A professional athlete having his own logo with a sportswear company is quite rare.
Japanese Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani can now count himself as one of the few athletes to have his own logo, like Ken Griffey Jr., Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods.
Ohtani collaborated with New Balance to create a personal brand, which was announced as the 2024 MLB regular season starts in Seoul, South Korea on March 20, where Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers open on the road team against the San Diego Padres at the Gocheok Sky Dome at 6:05 a.m. EST.
The design represents Ohtani rounding first base, and it will be featured on a number of future projects including in commercials and on sportswear for New Balance during the 2024 season.
New Balance revealed the logo for the two-way star on Monday night.
In that run, every soul delights. The Shohei Ohtani Signature Logo.
その走りに、すべての命が喜んでいる。大谷翔平シグネチャーロゴ。#NewBalance #ShoheiOhtani https://t.co/504RfdhYev pic.twitter.com/xYYLKbfWuy
— New Balance (@newbalance) March 19, 2024
Ohtani’s logo with New Balance reflects his athleticism and unique ability as both a hitter and a pitcher during his historic career. The logo reflects his love of the game, his pure power hitting, and his base running, with him rounding first base.
New Balance announced its new partnership with Ohtani on Jan. 31, 2023, prior to his last season with the cross-town rival Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani signed with the Dodgers as a free agent and agreed to an MLB-record 10-year, $700 million contract on Dec. 11.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor also has a signature line with New Balance that he signed with back in 2016 which includes baseball cleats and training shoes. On June 13, 2023, Lindor and New Balance released an update to his signature shoe, the Lindor 2, as part of the Puerto Rican shortstop’s line the brand.
New Balance also had endorsement deals with Hall Of Famer David Ortiz and Former Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia when the company’s line of baseball cleats held a significantly smaller marketshare.
Ohtani stated in a company press release prior to the start of the 2023 season, “New Balance is a global brand that is known for having incredible product innovation but also for being an authentic brand who allows their athletes to be themselves. I am excited to join with them to change the game.”
Ohtani was also in New Balance’s commercials during their “We Got Now” campaign prior to the start of last season. The New Balance commercials with Ohtani first aired during the 2023 World Baseball Classic last March and continued throughout the MLB regular season.
“Since joining forces with New Balance, Shohei Ohtani has been nothing short of incredible to work with both on and off the diamond. We have collaborated with Shohei on charitable endeavors in Japan, global brand storytelling, product and a lot more still to come,” Chris Davis, New Balance Chief Marketing Officers and SVP of Merchandising stated in a release on Tuesday.
“Shohei is truly a reflection of our values, and this is just the beginning. We will continue to innovate, inspire and give back in a way that can only be expressed through Shohei,” Davis said.
New Balance will host an exclusive pop-up event for Ohtani’s new logo at their flagship store in Brentwood, Calif. on March 27 from 3-7 p.m. Fans will be able to purchase a limited-edition t-shirt featuring Ohtani’s logo. New Balance and Ohtani will have 50 New Balance gloves available for sale that are replicas of the glove that was created specifically for the two-way star.