Shohei Ohtani’s dominance has reached a point where many fans almost expect every major award to go his way, even with plenty of worthy competition. And honestly, it’s not hard to see why, because what he’s doing on the field feels unreal!

Take this October, for example. Ohtani pulled off something no baseball player had ever done. In Game 4 of the NLCS, he crushed three home runs and pitched six shutout innings, striking out 10! But the big question remains: is that enough to label him the best athlete of the year across all sports?

For TIME Magazine, the answer was no. And that decision didn’t sit well with Ohtani’s fans. Many of them took to social media to vent their frustration, convinced that a season like his should have made the choice obvious.

“The long-established American magazine TIME selected A’ja Wilson of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces as this year’s Athlete of the Year…  Fans have been expressing some concern since the announcement. The fact that he missed out on the award despite his impressive performance has sparked some questions,” Full-Count reports.

Well, for the unversed, this is the second year that Ohtani has been snubbed from the TIME Athlete of the Year award after looking like a heavy favorite.

And the athlete who edged out Ohtani for the award is no ordinary competitor either. A’ja Wilson, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft, has been rewriting the record books ever since she entered the league. She’s now the first player in league history to win four MVP awards (2020, 2022, 2024, 2025). She has collected three Defensive Player of the Year honors as well.

Moreover, even by her own elite standards, 2025 felt different. The 6’4” superstar led the league in both scoring and blocks and finished the regular season averaging 26.1 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks, capping it all off with a dominant 16-game winning streak. So, with a resume like that, it’s hard to argue against Wilson winning the award.

Still, that doesn’t make it any easier for Ohtani fans. After returning fully to his two-way role and blasting a career-high 55 home runs this year, many feel he did more than enough to deserve the honor. And for them, accepting that he came up short again is a tough pill to swallow!

Fans are rallying behind Shohei Ohtani

Why can’t Shohei Ohtani win the award for two consecutive years? “No Shohei is a criminal,” one fan said. “Tell me why this shouldn’t be Ohtani?” another added.

In MLB, though, Shohei Ohtani winning awards has almost become routine. Take the MVP, for instance. He’s been claiming it year after year since 2021. The same goes for All-Star selections. That kind of consistency only reinforces how valuable and dominant he’s been in baseball. But TIME’s Athlete of the Year is a different conversation altogether.

It’s not just about numbers or league dominance. Other factors come into play, especially when you’re comparing athletes across different sports. In baseball, there’s really no one who matches Ohtani’s overall impact. Across the broader sports world, though, there are a few athletes who generate a similar level of influence and excellence, and A’ja Wilson is clearly one of them.

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“Is Time familiar with an individual named Shohei Ohtani?” Another user remarked. “You lot do know other sports exist aside from women’s basketball, right?” Another added.

Well, there’s also a reason why some fans feel baseball doesn’t get its fair share of attention when it comes to TIME’s Athlete of the Year. Last year, the award went to Caitlin Clark, another WNBA standout. That naturally made some fans wonder if TIME is leaning heavily toward the WNBA when making these picks.

But then again, if you look back at 2023, the award went to soccer legend Lionel Messi, which shows that TIME isn’t focused on just one sport. So maybe it’s not about excluding baseball altogether. Still, it’s hard for fans to ignore the fact that Shohei Ohtani keeps getting passed over despite putting up jaw-dropping numbers year after year.

“Aja is a player, no doubt. But to think she has even a fractional percent of the reach of Ohtani around the globe is straight up absurd,” One fan shared.

And beyond the stats, there’s Ohtani’s global appeal. As a Japanese superstar dominating an American sport, he’s built a massive following across continents. That international popularity gives him a level of reach and influence that’s hard to match, at least right now. This is why many fans feel he should be ahead of everyone else in these conversations.