Mookie Betts has already accomplished nearly everything one can in baseball: he’s clinched an MVP award, earned a batting title, secured two World Series titles, and garnered six Gold Gloves and six Silver Sluggers. But it seems his talents extend beyond the diamond.
Betts has made a name for himself in the world of bowling, having competed in last year’s PBA U.S. Open and regularly rolling perfect 300 games. However, it turns out his latest passion is pickleball.
During a recent ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, Betts, mic’d up for the game between the Dodgers and Braves, shared his enthusiasm for the sport. “Pickleball, that’s my jam,” he said. “I love playing pickleball.”
Pickleball—a paddle sport reminiscent of a mix between tennis and badminton—has seen a meteoric rise in popularity. According to a 2022 report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, it’s the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., with a 39.3% increase in participation over the past two years, totaling over 4.8 million players.
Betts is among those enthusiastic participants. He enjoys dropping by various parks to play with strangers and meet new people. “I just go to random parks and play random people,” Betts said. “I love the hang. You get to talk to people and meet them. A lot of people get really into it, which I love.”
For Betts, pickleball offers a unique opportunity to connect with people of all ages. “The cool thing is you can be anywhere from 10 to 80 and play pickleball,” he noted. “I have a lot of friends—random 70– and 80-year-olds I hang out with, especially in Spring Training. I have a crew; I don’t know any of their names, but I just go hang out with them. It’s fun.”
When asked if his Dodgers teammate Shohei Ohtani plays pickleball, Betts could only imagine the outcome. “I don’t know,” Betts said with a chuckle. “But I’m sure if Shohei played, he’d probably be the best at that too.”
