The three Japanese stars with the Los Angeles Dodgers ¡ª Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki ¡ª generated an economic impact of around ?132.8 billion during the 2025 postseason, a recent report has found.
Adjusting for the revenue linked to the trio, Dodgers fans spent around ?35.7 billion on items such as tickets and food during the playoffs, according to the report by Kansai University Professor Emeritus Katsuhiro Miyamoto.
Similarly, broadcasting rights brought in around ?19.5 billion, while merchandise sales generated around ?700 million. Tours from Japan to attend the games added another ?700 million, bringing total direct revenue ¡ª including other related factors ¡ª to approximately ?60.6 billion.
Including the broader economic ripple effects from the games, the total amount brought in by the three players is estimated to have reached approximately ?132.8 billion.
This surpasses the total economic impact generated by the Hanshin Tigers throughout their season this year, when they were dominating their league, according to Miyamoto.
¡°The fact that the economic impact generated by the three Japanese players on the Dodgers in just one month (surpassed) the amount produced by Hanshin¡¯s roughly 40 players over the course of an entire season is truly remarkable,¡± he said.
Miyamoto estimated that the Tigers, who won the Central League title this year, generated around ?108.4 billion nationwide and ?97.6 billion in the Kansai region, where the team is based.
According to Miyamoto¡¯s projection for the following year, Ohtani¡¯s economic impact is expected to remain roughly the same. However, given Yamamoto¡¯s rising popularity, he is likely to surpass this year¡¯s level. Sasaki¡¯s contribution will depend on his performance next season.
The Dodgers won a second straight World Series title earlier this month after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in one of the most dramatic games in MLB history. The three Japanese players on the team are thought to have contributed greatly to the victory, with Yamamoto winning the World Series MVP title.
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