Shohei Ohtani’s Arrival Reflects Diversity of Dodgers Fans, and Los Angeles

The fans had been gathering for more than an hour while the Arizona sunshine grew brighter by the minute. Parents nudged their children toward the front of the scrum, baseballs in hand, Sharpie pens at the ready for autographs.

At about 10 a.m., cheers and shouts erupted and excitement rippled through the crowd like an electric current. Jogging past and offering a demure wave was Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new two-way superstar.

It was only batting practice during spring training at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, but it was my first glimpse of the frenzy around Ohtani, a Japanese player whose star power has remained strong despite a gambling scandal that led to the firing of his longtime interpreter and close friend.

At spring training, I met a lot of Japanese American Dodgers fans. For many of them, Ohtani’s arrival in Los Angeles has been a galvanizing moment, as the community faces gentrification in its historic home base, Little Tokyo, and an aging population. (You can read my full article about what Ohtani means to Japanese Americans in Los Angeles.)

Fans and team employees I spoke with highlighted how Ohtani’s arrival had also tapped into a diverse Dodgers fan base that reflects Los Angeles.

As I wandered the grounds of Camelback Ranch, the Dodgers’ spring training home, I heard lots of fans speaking Japanese or Spanish. Fans of all backgrounds wore Ohtani jerseys.