There is a saying in sports: “Fans raise players.”

In baseball, soccer, figure skating, and many other sports, when large crowds gather to cheer inside stadiums and arenas, the energy, expectations, and tension created by those fans inspire athletes to push themselves harder and continue growing.

Of course, when a team keeps losing or a player performs poorly, cheers can sometimes turn into boos and criticism.
Even so, athletes often view fans as an irreplaceable part of their journey.

Shohei Ohtani has long been known — both in Japan and in Major League Baseball — as a player who deeply values his fans.

He expressed that feeling most clearly during his introductory press conference with the Angels.

After explaining why he chose the organization, Ohtani said:

“I believe a player’s career is something built together with the fans and the organization. I’m still far from being a complete player, and I hope the support from everyone will help me grow. I’ll keep working hard to live up to it.”

Many athletes say, “Please support me,” but Ohtani’s wording was unique.

To him, a baseball career was not something built alone, but something created together with fans, teammates, and the organization.

Perhaps those words also reflected his understanding that accomplishing something nobody had ever done before — succeeding as a true two-way player — would require the encouragement and support of the people around him.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

The Trajectory of Shohei Ohtani: The Birth of a Two-Way Major Leaguer, p.71