IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF BASEBALL SUPERSTAR SHOHEI OHTANI

Major League Baseball pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is rewriting the rules of baseball. The two-way Japanese sensation launched his major league career in the United States in 2018, and his meteoric rise to the top has landed him in his own category — a player so phenomenal that even Babe Ruth comparisons fail to capture his talent. Historically, there have been less than 100 Japanese players who have made it to MLB rosters, and despite their success on the diamond, media coverage of Japanese players has routinely perpetuated negative stereotypes while upholding the ideologies of the dominant class. As Ohtani changes the world of baseball, this research employs critical discourse analysis to investigate if he is also changing media practices in the U.S. Analyzing articles from two Southern California-based publications, the study evaluates the extent to which coverage of Ohtani has been influenced by such dominant ideologies as systemic racism, U.S. nationalism, and capitalism as well as how discourse surrounding Ohtani has shifted throughout his career from 2018-24.