Drew Brees may not be returning to the NFL, but the former San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints quarterback is still involved in pro sports. Last week, Brees announced he joined the ownership group of the Mad Drops Pickleball Club, which competes in Major League Pickleball. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Brees explained why he became an owner of a pro pickleball team and why he loves the sport.
“To me the greatest thing about pickleball is it is so inclusive,” Brees exclusively told PopCulture. “No matter how old you are, what your athletic ability is, whether you’ve ever played a racket sport in your life, it is something that can just bring people together. And me, you, we could go pick two other people, and regardless of how good or bad or what, we could find a way to create a really fun pickleball game. And it doesn’t take up a lot of space. I mean, you could fit four pickleball courts in the same space that you could fit a tennis court. You can just line it in the street. And so to me that is, it’s like, it’s something that can really bring people together.”
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Brees went on to say that pickleball tests you in different ways. “There’s a skill, there’s a finesse, there’s touch, there’s ball placement,” Brees explained. “It’s not a power game. It’s really more of a patience game. But at the same time, it’s something where you can get a great workout. You can have a lot of fun with your friends or with others doing it. I think as you get up into the professional ranks, which is obviously what major league pickleball is, it’s a team concept.”
Major League Pickleball is in its second season and features 12 teams. Each team consists of two men and two women and the winning team at each competition this year will win $25,000 for each member. “What I love about MLP is we have a draft once a year,” Brees said. “And so our team was drafted back about a month and a half ago. And then they go and play in events against the other 12 teams, a total of 12 teams in the league. And it’s so much fun with that engagement.
“You play men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles. And then you’ve got a singles sudden death tiebreaker if it gets to that in these tournaments, which it’s just so much fun to watch. And you feel like as a fan, as you’re watching, you’re right on top of the action. You can hear a lot of what’s happening, the communication and just the banter. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great workout as well. So there’s a reason why it’s taking the country by storm and that you see all these pickleball courts popping up, tennis facilities turning into pickleball. It’s just a ton of fun.”
