Mustard and (now)...pickles? Bijan Robinson becomes part-owner in professional pickleball team

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Mustard and pickles may taste good on a burger but are also keywords in Bijan Robinson's business endeavors.

Robinson created his condiment line 'Bijan Mustardson' when he was still in college (which recently released a hilarious commercial), and now he's part-owner of the Texas Ranchers pickleball team. The Ranchers announced the news Tuesday afternoon during the Falcons practice.

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"I love pickleball," Robinson said. "We all wanted to make it a big thing and invest as much as we can."

The aforementioned 'we' includes a slew of NFL players including Micah Parsons, CJ Stroud, and Myles Garrett. The Ranchers were one of eight founding teams in Major League Pickleball.

The MLP started in 2021 when Robinson was a sophomore at Texas.

That's where Robinson first got acquainted with the rapidly growing sport. The collective where Robinson often trained had indoor pickleball courts that he and his friends would frequent.

"I started playing a lot, and I started loving it," Robinson said. "It helped loosen my hips a lot, so I played all the time."

Like Robinson's Longhorns and his Ranchers, both call Austin, Texas, home.

"I just love that it's there in Austin," Robinson said. "Then you get to spread out across the United States, maybe across the globe."

Robinson later learned about the team after the Falcons drafted him in the first round. Atlanta, where he now calls home, will host the league's season-opening event Sept. 21-24. While the Ranchers compete at Peachtree Corners, the running back will be in Detroit for the Falcons' Week 3 game against the Lions.

The football field is where his talents lie anyway. Pickleball is just for fun. Though, for some, it's more than that.

Which NFL player might be the best pickler? Robinson named New York Giants wide receiver, Alex Bachman.

"He is elite," Robinson said jokingly. "Like, he has to play every day."

Though, it's not just football players who are getting involved in the paddle sport. Robinson was inspired by stars from other avenues to get involved in the pickleball business.

"There's like a lot of people that are starting to own pickleball teams like Drake, like LeBron," Robinson said. So, I [said], 'I want to get into it.'"