Shohei Ohtani (30, Los Angeles Dodgers) is now at the same level as Michael Jordan in 'Basketball Emperor'. This is the result of no disagreement.
The Associated Press announced on the 24th (Korea time) 'Men's Sports Athlete of the Year in 2024' It is an award in the field of sports that has been recognized for its tradition and authority since 1931. Ohtani received 48 votes out of 74 AP member sports journalists and was voted the "2024 best male player".
It is an overwhelming result of 65 percent of the vote. Leon Marchamps, the four-time swimming champion at the 2024 Paris Olympics, who came in second, won only 10 votes. In third place is Scottie Scheffler (nine votes) who won the Masters and the Olympic gold medal.
This marks the third time Ohtani has received the award in his career. Ohtani, who first won the award in 2021, won last year and this year for the second consecutive year. In addition, he was on par with Jordan as a three-time winner. At the same time, the possibility of breaking the record for the most awards ever has increased.
The most winners so far have been Lance Armstrong (cycle), Tiger Woods (golf), and LeBron James (basketball), all of whom have won four awards. However, Armstrong's reputation has already faded due to his use of prohibited drugs. Only Woods and LeBron are recognized for their authority. Woods and LeBron have already entered the twilight of their careers. There is not much chance of breaking the award record.
Ohtani, on the other hand, is still in the prime of his career. Ohtani, who played an active role in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) stage after the Japanese stage, did not throw the ball this year due to the aftermath of elbow surgery last year, but focused only on hitting. He is expected to take the mound again from next year. If he continues his recent skills, he is certainly more likely to win another award than Woods or LeBron.
Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Angels via posting in December 2017. In 2018, his first year in the Major League, he started 10 games as a pitcher with a 4-2 record and a 3.31 ERA, and a batting average of 0.285 22 home runs and 61 RBIs in 114 games as a batter.
In 2021, when he first received the 'Men's Player of the Year ', he hit 46 home runs and 100 RBIs as a batter, and as a pitcher, he achieved 9 wins, 2 losses and a 3.18 ERA, opening a full-fledged era of success 'Ido-ryu.' Then, in 2023, his second award season, he recorded 10-5 losses and a 3.14 ERA, while recording 340,000 runs and 44 home runs-95 RBIs.
Ohtani, who signed an all-time 10-year-$700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of this season, focused only on hitters. It set an unprecedented record here. In 159 games, he hit a batting average of 310 (197 hits in 636 at-bats) with 54 homers, 130 RBIs, 134 runs, 59 steals and an OPS of 1.036. In particular, he achieved the first '50 home run - 50 steals' record in Major League history.
Thanks to Ohtana's performance, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the National League and also won the World Series against the New York Yankees to become world champions.
Ohtani, who received his third career 'Men's Sports Player of the Year' award, said "It's an honor. All the hard work was rewarded. I'll get another award next year"Growing up in Japan, I copied Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods a lot. I was greatly influenced by their achievements and their success" expressed his feelings.
