Is pickleball Betts' next conquest? 'That's my jam'

We know Mookie Betts has done just about everything there is to do on the baseball field. He's won an MVP, batting title, two World Series, six Gold Gloves and six Silver Sluggers. The Dodgers star is also an accomplished bowler, competing at last year's PBA U.S. Open championship and regularly rolling perfect 300 games.

So what's next?

"Pickleball, that's my jam," a mic'd-up Betts said during ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball telecast of the Dodgers-Braves game. "I love playing pickleball."

The popularity of pickleball -- a paddle sport that's like a cross between tennis and badminton -- has gained serious steam in the past few years. A 2022 report from from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association called it the fastest-growing sport for the second year in a row, growing by 39.3% over the previous two years and boasting more than 4.8 million participants.

It just so happens an eight-time Major League All-Star is one of them. And you never know where Betts might be for some pickup pickleball.

"I just go to random parks and just play random people," Betts said. "I love the hang. You get to talk to people and get to meet people. A lot of people have fire in them, especially in pickleball. They get really mad, which I love."

While us mere mortals can only stand in awe of the 31-year-old's feats in baseball, pickleball is a chance to level the playing field ... at least a little.

"The cool thing is you can be anywhere from 10 to 80 and play pickleball," Betts said. "I've got a lot of friends -- random 70- and 80-year-old people I go hang out with, especially in Spring Training. I have a crew. I don't know any of 'em, I don't know any of their names, but I just go hang out with them. It's fun."

When asked if teammate and generational baseball star Shohei Ohtani plays pickleball, Betts replied with the only appropriate response.

"I don't know," Betts said. "But I'm sure if Shohei played it, he'd probably be the best at that, too."

Pickleball, anyone?