Dodgers’ Mookie Betts making Los Angeles home on and off the field

Mookie Betts always had a hard time staying still. It’s a trait that runs in the family. 

Betts’ mother, Diana Collins, loved to bowl so much that she did so on Oct. 6, 1992, the night before giving birth to her son. Betts grew up in bowling alleys, building his arm strength by pushing balls down the lanes at 3 years old. Soon after, he picked up a bat, developing a preternatural power from his diminutive frame. 

By the end of his time at John Overton High School in Nashville, Betts was a three-sport standout, dazzling on the basketball court, earning Tennessee Boys Bowler of the Year honors and getting drafted in the fifth round by the Boston Red Sox. 

As his illustrious baseball career took off, his other passions never faded. He liked having different outlets to rest his mind. Even now, as a six-time All-Star, the 30-year-old former MVP is still finding new hobbies to explore.

"If I didn’t, I would drive myself crazy," Betts told FOX Sports. "Those activities are kind of my outlet. 

"Getting to do work is another outlet. Recently, the last couple years, I’ve kind of turned to being able to get in front of a camera and kind of show a new side that I really didn’t know I had."

It was Betts’ longtime friends Cam Lewis and Jeff "One" Mason who convinced him of his on-screen ability — a talent he’s starting to embrace as a co-founder of One Marketing Group. The three friends came up with the idea for their media company during a conversation in Betts’ garage at the peak of the pandemic in 2020. 

It is Betts’ latest passion project, one that doesn’t involve a bat or a ball. 

"We were together 12 hours a day just dreaming, ‘What are we going to do?’" Betts recalled. "I think COVID just really fast-tracked it all."

Of course, none of them could have predicted exactly how it would unfold. 

Like Betts, Lewis’ background was in sports. He played basketball overseas. Mason used to run a trucking company. But when Betts moved to Los Angeles, the group of friends set out on fulfilling a new, shared dream. They wanted to start a company that could create opportunities and, as Lewis put it, "show things in our lives or in the urban community that aren’t being seen in the truthful light." 

"We wanted a bigger platform and things like that to inspire, and the entertainment industry sounded right up our alley," Lewis continued. "None of us had the background, but we had hopes and real intentions to make things possible."

Two years later, OMG partnered with Propagate to release its first project, a Jackie Robinson documentary entitled "Get to the Bag," which premiered in October on FS1. Betts landed on the subject for the film after his first year with the Dodgers. He had been asked to do a lot for Jackie Robinson Day, and he wanted to learn more about the man himself. 

"I didn’t know much more than common knowledge," Betts said. "Once we were able to dig in and learn a little bit more about Jackie, that’s when the floodgates opened on what we really wanted to learn." 

Betts helped produce the film alongside Lewis and Mason and appeared on screen as one of many athletes interviewed in the documentary, which celebrated Robinson’s journey from the baseball field to corporate America and the lives he impacted along the way. 

The documentary looks at parts of Robinson’s story that might go overlooked. 

"I didn’t know how big of an entrepreneur he was," Mason said. "But the main thing I did not know was that he opened up a bank, him and some friends of his, to provide opportunities for his community. That was mind-blowing to me."

The film, directed by Victorious De Costa and featuring the narration of Brooklyn rapper Skyzoo, took home Cynopsis Media’s award for Best Social Justice Documentary Special, an honor that Mason said shed a light on the hard work the three friends put in to make the project possible. 

It also signaled how far Betts and his team had come since they were kids. 

Betts has known Lewis since the sixth grade. They met Mason through a shared personal trainer. In 2012, all three began working out together at The Training Corner in Tennessee. 

"We all started eating breakfast after all of our workouts, sitting around talking," Mason recalled. "Then, that kind of led us into eating lunch. Then, it kind of led to us eating dinners together. Then, we just kind of gravitated to each other and really started creating this real tight bond and this brotherhood and friendship that we have, and that just kind of evolved over the years."

Fast-forward a decade, and the conversations still continue. They remain tight. Betts is appreciative of their support, particularly after he was traded to the Dodgers in 2020. 

"I’m a country boy, you know what I’m saying?" Betts said. "Coming out west was not anything I really wanted to do. Actually, it was One who kind of told me I was going to love it because he’s from out here. I didn’t believe him, but we came out here, and we loved it. It has been probably the best move that’s ever happened in my life."

Los Angeles has started to feel more like home.

Three years ago, he helped the Dodgers to a World Series title in his first year with the club. This year, his leadership will be even more vital as the Dodgers try to bounce back from last year’s early playoff exit. 

Off the field, his voice has grown. He recently started his own YouTube channel to give fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his life, something he wouldn’t have tried years ago. 

"I used to sweat when I got behind cameras and really had to monitor or think about what I said," Betts said. "Now, it’s just so natural that I’m starting to understand that I do pretty well."

The older he got, the more he understood the platform he had, the lives he could touch and how his words and actions could help create change, particularly when it came to shining a light on social injustice. 

At OMG, he hopes to do the same. 

"I was never the guy that wanted attention," Betts said. "I’m still not the guy that wants attention. But if there’s something that I can help with, I definitely will."

Rowan Kavner covers the Dodgers and NL West for FOX Sports. He previously was the Dodgers’ editor of digital and print publications. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner. 

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