Drew Brees Backed Pickleball Franchise The Picklr Is Launching In Florida

Former NFL Quarterback Drew Brees used to launch passes all over the football field. Now, this Super Bowl champ has backed a pickleball franchise called The Picklr, and they are set to launch in Florida soon.

Specifically, three metro areas in the Sunshine State will be home to the first of these franchises. They are Fort Myers, Naples, and Orlando. In fact, in August of this year the Orlando location is set to open their doors. Both Fort Myers and (South) Naples are slated to open in April of 2025.

In the meantime, let's dig into what makes this pickleball establishment different. Here is what you have to look forward to.

As you would expect, The Picklr is an indoor pickleball facility that contains multiple courts. They operate off a membership model, similar to that of a gym or your local fitness center.

The Picklr describes themselves and their business model by saying they are, "The fastest-growing club for the fastest-growing sport." In fact, they are very transparent about all their expected business growth over the next two years. By looking at their franchise map you can see 275 locations across the country are committed.

Specifically in Florida that includes 20 locations coming soon, however only the aforementioned Fort Myers, South Naples, and Orlando have been announced.

In terms of actually playing the game, The Picklr offers members an all-encompassing pickleball experience. There's unlimited play, tournaments, leagues to join, clinics, and member events. Each membership holder is also allowed to bring four guests to their club per month. Locker rooms and showers are also an amenity of every club.

As for Drew Brees, the Super Bowl champ has a long history with being in the franchise business and the sport of pickleball. Brees has shared via his social media handles how he's played in the NOLA Picklefest. He's also an owner in Walk-On's restaurants, Smalls Sliders and Jimmy John's franchises. In fact, his world came together in an Instagram post Brees shared back in November when Jimmy John's gifted Brees some customer pickleball gear.

Brees has also promoted to his 1.7 million Instagram followers the growth of The Picklr quite a bit lately. Recent posts this week show clips of Brees talking about Picklr expanding to the state of Indiana, a state Brees has ties to as a Purdue alumni.

In Florida, The Picklr is having a promotion for prospective player to become founding members. "The first 150 members to join will get an exclusive discounted rate for life," they said.

"Everyone has a podcast now," seems to be a typical response when the topic comes up. Maybe that's true, or more so, that the ability to have the resources to create own is easier. However, some retired professional athletes are finding a great next chapter to their career through impactful podcasts and media platforms.

Still, that does not mean anyone can do it well. The question becomes, how do you sift through and find those that are really doing it right? Aside from what is spoon fed to you through social media, certain athletes have trusted their knowledge and experience of the game to carry them to conversational success.

Well, for starters they need to be legitimate former professional athletes. Meaning, they played in their respective sport at a high-level for a long duration of time.

Next, we're looking for athletes who do this regularly now as a consistent means. In addition, the preference is for their subject matters to have a direct focus. For example, a former NFL star talking about football.

With the exception of Pat McAfee, there are not a ton of athletes (other than Michael Strahan) that can successfully cast a wide net and engage their audience on any topic under the sun. Sure, it can be done. But for this list, the preference is largely for the premise of each show to be somewhat specialized.

Another requirement here is that the athlete has to be retired from the sport and not currently on or associated with a team. That would make someone like Micah Parson (who has a successful podcast) and Travis Kelce ineligible (even though brother and co-host Jason is now retired).

Although the sports and subject matters will vary with this list, there are still a few common themes. Each athlete demonstrates their own personality in their podcast. Sometimes being under a helmet or on the court does not allow an athlete's true personality to always shine through. With a podcast it does.

The host also has a talent where they give the listener a great perspective on the subject at hand. Greg Olsen from Fox Sports does a great job with this on live broadcasts. He gives the audience an inside view of what a player may be thinking in that moment of the game, given he played for so long. He'll also share what goes on inside a locker room.

Before we get to the list, an honorable mention here goes to Fox sports insider, Jay Glazer. He did not make the list because he is not a former pro athlete. However, his Unbreakable podcast that discusses mental health in the world of professional sports has proven to be very impactful.

Without further ado, here are the six great podcasts hosted by retired professional athletes who have built an impressive following with their great shows.

With MLB on Fox and a previous stint hosting The Corp podcast with Barstool Sports, A-Rod has been no stranger to the media world since his retirement. One could argue that his new career has been less polarizing and more engaging as Rodriguez has opened himself up in great ways through the power of conversation. The Deal is hosted alongside Jason Kelly and has included riveting conversations with athletes such as Derek Jeter and Michael Strahan about how they set themselves up for success in New York sports.

Now, this one almost did not make the list because it has blown past the success of just an awesome podcast. Airing weekly live on ESPN, The Pat McAfee Show has put on a clinic on how to be a media host after retirement from sports. McAfee is a ball of personality. He and his crew have done an amazing job tackling sports subjects at hand from a very casual, down-to-earth, and authentic perspective. Yes, some of the dialog falls into the category of them saying what everyone else is thinking. Nonetheless, McAfee is incredibly funny, spontaneous, and witty. These three qualities are not often injected into the narrative of sports but are a refreshing, welcomed change.

Long, who was an outstanding defensive end in the NFL for 11 years, jumped into his Green Lights show pretty quickly upon retiring. What makes this show clever is that Long speaks as if he is still playing and sitting in his chair at his locker inside the stadium. Do you want to know how a situation feels like from a player's perspective? He gives you an honest take. In addition, Long occasionally has guests you would never expect due to the relationships he has forged. For exmple, that time Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam were on because Long's father, Howie Long, had befriended Ament as both were Montana residents.

Reddick also jumped in quickly after unlacing his sneakers for the last time. Reddick is very direct and articulate. He falls into a bit of a McAfee category by essentially constructing his own media company that has built into a legit source for basketball knowledge. For example, he recently unveiled a second podcast called Mind The Game, where his co-host is LeBron James. Here, these two basketball minds share insightful knowledge of the X's and O's of basketball and the art of the game.

"Come for the sports, stay for the stories," Nightcap show says. Then, they completely back that up. Hosted by Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, and perhaps the most beloved athlete turned media personality, Shannon Sharpe. This show can be tuned into live on YouTube, at night as it suggests. Or catch the entire thing via podcast. Of course you can't mention Sharpe without a nod to his solo show Club Shay Shay. His interview with Kat Williams has 62 millions views. However, it's the entertaining dynamic of the two different personalities that will give the edge here to Nightcap. Followers know that they go be "Ocho" and "Unc." Sharpe (Unc) usually brings his bold takes while Ocho brings his wild personality. Together, they balance quite well for a very entertaining show.