Pennsylvania: New Pickleball Franchise Backed By Drew Brees Set To Launch

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

Specifically, Newtown is the first area that will be home to this exciting new set of pickleball courts. According to The Picklr's site, Newtown is scheduled to open in October of 2024.

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 that 275 locations across the country are committed.

Specifically in Pennsylvania that includes 8 locations coming soon, however only the aforementioned Newtown spot has been announced so far.

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 can also 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 of 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 of Walk-On's restaurants, Smalls Sliders, and Jimmy John's franchises. In fact, his world came together in an Instagram post-Brees shared 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 Pennsylvania, 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.

The smell of summer and the end of allergy season is so close, we can almost taste it (and breathe again). Whether it is to cool down from the rising temperatures or to escape those dreaded allergies, streaming services are gearing up with some hot titles this summer.

Streaming giant Netflix is keeping passions hot with two dating reality shows this month. First up is Love Is Blind, this time taking place in Brazil. The popular global show is an experiment where prospective singles are paired up with blind dates and don't get to see each other until they accept a marriage proposal. Last season's Love Is Blind was full of drama, and it is to be expected with the South American hotties from the looks of the trailer. The season premieres on June 19th.

Another popular reality dating show is Perfect Match, with the show's second season airing on Netflix on June 7th. This show is a lot steamier and sleazier than Love Is Blind, so for those looking for that extra spice, you should check it out. Former Love Is Blind contestants are also participating in Perfect Match season two, including Jessica, Trevor, Izzy, and Micah.

Another highly-anticipated series lands on Max this month with the second season of the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. The show is set nearly 200 years before the events of GoT, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys I Targaryen's children battling for control of the Iron Throne. The cast includes Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon, Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen, Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen, and Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen. The season premiere is on June 16th, with subsequent episodes dropping every Sunday.

Over on Amazon Prime Video, The Boys returns for the show's fourth season. On June 13th, our favorite band of misfits will reunite for the first three episodes of the new season. In season four, the world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the super-powered thumb of Homelander (Antony Starr), who is consolidating his power. Butcher (Karl Urban), with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son (Cameron Crovetti) and his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team is fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late. The rest of the cast includes Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, and Colby Minifie. Season four will welcome newcomers to the series Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

For Star Wars fans, Disney+ has a new series called The Acolyte, premiering with the first two episodes on June 4th. In the series, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….The series also stars Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

Inspired by the unbelievable true story, a straight-laced professor (Glen Powell) uncovers his hidden talent as a fake hit man in undercover police stings. He meets his match in a client (Adria Arjona) who steals his heart and ignites a powder keg of deception, delight, and mixed-up identities. The film was inspired by a Texas Monthly story by Skip Hollandsworth. Powell’s character, the now-deceased Gary Johnson, was a real guy who worked as a fake contract killer for the police, but the film makes sure to clarify that its bigger plot twists are completely fictional. The noir comedy premieres on Netflix on June 7th.

In this A24 comedy film, the story follows Alejandro (Julio Torres), an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador who's struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast named Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton) becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream. The rest of Problemista's cast include RZA, Greta Lee, Catalina Saavedra, James Scully, and Laith Kakli. The film drops on Max on June 7th.

Jessica Alba makes her return to television in a new action thriller film called Trigger Warning. The Honey star plays a skilled Special Forces commando named Parker, who takes ownership of her father's bar after he suddenly dies and soon finds herself at odds with a violent gang running rampant in her hometown. Trigger Warning also stars Mark Webber, Tone Bell, Jake Weary, Gabriel Basso, and Anthony Michael Hall and premieres on June 21 on Netflix.

In this romanc/thriller, Stranger Things star Joe Keery plays the role of recently-incarcerated Baron. He strikes up a friendship with his new cellmate, Otis (Aldis Hodge), a man with a history of prison breaks. As they hatch a plan to escape, Baron recalls how he met the love of his life, Marmalade (Camila Morrone), and how they came up with a scheme to rob a bank. Marmalade is available to stream on Hulu on June 21st.

In another action-thriller, Orlando Bloom stars as Cash, a man trying to live an honest and quiet life taking care of his recently orphaned niece Savannah (Chapel Oaks) in the Appalachian town of Odim County. When the sadistic kingpin Big Cat, (Andie MacDowell) who runs the town, forces him back into her services, Cash learns he’s capable of anything – even killing – to protect the town and the only family he has left. As the journey gets harder, Cash is drawn into a nightmare that blurs the lines between good and evil. The film streams on Hulu on June 28th.

A surprising romance kicks off comic consequences for a young woman named Zara (Joey King), her mother Brooke Harwood (Nicole Kidman) and her former movie star boss Chris Cole (Zac Efron) as they face the complications of love, sex, and identity. Zara finds herself in a horribly awkward position when Chris Cole falls in love with her mother, and she does everything she can to protect her from him. Kathy Bates is also part of the cast, playing Leila, Brooke’s wisecracking mother-in-law and a voice of wisdom in Brooke and Zara’s lives. A Family Affair debuts June 28 on Netflix.