Shohei Ohtani and New Balance have come to an agreement on a multi-year deal. The new sponsorship ends his partnership with Asics, a company he has been with since 2014. New Balance will join companies like Oakley, Panini and Topps, which all work with the superstar.
Ohtani will be working with the company to integrate a new cleat. The cleat will be a take on one of the classic New Balance models, the 547. The cleat is expected to hit shelves in February.
Signing Ohtani is a great move for New Balance. He joins an elite group of athletes who also have deals with the company. These athletes include Kawhi Leonard, Zach Lavine, Francisco Lindor and Coco Gauff.
While New Balance shoes are considered “dad shoes” by the general public, the brand is quite popular within the sport of baseball. They’ve been a staple brand since headlining Dustin Pedroia as their star athlete in 2010.
“Would love to see the contract specs. Baseball players get notoriously bad shoe contracts. Whatever he’s getting, he deserves more” one fan tweeted.
“For the olds, like me,” another fan tweeted.
Signing Shohei Ohtani couldn’t have been better for New Balance. He’ll bring nationwide attention to the brand.
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