San Francisco is undergoing out-of-control urban decay. Its reputation is taking a hit as violent crime, homelessness, and theft are making the Golden Gate City a place to avoid, with businesses and residents leading the exodus. It’s even impacted the Bay Area’s San Francisco Giants baseball team. With the offseason in full swing, the Giants have already struck out on the biggest free agent on the market: Shohei Ohtani.

Regarded as perhaps the best major league baseball player of his generation, the Japanese sensation signed the largest contract in the history of North American sports, at 10 years and $700 million, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giant’s biggest rival. Ohtani will make $2 million annually and defer the remaining $680 million, which he will be paid between 2034 and 2043.

Ohtani Turns Down the Giants

Ohtani is both a hitter and a pitcher, making him a unicorn in baseball. He is a three-time All-Star and a two-time MVP with an average pitching velocity of 97 mph, and he has pitched 150 innings in the past three seasons. His two-way play has earned him comparisons to Babe Ruth. 

The San Francisco Giants made a strong push for Ohtani, as did other big-market teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, Anaheim Angels, and Los Angeles Dodgers. A report revealed that the Giants agreed to match the deal the Dodgers gave to Ohtani. Still, he rejected it in favor of the Giant’s divisional opponent in Southern California. (RELATED: Pham Passes the Bat On)

The Giants have become a well-established baseball franchise since relocating from New York in 1958. They won three World Series championships from 2010 to 2014, the closest any MLB team has had to a “dynasty” this century. Oracle Park is considered one of the premiere ballparks in which to play and to experience a major league game, which leads to regular sellouts. They also have one of the wealthiest owners in MLB, Charles Johnson. Thus, with Ohtani’s failure to sign, the Giants organization have pointed the blame externally rather than internally.

In a recent interview with the Athletic, former Giants All-Star catcher Buster Posey, now part of the Giants’ ownership group, brought up San Francisco’s downward spiral as the reason why perennial stars like Ohtani want nothing to do with the team. “Something I think is noteworthy, something that unfortunately keeps popping up from players and even the players’ wives, is there’s a bit of an uneasiness with the city itself, as far as the state of the city, with crime, with drugs,” Posey said. “Baseball is secondary to life and the important things in life. But as far as a free-agent pursuit goes, I have seen that it does affect things.” (READ MORE: Anti-Woke Texas Rangers Win the World Series)

Ohtani’s made no personal statement proclaiming his disdain for the city’s conditions. Still, his associates have made it clear to media outlets that they are uneasy about playing in San Francisco. The Giants are in a “free-agent slump,” according to Posey. The last Hall of Fame–type player they signed was Barry Bonds in 1993. Korean Jung Hoo Lee recently accepted a six-year $113 million deal, but this is seen as a consolation prize compared to Ohtani, as the Giants will have to plug in older players to supplement the younger in order to be competitive in their division. 

San Francisco’s Downward Spiral

According to Giants President Farhan Zaidi, San Francisco is a “polarizing place,” and that polarization has yielded negative results. Retail chains like Nordstrom, Walgreens, and Target have closed down stores due to a rise in shoplifting and drug use. According to FBI crime statistics, the city’s violent crime rate was 71 percent higher than the national average in 2019, along with the property crime rate, at 161 percent higher. Homelessness continues to rise dramatically, now 35 percent above 2019 rates, leading to unsanitary conditions.

In a recent Fox News debate between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom, current California governor and former San Francisco mayor, DeSantis exposed California as a high-tax, high-crime state and even criticized San Francisco for having a feces problem, holding up a map that plots human waste found on the streets of San Francisco.

San Francisco is not alone in its increasing problems with crime and deviance. Los Angeles, Chicago, and other big cities have struggled with public order for years, affecting their general outlook. The difference is that these big cities are larger and contain “escape” pockets to avoid maleficence. San Francisco is smaller, an open field littered with homeless tents and trash where a resident cannot even feel safe attending a Giants game. 

Posey and the Giants’ comments on the city’s condition are harsh, but the blame lies with Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco City Hall. Next year will see city elections held. If Bay Area citizens want a livable city and a baseball team that attracts the best free agents, they must step up to the plate and vote good conservative candidates into office.

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