Netflix Deal Upends Baseball Traditions in Ohtani’s Homeland

Mototsugu Kashiwada has watched baseball for free on TV almost his whole life from his hometown of Hanamaki in northern Japan, where superstar Shohei Ohtani played high school baseball. When he learned that the upcoming World Baseball Classic would be streamed only on Netflix, he was stunned.

“Ohtani’s performance last time really got everyone fired up, but my excitement has dropped a lot now that it seems we can’t watch,” said the 72 year-old. He usually relies on his two sons, who live near Tokyo, for tech support, but they’re too far away to help him set up his TV.