Stephen A. Smith crossed the line with his comments on Shohei Ohtani

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently made some controversial comments on Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani being the face of the league. What he said is well beyond the line of analysis and could be interpreted as disingenuous and borderline racist.

Wait a second. Ohtani, who is having a phenomenal year for the Angeles with 33 home runs and a .279 batting average and needs a translator, should not be considered the face of baseball in the United States of America? Did we really get to that point?

That’s not analysis. Quite frankly, that is borderline racist. At the very least, it is outright offensive. What does having a translator or an interpreter have to do with being potentially recognized as the face of baseball?

To put it shortly, it really doesn’t. Additionally, it highlights a level of insensitivity towards a player who has received a rather large amount of aplomb, as he should, given how well he has produced this season and will be in the upcoming MLB All-Star Game.

Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to participate in the Home Run Derby as the No. 1 seed while leading off for the American League.

Also, players of Asian descent have performed quite well in the history of the MLB and often found great levels of success. The Seattle Mariners were fortunate to have Ichiro Suzuki, a ten-time All-Star and American League MVP in 2001.

Boston had great success with pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who became the first Japanese pitcher to win an MLB playoff game and was a central figure in Boston’s run to the 2007 World Series title over the Colorado Rockies. Additionally, Matsuzaka was also the first Japanese pitcher to start and win a World Series game.

In 2013, The Red Sox were fortunate to have Koji Uehara, whose final pitch in Game 6 of the World Series secured the victory and the title against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Moreover, who could forget Yankees legend Hideki Matsui, a two-time All-Star, a World Series champion in 2009 over the Philadelphia Phillies, and a World Series MVP?

All were central figures in baseball because of their success and were adored by their respective teams while given credit from the opposition. Translation wasn’t even brought up as a point of discussion.

Needless to say, people were not happy about Smith’s comments and took to social media to voice their displeasure.

Stephen A Smith has made several controversial statements in the past, but this one on Shohei Ohtani is well beyond a hot take.

This isn’t the first time that Stephen A. Smith has been in the news for something he has said on the air. Folks will recall when NBA Hall of Famer Steve Nash was named the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

Smith went on television and called the move “white privilege,” citing a lack of head coaching experience as the reason for his comments and how minorities were never given such opportunities.

However, Smith neglected to realize that several minorities, including Derek Fisher, Mark Jackson, and 2008 NBA Champion Doc Rivers. While those situations occurred in a basketball setting, derogatory comments are still derogatory comments, regardless of occupation.

In the end, however, it boils down to a single point. The comments were inappropriate; they were disappointing, and putting it bluntly, harsh. Smith has since apologized for his insensitivity; what happens after this, however, remains to be seen.