Morgan Riddle vows off athletes as malls draw crowds

Tennis pro Taylor Fritz’s ex-girlfriend Morgan Riddle says she’ll “never date an athlete again,” laying out a “33-point” list for her next relationship. Later, the column turns to a different kind of debate—whether malls are truly “dead”—after a crowded trip a

It’s hump day, and by Tuesday morning the phone was already switched to the bullpen—Joe calling in, then heading out on business. Sean Joseph took over the next two days, and the first stop wasn’t sports, not really. It was a tennis figure who helped define her own spotlight.

On Wednesday’s Screencaps. the focus landed on Morgan Riddle—Taylor Fritz’s ex-girlfriend. the self-described “World’s Best Ex-Girlfriend” who says she’s swearing off athletes. The turn feels sharp because her influencer career took off after going viral at Wimbledon a few years ago. and because she’s also been labeled “The Most Famous Woman in Men’s Tennis” on the cover of The New York Times.

In her shift away from dating athletes. Riddle said she made. “like. a 33-point non-negotiables list for [my next relationship].” She told Elle that the list includes “basic things like political alignment. shared life goals. intellectual intimacy. ” plus rules meant to protect her life from what she doesn’t want around it: “no sports betting or gambling. only makes my life happier.” And then came the line that’s already spreading: “I’ll never date an athlete again.”.

The column doesn’t hide the disappointment some fans might feel. It says there may be less of the “get ready with me” content tied to her being a near-constant presence around tennis. even if she’s not necessarily stepping away from sporting events entirely in terms of influencer duties. The piece points out that her influencer brand grew in part from her closeness to the court—and that could still keep her in view.

As the NHL season chatter gets mentioned in passing—“the Stanley Cup Final” and an “eight-goal game” won by the Hurricanes to even the series with the Golden Knights at two games apiece—the same writer pivots quickly to something else that has become a public argument: malls.

The mall section begins with a personal jolt. The author says his wife dragged him to the mall last weekend. and he was shocked by how many people were there. He’d been hearing that malls are dead. Instead, he saw people, multiple dogs, and even “some dog crap smeared across the floor after being trampled on.”.

He frames the trip as different from the usual pattern—going only when they’re out of town or around Christmas for last-minute shopping—then brings in reader reaction to a conversation that has been happening on OutKick. One of the first emails is from “Warren M.”

Warren writes that he and his wife are still making their way out to malls. and he says he’s from “Gen X” territory—then drops the kind of local detail that turns a nationwide debate into something you can picture. He mentions emailing in and being in the network of people watching the Screencaps, naming locations like Palm Beach Gardens.

Warren’s message says the Palm Beach Gardens mall is getting “more and more fancy,” comparing it to the Boca Raton mall. He lists his wife’s favorite stores and points to restaurants he says the mall has, including Cooper’s Hawk, Marlin Bar, and Tap 42.

He also lays out the contrast inside the region. He says the old Palm Beach Mall is now an outdoor outlet mall. and that two other malls “should probably be torn down.” He points to Wellington. saying major stores left there over the last decade. His proposed solution is specific: keep “half of it with the nice theater and comedy club. ” then tear down the rest and make it “an exclusive place.”.

Warren closes with the emotional bookkeeping malls tend to trigger—what people remember as “home turf.” As a Gen Xer. he says. malls were always the place to go. which is why he’s writing so much about local options. He adds that “crazy” is the right word for the split he sees: “half in our area are very nice and the other half are ghost towns.”.

Back in the present, the editor voice asks the questions the mall debate keeps forcing on everyone who still goes: Are people still braving crowded spaces and messy floors? Are malls dead—or have they started to “bounce back”?

Then the piece returns to its organizing premise for the week. The author says Joe will be back on Friday, and asks readers to send in whatever they’re seeing—“the mall scene”—in their own areas. He notes there are a few malls within “30 to 45 minutes,” and says the one he visited was packed.

He ends with an open inbox—sean.joseph@outkick.com—and repeats that emails sent already won’t be ignored: they’ll be included “tomorrow or Sunday.” He also directs readers to social channels, including Twitter and Instagram, saying people can “slide into the DMs.”

Morgan Riddle Taylor Fritz tennis non-negotiables list Elle malls Palm Beach Gardens outdoor outlet mall Warren M Screencaps OutKick