Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes already has financial investments in professional sports by way of the Kansas City Royals and KC Sporting. Now he’s about to put money into a lesser-known sport that is ascending quickly.
Mahomes, along with tennis star Naomi Osaka, are set to invest in a new Major League Pickleball team, according to Forbes. “The size of their investments and the valuations of the team could not be immediately determined,” per Forbes.
The deal is expected to be announced on Thursday, according to Forbes.
The new team, which will be based in Miami and begin play next year, has an ownership group that also includes Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios, NBA agent Rich Paul, tech billionaire founder Soichiro Minami and Matthew Pritzker, a member of the wealthy Pritzker family, per Forbes.
Major League Pickleball began in 2021 with eight teams. The league was expanded to 12 teams in 2022 and is expected to add another 12 teams in 2023.
Other celebrity athletes such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, and Tom Brady have already invested in the rapidly rising league.
Mahomes Learning from 3-INT Effort vs. Broncos
After his third career 3-interception performance against the Denver Broncos in Week 14, Mahomes was asked during his press conference on December 14 what he has learned after watching the tape from that game.
“I think it’s just more of me taking what’s there and not trying to force it (the ball downfield),” Mahomes explained. “If it’s not there, throw the ball away – especially when we’re in field goal range. Then when I’m trying to dirt the ball, don’t leave it where the guy can get his hand underneath it and pick it. (It was) just a couple of bad mistakes throughout the game but when you look at the tape, I thought I played pretty good other than those three picks so (I’m) just trying to clean those up.”
How Mahomes Settles Down When Struggling
It’s no doubt easy for a quarterback to mentally spiral when they are in the midst of a game and struggling. But Mahomes, as he explained during his Wednesday presser, tries to maintain a short-term memory to help himself bounce back after struggling.
“You just kind of have to flush it and keep playing,” Mahomes said when asked how he calms himself down when he’s struggling on the field. “Obviously, I knew that those two turnovers before (the) half were big. It kind of kept them in the game and got the momentum back on their side. You see me on the sideline talking to the guys, I was like, ‘We’re going to have to score again, we’re going to have to put up another touchdown to win this game.’ It’s about keeping the bigger picture in mind.
“Obviously, it stinks at that time, when you throw an interception, but we’re still up in the ball game (and) we’ve still got to find a way to win the game so how are we going to do that? You just kind of have to move on and keep going.”
Mahomes’ next chance to bounce back will be on Sunday, November 18 when the Chiefs travel to face the Houston Texans. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. Central Time and the game will be available on CBS.
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Patrick Mahomes to Invest in Rapidly Rising Sports League: Report