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Baseball keeps Mookie Betts plenty busy, but he’s got a lot of other things going on, too. The Dodgers shortstop
is known as an avid bowler, but he also plays basketball, golf, and pickleball. Outside of sports, he’s a father of two, a podcaster, and a tequila brand co-owner. His latest endeavor is an ad campaign with grooming brand Native.
In the spot, Betts is haunted by the ghosts of baseball past, who warn him about the dangers of changing his routine as he picks up a bottle from Native’s new Well Crafted collection. The ad plays up baseball’s reputation for superstition, though in reality, Betts admits, “I’m not a superstitious guy.”
Betts’ enthusiasm for a variety of activities is part of what keeps him away from those kinds of strict rituals, which don’t always translate from one sport to another. “I think that’s the beauty of me playing so many other sports,” he says. “There’s not one way I clear my head.”
“Playing other sports has helped me accept the environment that’s around me, but not let it affect me. Baseball is one of those things that you gotta have short bursts of focus, and you come in and out of that for three hours. You can’t stay locked in for that long.”
He’s also not the type to overthink his pregame routine. “I get up and get moving around a little bit. I have kids, so I try and spend a little time with them in the morning before I head to work. I eat pretty clean. Just try and keep my body going, especially past 30.”
Native Sunset Cedar & Suede Body Wash
“That’s the thing that’s probably the most consistent is using Native. I like to eat clean, I like to have clean products on me,” says Betts.
Despite the many famous rivalries of both the Boston Red Sox, where he started his career, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he’s been since 2020, Betts also doesn’t worry too much about who his team is playing. “At this point in my career, I genuinely don’t care. When I was younger, I really cared about the Red Sox-Yankees [rivalry]. I was young in the sport, and when you’re playing the Yankees, you knew things were going to be heated. And now you can argue the Padres [are our big rivals], but I really don’t care, dude. It’s all a game. And that’s just how you have to handle it.”
If Betts holds anything resembling a superstition, it’s his commitment to jewelry; he’s almost never seen on the field without two pieces, a Cuban link chain and a baseball bat necklace. “My dad gave me the gold necklace I have on; I want to say it was in high school. And then this baseball necklace, there was a kid in maybe 2017 or ’18, and he gave me a necklace for a signed ball. I just put it on right before the game, and a couple of guys said they thought it was pretty cool. So I just kept it on.”
Dodgers Script All-Star Necklace
Betts’ own fan-gifted necklace inspired All-Star Pieces, a line of similar necklaces with part of the proceeds supporting youth sports.
One more piece of jewelry Betts will look to add is a fifth World Series ring, as the Dodgers chase a third consecutive championship.
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