What did Jeff Passan say about Shohei Ohtani?
JEFF Passan gave his comments on Shohei Ohtani. Following Stephen A. Smith's comments about the Angels star, Jeff Passan defended live on ESPN Shohei Ohtani. On Tuesday July 13, 2021, the ESPN baseball analyst gave a passionate defense less than 24 hours after Smith made offensive comments towards the Japanese MLB star. "[Ohtani] is the sort of person who this show, who this network, who this country should embrace," Passan said live on ESPN. "We are not the ones who should be trafficking in ignorance." Passan added that Smith's presence on the network comes with a responsibility to promote the game's best players, not tear them down. "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," Passan added. Ohtani is one of MLB's rising stars, in early July 2021, he became the first player in baseball history to be selected for an All-Star game as both a hitter and a pitcher. Ohtani also thrilled fans in the Home Run Derby on Monday July 12, after forcing a double overtime in the first round against Juan Soto. Following Ohtani's successful season, Smith made comments on-air July 12, 2021 saying that his use of an interpreter hurts his status. "When you talk about an audience gravitating to the tube or to the ballpark to actually watch you, I dont think it helps that the number one face is a dude that needs an interpreter so you can understand what the hell hes saying." He then faced backlash for his Xenophobic remarks as many fans found them offensive. Following his offensive remarks about Ohtani, Smith took to Twitter to release an apology the same night. "As I'm watching things unfold, let me sat that I never intended to offend ANY COMMUNITY, particularly the Asian Community- an especially SHOHEI Ohtani himself" Smith said. "As an African-American, keenly aware of the damage stereotyping has done to many in this county, it should've elevated my sensitivities even more." "Based on my words, I failed in that regard and it's on me, and me alone! ...I'm sincerely sorry for angst I've caused with my comments on FIrst Take this morning," Smith concluded. Ohtani himself has not yet commented on either Passan's or Smith's remarks.