In today’s Bite Size Pickleball newsletter:
The Bite Size Pickleball TV Show Pilot
Rick’s 1st Love Returns!
A funny thing happened on my pursuit of getting a pickleball show on the air. My first love came back into the picture to throw a monkey wrench into the proceedings.
Huh? My first love? Some kind of love that could actually move me away from my new love pickleball? Say it ain’t so! But it is! Basketball was my first love and it has returned with a flourish.
Years ago, my first job for ESPN Magazine was doing a profile on then L.A. Clippers player Elton Brand. Brand is now the GM of the Philadelphia Sixers and he phoned me Saturday. What about? Creating a TV show with him about former NBA players and their high school age sons who play ball. Needless to say, I jumped on the opportunity and I am now hard at work creating the show. Obviously it is a little more high profile than any pickleball show would ever be, and pay me more, so I am rolling with it to see where it leads.
Stay tuned. However, I most likely will be cutting back on the time I spend pickleball writing, including this newsletter and the podcast. If I was getting anything in return, for both of those, I would consider sticking with them, but you’re reading this for free, you’re listening to the podcast for free, and it’s getting to the point where there isn’t much in it for me any longer. I need to make a little money in my life for all the passionate work I put out there, and I don’t think it’s wrong of me to say so.
If I get time in between the hoop show, I will put some p-ball work out there. In the meantime, if you want to show you care, click this link to offer a small donation.
And, oh yeah, I hope you enjoy the pilot episode of the pickleball show I made featuring pro Wes Burrows, first men’s doubles champ Scott Stover, musician Kenny Loggins and some super fun other folks! There could be a second episode in my future, but again, someone would have to pay me to do it. In my meeting with Pickle TV they basically wanted me to find my own sponsorship and run the show on their channel for free. I feel like this show is way more worthy than that.
I am still waiting to hear from Vice Sports on the 4-part pickleball doc I pitched them, and Fox Sports. In the meantime, I’m running point guard on “Hardcourt Heirs” for Elton Brand. Hopefully I can lead the team to victory :)
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