[ad_1]
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith said on Monday that famous Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani was “hurting the game” of baseball because Ohtani, who is Japanese, uses the help of an English translator when playing. press conferences.
Smith’s comments were made during First take, during a discussion of Ohtani, which has an EER of 3.49 and which will launch both and hit in the upcoming All-Star Game – the first player in Major League history to be chosen for both positions.
“This brother is special, make no mistake about it. But the fact that you have a foreign player who doesn’t speak English, who needs an interpreter, believe it or not, I think, helps to hurt the game to some extent when that is your attraction at the box- office, ”Smith said. He suggested that instead, “It must be someone like [Philadelphia Phillies’] Bryce Harper, [Angels’] Mike Trout, these guys. And unfortunately, at the moment, that is not the case.
Stephen A. Smith Says Shohei Ohtani Needs a “Help Hurt” Baseball Performer 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/2J5jRGartx
– Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) July 12, 2021
Smith also said, “But when you talk about an audience gravitating around the tube or the stadium, to watch you, okay? I don’t think it helps that number 1’s face is a guy who needs a performer so you can understand what he’s saying.
TVLine has reached out to ESPN for comment.
After Smith’s comments were criticized on Twitter, he released a clarification, stating that he was addressing “the marketing and promotion of the sport” and not Ohtani’s language skills, in particular. “… In America, all I was saying was that when you’re a superstar, if you can speak the English language, then guess what? This will make the promotion of the sport much easier and less difficult. “
On my previous comments on Ohtani pic.twitter.com/FM0vnDDXBB
– Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 12, 2021
[ad_2]
Source link