ESPN baseball analyst Jeff Passan made a passionate defense of Shohei Ohtani following offensive comments from Stephen A. Smith on Monday.
ESPN baseball analyst Jeff Passan gave a passionate defense of Angels' two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after offensive comments regarding Ohtani from First Take host Stephen A. Smith.
Smith drew significant criticism on Monday after he said Ohtani's use of an interpreter hurts his status as the face of baseball. Smith added that if Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper were a two-way player, First Take and ESPN would be discussing baseball "five days a week."
"I don't think it helps that the number one face is a dude that needs an interpreter so you can understand what the hell he's saying in this country," Smith said. "When you talk about an audience gravitating to the tube or to the ballpark to actually watch you, I don’t think it helps that the number one face is a dude that needs an interpreter so you can understand what the hell he’s saying."
Smith tweeted an apology on Monday evening. He also addressed his comments on Tuesday's episode of First Take.
"In this day and age, with all the violence being perpetrated against the Asian community, my comments — albeit unintentional — were clearly insensitive and regrettable," Smith wrote Monday. "There's simply no other way to put it. I'm sincerely sorry for any angst I've caused with my comments on First Take this morning."
Passan addressed Smith's comments on Tuesday. The ESPN insider noted the network should "embrace" Ohtani despite the language barrier, adding that the responsibility to promote the game's best players lies partially with Smith.
"[Ohtani] is the sort of person who this show, who this network, who this country should embrace," Passan said. "We are not the ones who should be trafficking in ignorance."
"The truth is, Stephen A., the more you talk about baseball, the more people are going to watch it because they listen and they want to see it on the airwaves."
Ohtani had no trouble thrilling fans on Monday night. He forced double overtime in the first round of the Home Run Derby against Juan Soto. He will take the mound at Coors Field on Tuesday while he also leads off for the American League. Translator or not, it seems as though Ohtani has no trouble connecting with fans across baseball with his mammoth homers and rocket right arm.
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