Tom Brady Becomes Owner of New Pro Sports Team

By Brian Jones

Tom Brady is now an owner of a professional sports team. On Wednesday, Major League Pickleball (MLP) announced that an ownership group that features the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and former top tennis player Kim Clijsters purchased an expansion team for the 2023 MLPB season. The group is led by Knighthead Capital Management, LLC.

"Tom Brady, Kim Clijsters, and Knighthead Capital Management are champions in their fields and will now be champions for Major League Pickleball," MLP Founder Steve Kuhn said in a statement. "What really shines through in working with these amazing individuals is their passion for the sport. We are thrilled to welcome them to our unrivaled roster of strategic partners, who are individually and collectively instrumental in helping us elevate professional pickleball, showcase the joy it brings to millions of people around the globe, and further our '40 by 30' campaign – our mission to reach 40 million pickleball players by 2030."  

According to CNBC, Brady started playing pickleball with Knighthead Captial owner Tom Wagner. The seven-time Super Bowl champion also plays with his children and has considered building a pickleball court at his home. The expansion team is part of a plan which will see the league grow from 12 to 16 clubs. There will also be six events instead of three and player prize money and payouts will surpass $2 million.

"Of course, I'm excited at the investment opportunity," Clijsters said. "But what excites me the most about becoming an MLP owner is that I get to help shape the future of pickleball, a sport I have come to love, with great people – who also happen to be some of my best friends. I'm thrilled to help showcase professional pickleball and make an impact on the sport through my experience gained in the top levels of professional tennis."

Brady is not the only NFL legend to invest in pickleball. Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees recently announced he has purchased a team in MLP. And when PopCulture.com spoke to Brees in the summer, he explained what makes pickleball a great 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."

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