Ohtani, Osaka among TIME's 100 most influential people of 2021

Time magazine list - Biden and Harry very negative influences both have made fools of themselves

Great for Shohei and Naomi! Definitely warranted in that list.

Yes, Ohtani is having a great year.

Hopefully, we'll see more from the shining new stars Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez who are mature beyond their years in tennis and in interviews.

Hopefully, we'll see less of mental lightweights on the list of influencers, such as Prince Harry and What's her name, Donald Trump, Britney Spears, and of course "You-Know-Who."

Osaka influential? I don't think being mentally weak and run away and hide when the going gets tough is a good influence.

Also as a half Japanese woman never once raising issues of how Japan treats mixed race people she isn't using her influence in a positive way.

They've barely influenced me at all.

To think I’ve been using “cut & paste” when “*frankenstein” as a verb *has been available the entire time:

“If you were to Frankenstein every unique talent into one player, you'd get Shohei Ohtani, …”

Alex Rodriguez, MLB star-turned ESPN on-air talent

"Naomi Osaka's humility and dedication to others has been spectacular to watch.

Made me chuckle ....

Osaka? Oh puleeeez. Gimme a break. She wants to take a break from tennis ...... to appear at the Met Gala.

tokyojoe:

Also as a half Japanese woman never once raising issues of how Japan treats mixed race people she isn't using her influence in a positive way.

Yeah. And retweeting one or two tweets on Twitter does not mean 'speaking out on anti-Asian abuse', as the media have put it.

Can’t argue with the names mentioned but the predictable drone of impotent irrelevance from the comments makes it hard to concentrate.

Think you’ll find @tooheysnew 5:37pm that “fetish” is an unusual, ‘sexual’ fixation in an inanimate object. -Can’t imagine Osaka’s current detractors, obviously upset with her recent mercurial ‘behaviors’, are in anyway fantasizing about Naomi. Although, they may consider her personality to be somewhat “*inanimate**”, *so to speak. -

Seems Osaka has some of these ’backhand’ remarks coming and this press is just more, “paid-for” advertising to rebuild her image in light of other more animated and deserving ‘winners’ now propelled into the spotlight.

Really happy with the japanese representation! hopefully we see a japanese footballer make this list soon (world cup is coming up in 2022 so i'll be cheering for Japan)!

Give everyone the list a medal and a hug and make them honorary diplomats for the world.

Statues would be good too and checks for one million each.

Of course a Ph.D or two is also warranted.

I would buy a new dress and go to that gala.

Good luck to all the winners as they are all winners in my eyes.

If Justin Bieber is not included Iwill write a protest letter to Time

@ShinkansenCaboose

Does that include the couple on the cover of the magazine? (Prince Harry and Meghan)

@Kitty: Of course. Everyone deserves a hug and a medal and a monetary reward. You as well. Nyanya

And so were 97 other people from around the world, none of whom are undoubtedly the people who will beam with pride over Japanese (and/or their own nationals) being included.

I've never understood why you can be so proud of someone else's accomplishments, or worse, of a natural landscape, when you had nothing do to with it at all and have done nothing of the sort, and have to jump up and down and tell others all about it (some even bragging). Proud of your kids and/or a relative? Sure! Something you did yourself? absolutely. Proud because someone you have never met, who just happened to be born in the same arbitrary borders, accomplished something you never could, as though nationality has anything to do with genetics and ties you to them? Nope. Good on them all -- all 100, and many, many besides. That's good enough for me. Not going to catch me buying a copy of Time so I can ask others what they think of Japan or anything.

Very interesting.

Lets not forget that Time's man of the year for 1938 was a Mr Adolf Hitler.

Took the words out of my mouth Mr. Kipling

"Naomi Osaka's humility and dedication to others has been spectacular to watch. It's incredibly meaningful that she has been able to talk honestly about struggling with her mental health and share with us her vulnerability," Wilson wrote.

Wouldn't it have been braver to NOT mention it to the world, but to deal with it privately? Or, perhaps she should have targeted the Japanese audience, maybe in the Japanese language, where racism and mental illness probably aren't discusses very much at all. I don't see Osaka as someone who's spoke articulately about any particular topics but maybe that's OK. This fad of the appearance of celebrity activism is tiresome. It's just that the narrative seems insincere and there are many other people who do have depth and influence.

Time has no influence anywhere, those days are long gone.. the world is slowly transistioing to real people who do the real work..and these are the real influencers ..

Ohtani is only influential because Japanese by and large only look to someone at the top of their game. If he falls off next year, they'll just latch on to the next in line most high profile Japanese athlete. I am soooo glad the Angels' season is coming to an end in a few weeks and happy he didn't choose the Yankees because their faux love would be unbearable.

JAPAN picked her when she started winning. I was watching her for two years before she won anything. Never heard a peep out of any Japanese person. Not my co-workers or friends. Why should she have to change for them?

they started caring about her cause she choosed japanese passport (in order to play Davis Cup and going to Olympic games).

I speak japanese better than her, enough said... (and my japanese is a little more than basic)

She was the one who turned on the olympic flame, she didn't deserve at all.

And of course, she supports blm, shame of her

That’s kind of sad. Did they even had time to study anything?

Osaka........she could have been but she seems more like a shooting star that has entered the burn out phase unless she has a serious turnaround!

Happy for all that made it to that list, specially Ms. Osaka.

they started caring about her cause she choosed japanese passport (in order to play Davis Cup

Ahem. Davis Cup is a mens competition.

Im starting to doubt your knowledge of tennis.