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Drew Brees Buys Into Major League Pickleball, Could Join MegaCast

  • The former Saints QB is now part-owner of Austin’s Mad Drops Pickleball club.
  • Brees could also star on Amazon’s “QB’s Only” MegaCast for “Thursday Night Football.”
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Drew Brees wasn’t joking about pickleball.

The former NFL quarterback has joined the ownership group of a Major League Pickleball franchise.

The former Super Bowl champion with the New Orleans Saints has become part-owner of the Mad Drops Pickleball Club in Austin, Texas.

Other owners include Los Angeles Lakers co-owner Jim Buss and the venture capital firm Good Alpha Industries, according to CNBC. Terms of Brees’ deal were not disclosed.  

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., and the 43-year-old Brees wants to help expand the game further.

“I’m stoked to be the newest team co-owner for Mad Drops Pickleball Club in Major League Pickleball,” Brees wrote on Instagram. “Our 12 team co-ed league represents an incredibly competitive and exciting brand of pickleball.”

With nearly 5 million U.S. players, pickleball has been ranked the country’s fastest-growing sport for two years in a row, according to USA Pickleball

Other high-profile Major League Pickleball owners include Milwaukee Bucks owner co-owner Marc Lasry and former tennis pro James Blake.

After retiring from the NFL in 2020, Brees lasted only one season as a football analyst at NBC Sports. However, he might get another shot at the TV/streaming game.

Amazon is eying Brees to possibly star in a “QBs Only” alternative telecast for “Thursday Night Football” this season, said sources. 

After splitting with NBC, Brees fired off a tweet joking he “may train for the pickleball tour.” Now the NFL legend looks to have leveled up. 

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