Dodgers' Mookie Betts announced as first owner of bowling team in new global league
The World Bowling League announced Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts as an owner of its first franchise team Tuesday.
Betts and Cam Lewis, his lifelong friend and business partner with The One Marketing Group, were announced as the owners of Team OMG. The WBL is a fledgling organization that seeks to unify professional and amateur bowling under a global organizing body.
“Bowling has always been my home away from the diamond,” Betts said in a press release. “It’s a sport of precision, mindset, and community – values I’ve carried my entire career. With Team OMG, we want to inspire bowlers and fans everywhere, showing them that bowling has the excitement and the commercial appeal to compete with the world’s best sports leagues. We’re excited to partner with Adi and the World Bowling League and look forward to bowling along with our team in New York, Dubai, Singapore and more exciting locations.”
In an investor presentation, League Sports CEO and founder Adi K. Mishra compared the WBL Pro Tour to the ATP's role in tennis.
"The core essence of the tour is to build a unified culture, create global superstars, and bring bowling to the world stage," he said, via a 52-week series of events around the globe with a standardized structure.
Tuesday's announcement coincided with the first game of the new Major League Baseball season. Betts missed the Dodgers' Opening Day game against the Chicago Cubs with an illness.
According to a press release: "the WBL, announced in 2024, combines new rules, mixed-gender teams, iconic locations, and dynamic team-based gameplay to reimagine the sport of bowling, which is already played by hundreds of millions of people across the world. The WBL, via multiple broadcasting deals in place, will deliver fast-paced bowling action across key markets around the world. The league aspires to elevate bowling to a mainstream spectator sport like never before, while providing a global stage for the bowling athletes."
Betts bowled throughout his childhood and has dabbled in the sport alongside his decorated baseball career with the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. He's enjoyed enviable success as a part-time bowler, rolling multiple 300 games.
“Mookie Betts and Team OMG embody everything this league stands for – focus, energy, and relentless dedication," Mishra said in a statement. "Mookie is a world-class athlete, and a true ambassador for bowling. His passion for the game and his vision for its future align perfectly with what we’re building at the World Bowling League.”
The WBL's statement promised "more teams backed by celebrities and iconic sports figures as well as partnerships with global brands to be announced soon."
MORE TOP STORIES from The Big Lead
CBB: Florida gets shockingly tough draw
NFL: Is Stefon Diggs going back to Buffalo?
ROUNDUP: Recap Selection Sunday and more
CBB/SPORTS MEDIA: Dick Vitale should be part of March Madness