The frugality of the Ohtani family with an annual salary of 80.9 billion… “Mom still works part-time”

Shohei Ohtani (29), who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of the Major League Baseball (MLB), reigns as a star player with a high salary, but news has spread that his family is still living a frugal life.

On the 22nd, Money Post, a Japanese media, reported on the current situation of the Ohtani family under the title of ‘Economics education that fostered the independence of Shohei Otani, who receives an annual salary of 8.5 billion yen’. The media explained that Ohtani’s wonderful personality was passed down from his family, including his mother, Kayoko.

According to the media, the money Ohtani earned this year exceeds 8.5 billion yen (approximately 80.9 billion), which is the highest among major league players. In addition, he signed sponsorship contracts with 17 large companies, and the contract with New Balance, which started sponsoring supplies this year, amounts to 4 billion yen (approximately 38 billion won).

But the Ohtani family is still living a frugal life. Ohtani’s home is the small rural town of Oshu in Iwate Prefecture, where his parents still reside.

An acquaintance of the Ohtani family said, “When Ohtani was playing in Japan, he once proposed to his parents to rebuild his home. As Ohtani, I wanted to be filial,” he said. “But my parents said, ‘I’m still healthy and the house isn’t old. It’s not like I’m spending money on something like that. Collect them well,” he said and refused. His parents extensively remodeled (renovated) their home last year, but even this time, they rejected all of their son’s offers to pay for the remodeling.

Currently, Ohtani’s income is managed by her mother. In particular, while her mother manages the huge amount of money her son earns, she continues to work part-time (part-time).

One official said, “When Ohtani asked her mother, ‘How long are you going to work?’, her mother said, ‘I can’t ask you to carry me?’ The father Tooru also responded by saying, “I can’t ask my son to feed me just because he’s successful.”

An official said, “The son is earning money as the son does, and the parents are earning their own money, so that is enough. Ohtani’s parents are not opening their hands to him,” he added.

The same goes for Ohtani’s older brother and older sister. His older brother, Ryuta, who is 7 years older than Ohtani, played as a professional baseball player and is now a retired Toyota Motor Corporation coach. His older brother bought an apartment with a loan of 30 million yen (approximately 280 million won) while getting married two years ago, and in this process he did not rely on Ohtani.

His older sister, who is two years older than his older brother, also married an official from his alma mater’s baseball club with the introduction of Ohtani three years ago. At the time, Ohtani asked her to make her a bigger wedding present, but her older sister said she refused.

The media saw Ohtani also leading a frugal life under the influence of her family. The media said, “Ohtani is wearing only a few clothes he received from ‘Hugo Boss’, with which he partnered in 2020. Sportswear and shoes are all ‘New Balance’ products,” he said.

Jung Jae-woo Online News Reporter [email protected]

[ⓒ 세계일보 & Segye.com, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]