. We live in a world where people think, say, and share things with everyone without much thought.
Ohtani and the Dodgers want this issue to go away quickly, yet the investigation continues. So far, no evidence has been shared that Ohtani personally bet on sporting events, and MLB hopes that Ohtani is nothing more than a victim in this situation.
However, many people will likely consider him guilty until proven innocent rather than the other way around. They will continue to search for holes in his story. Maybe Ohtani would have been better off answering questions when he spoke to the media so he could re-emphasize his innocence conversationally rather than relying solely on a prepared statement, even with an interpreter and language barrier.
All of this while the Dodgers, among the preseason favorites to win this year's World Series, are trying to get off to a fast start.
Ohtani and his teammates should prepare themselves for plenty of criticism until the investigation is completed and the legal case against Mizuhara is resolved.
Fans at Dodgers away games, particularly in rival San Francisco, are likely to bombard Ohtani and the team with various negative comments.
Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader banned from major league baseball for life due to gambling, quickly shared his thoughts about Ohtani and Mizuhara. Rose reflected that if he had an interpreter nearby back in the day, all his problems would have been resolved long ago. Rose’s suspension started in 1989. Thirty-five years later, it seems that his pardon will never come.
The fans in Cincinnati, where Rose played for the Reds for many years, will definitely be prepared when the Dodgers come to town. The fans in Philadelphia still hold Rose in high regard for leading the Phillies to the 1980 World Series Championship. They are certain to be vocal when the Dodgers visit Citizens Bank Park for a three-game series starting on July 9.
MLB’s long-standing strict policy on gambling could pose problems if the current situation deteriorates. The 1919 Black Sox scandal, in which certain players on the Chicago White Sox were accused of taking bribes from gamblers to throw the Series, occurred over 100 years ago. MLB banned the players for life, including star player Shoeless Joe Jackson, even though they were later acquitted in court.
Jackson was illiterate and claimed he did not understand the confession he signed. His performance in the 1919 World Series did not suggest intentional underperformance, as he achieved an impressive .375 average. Like Rose, Jackson spent the rest of his life attempting to be reinstated and eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. He passed away in 1951 still awaiting the lifting of his ban.
Can you imagine the significant concern in MLB headquarters if the Ohtani situation escalates?
Our major professional sports leagues greatly benefit from agreements with legal gambling organizations and the increased fan interest that comes from having bets on the results. The crucial point here is legality, but even so the leagues can’t help but appear to want to have things both ways.
The speculation will persist, with fans certain that it’s always been about the money. When you get right down to it, the fans know what they’re talking about.