While MLB might not have a salary cap, they are the only major sports league in North America that guarantees paternity leave to its players. Back on April 18, Shohei Ohtani went on the paternity list for the birth of his daughter. Mamiko Tanaka and Ohtani welcomed their first child together, and Ohtani was able to be there every step of the way.
Shohei Ohtani Can Make History Again Amid Paternity Leave
Through every record he’s broken and all of the odds he’s defied as a two-way player in the MLB, Ohtani’s paternity leave is sparking a movement in Japan. This movement goes beyond baseball or professional sports; it’s about dads and their time becoming fathers in Japan.
As of 2023, only 30.1% of male employees took any fiscal leave. Men are entitled to up to 52 weeks of paid paternity leave, but none are taking the break they need and deserve.
Between 2022 and 2024, 162 MLB players went on the paternity list. It’s only a three-day absence from their professional baseball career, but it is a welcome addition that was bargained for with the union in 2011. Ohtani followed suit, returning to the team just two days after he was placed on paternity leave.
Japanese athletes are using Ohtani’s leave to try and change the rules in Japan — one of which is Ken Tokura, a soccer player for Tochigi City FC.
“My daughter happened to be born on my day off, so I got to be in the delivery room, but if that wasn’t the case, I probably would have had to deal with lots of emotions. This is why the league needs to set up a ‘paternity list’ policy and a culture that encourages players to spend quality time with family,” Tokura said.
Professional athletes are humans too, and they have real things to deal with at home. Sometimes, fans and even organizations do not understand that the game does not always come first; home life does. The Japan Professional Baseball Players Association took a step in the right direction as Shuta Ishikawa was given two games off, even though it wasn’t officially him going on the paternity list.
Yusuke Nishiyama is making waves as he is currently taking a month of paternity leave. Nishiyama runs Toyota’s corporate marathon team, which has many different rules and regulations compared to the professional sports leagues in Japan.
He made a great point, though: “If the Dodgers can manage a few games without its superstar player Ohtani, there’s no reason other teams, regardless of sport, can’t let every new father take time off.”
Ohtani is a history maker in every aspect of life, and if his time away from the Dodgers will spark new rules in Japanese sports leagues, that would just be another thing to add to his already lengthy Hall of Fame résumé.