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Watch: Mookie Betts' Cameo in the 'Naked Gun' Reboot Evokes Classic ESPN Ads

J.P. Hoornstra|
Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts looks around during batting practice prior to a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on July 8.
Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts looks around during batting practice prior to a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on July 8. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Dodgers

The new reboot of the classic "Naked Gun" series of films — starring Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin — finds the clumsy detective "investigating a mysterious wave of crimes happening throughout all of sports." A recently released teaser for the new movie shows Drebin on the case in an ESPN office suite.

Among those whom the detective questions in the office: Dodgers star Mookie Betts. Watch for yourself:

The eclectic roster of pro athlete cameos also includes WNBA star Paige Bueckers, retired New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, and Adam Fox of the NHL's New York Rangers.

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Betts, 31, does not have a long list of Hollywood credits, though his pace has picked up since he was traded to the Dodgers in 2020. He created his own media company, the One Media/Marketing Group (OMG), which in 2022 signed a production deal with independent content creation company Propagate.

The first byproduct of that collaboration was announced in 2022 — Fox Sports Films' "Jackie Robinson: Get To The Bag" — for which Betts appeared on camera and served as executive producer.

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Betts also appeared as a judge in a 2023 episode of The Great Food Truck Race, and a 2024 episode of Secret Celebrity Renovation. Earlier this year, Betts appeared in a promo for The Accountant 2.

Unless he features in other scenes in the movie, Betts' appearance in the new "Naked Gun" might be brief. He still might be more visible off the field as any active baseball player, as the host of his own podcast (distributed via Bleacher Report).

The cameo is another step in the public evolution of a player who rarely stepped outside the baseball spotlight during six seasons with the Boston Red Sox (2014-19). In six seasons with the Dodgers, Betts has not been shy about expanding his media presence.

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Younger viewers might not recognize the Naked Gun scene as a spoof of the long-running "This is SportsCenter" ad campaign that promoted the network's signature highlights show. The award-winning campaign was discontinued in 2024, but produced a number of signature moments over the years — mostly featuring athletes and mascots interacting with ESPN's on-camera personalities in their Bristol, Conn. studio.

Betts wasn't featured in any "This is SportsCenter" ads, but he'll get an opportunity to do the next-best thing, probably for more money and — if the film does well — a wider audience.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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