MLB fans harshly condemn racial slur used against Shohei Ohtani: "You’re a racist clown"

There is no disputing the fact that Shohei Ohtani is the hottest player in baseball at the moment.

After leading Japan to victory over the star-studded Team USA at the recent World Baseball Classic, the Los Angeles Angels star is ready to kick off the 2023 MLB season.

However, a startling racial term recently used by an Angels podcast host has threatened to put a damper on Ohtani's return to the Angels. Luckily, fans on Twitter are rushing to the former MVP's defense.

On his Angels-based podcast, a guest of host Curtis Cook said that Ohtani was "literally not an Angel anymore," referencing the widespread theory that the star will leave the team after his one-year contract expires.

In an awkward counter, Cook called Ohtani a "Jap." The racial slur was popularized in the United States during World War II, and serves as a demeaning way to refer to people of Japanese origin.

Upon hearing Cook's use of the antiquated and offensive term, fans on Twitter rushed to the defense of the Los Angeles Angels' two-way phenomenon. Commenters proved that the 28-year-old has far more fans than he does detractors.

Numerous comments piled up under a reposting of the jarring remark. Most have resorted to colorful terms of their own to make Cook aware that his use of the term was made in extremely poor taste.

One fan even brought up the fact that Cook, who generates his income through his podcast as well as selling Angels merchandise, should show respect for the team and their star. After all, having Shohei Ohtani in the squad increases interest in the team by a significant margin.

The Los Angeles Angels will kick off their 2023 season on March 30 against the Oakland Athletics.

Shohei Ohtani likely won't let demeaning comment distract him from his goal

Ohtani, alongside Mike Trout and others, have their work cut out. The team has not made the playoffs since 2014, and calls for the highly-skilled roster to do something about it have reached a fever-pitch. Ohtani has bigger priorities to focus on than Curtis Cook and his off-color commentary.

About the author

Adrian Dorney is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda. Having worked over five years in the industry, Adrian strives to combine statistical analysis with the human side of baseball reporting. Since a lot of his briefs involve publishing content with urgency, he has perfected a process involving a combination of trustworthy sources and assessment with intuition.

His lifelong tryst with baseball began with growing up in Toronto and watching the Blue Jays regularly. His favorite player is Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., and Jose Bautista's go-ahead home run in 2015 ALDS Game 5 remains his favorite baseball memory to date.

When not working, Adrian is constantly looking to learn new things and he also loves playing golf and chess.

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