(#80) Papi Cost Terrell Owens His Only Loss (And Other Pickleball Crimes)

Squad, you asked, you DM'd, you demanded, so Papi is back in the chair for the full debrief on our pickleball weekend with Terrell Owens. Papi is my husband, a reluctant pickleball player, and possibly the reason a Hall of Famer lost a match. This conversation did not disappoint.

Meet Papi: Husband. Father of three. Self-described "doesn't really like people" guy who played his second pickleball game EVER with an NFL legend. Showed up with a Target racket and left with T.O.-brand shorts. Growth.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE WE GET INTO:

🏓 The Target racket that a pickleball pro thought was broken, and why Papi is the only person who cost T.O. a match all weekend ⭐ What T.O. is REALLY like up close: lunch, a private dinner, the 49ers game, and the question that got him to admit the Dallas star celebration was 100% planned 💪 The man didn't play football until his junior year, was never the fastest, and outworked everyone. At 52, he played for five hours without breaking a sweat 📸 The Kobe photo he pulled up on his phone that I will never get over 💍 "She wants to marry you." Papi's emotional growth journey, live on the mic 💥 PLOT TWIST TAKEAWAY

Papi showed up with a Target racket, one game of experience, and zero interest in meeting strangers, and it turned into one of the best weekends of our lives. T.O. didn't get to the Hall of Fame by being the fastest. He got there by refusing to be outworked. So stop waiting until you're "good enough" to start. Show up with the cheap racket. We are not done.

Because midlife isn't a crisis — it's a plot twist.

xoxo

melis

🔗 SHOUTOUTS

🏓 Terrell Owens: thank you for being so generous with your time. We're obsessed. [T.O.'s IG handle — double-check] 👕 Check out T.O.'s pickleball clothing line, [line name — verify spelling]. Ball Don't Lie. 🎬 T.O.'s documentary drops November 5th. Viewing party, anyone? 🌿 Silverado Resort in Napa: Allison and the team, you were incredible 🙌 Angie, you are a rock star ⭐️ Loved this episode? Leave a 5-star review ONLY (we're not accepting anything less, respectfully 😌)

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