On the cusp of his farewell tour, David Ortiz is set to announce the launch of his own mobile payments app. Like the player himself, he promises the app, called PapiPay, will be “powerful.”
As David Ortiz prepares for his final season in baseball, with the launch of the 2016 Red Sox regular season in Cleveland next Monday afternoon, today he revealed a clearer picture for what his life-after-baseball may look like. The slugger’s next endeavor? Technology mogul.
Earlier today, Ortiz tweeted the name of his first product, called PapiPay. Its launch will coincide with the start of the Major League season on Sunday.
Details of the release, according to Ortiz’s tweet, will be released on Derek Jeter’s The Players Tribune tomorrow, but PYMNTS caught up with Ortiz in a phone interview today and got a preview.
The difference between PapiPay and Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and its brethren, said Ortiz, is the fees, which will be exorbitant. But, he said, the “PapiPoints” users will accumulate from using the app, can earn them rewards at restaurants like Long John Silvers (where the slugger was ironing out final terms and conditions, in Fort Myers, Florida, just prior to speaking with a reporter) and “Papilatinum” users can even win game tickets and meet-and-greets with players, he said. Ortiz declined to confirm participating players except for Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, “Who used to eat my lunch,” Ortiz said. Ortiz declined to specify how Johnson will participate and the terms of any deal with Johnson.
Johnson was not attempted to be reached for comment. Speculation on Twitter is currently swirling around Nick Swisher, who was released by the Atlanta Braves this week, for a symbolic do-nothing role in Ortiz’s yet to be announced holding company.
PapiPal, which Ortiz said is slated first for rollout in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, will be available on “all the smartphones, because if it’s smart, it’s going to work for PapiPay.”
Ortiz announced last November that the 2016 season would be his last in baseball. Despite consistent production, the long-time Boston designated hitter and three-time world champion seemingly has nothing more to prove in the sport and stated that he was looking forward to the next phase of his life. The foray into mobile payments may come as a surprise to the industry, but Ortiz, known for his outspokenness and flair for the dramatic, could slap his likeness on a just about anything and fans would presumably snap it up in droves. But Ortiz, Boston royalty, wanted to “do something bigger and better than just making some Papi cereal, you know?” said the slugger.
When it comes to legacy and appeal that transcends Boston, no player in recent history, besides Tom Brady, has more star power than David Ortiz. And he is clearly aware of his legacy and the spotlight that often bobs back and forth between him and the Patriots QB. “I love Tom and Tom loves me,” Ortiz said, then paused before adding, with a laugh, “He’ll love me even more when he pays off his Deflategate fine with PapiPay.” Ortiz explained that Brady will be able to use the points accrued with the mobile payments app to win awards flights on Spirit Airlines. “Win, win,” Ortiz said.
On game days, Fenway Faithful will be encouraged by way of stadium signage and additional out-of-home display to use the PapiPal app at Fenway Park to receive discounts on concessions and priority usage of stadium restrooms, Ortiz said. “Those lines are long,” he said. “Have you seen those?” He declined to specify what actual discount percentages would be, but explained, “When you make contact with a ball, it’s going to drop in for a hit a lot of the time. With the app, you’re pretty much looking at a hit most of the time. And that’s a home run.” Whether fans will accept fees for discounts, obviously remains to be seen. Fee structure will also be announced on Saturday, he said.
When speaking to Ortiz about his app, his excitement is palpable. “The PapiPay app will be probably the best app anyone will have on their phone,” Ortiz said. “It’ll be powerful, man.” He mentioned a partnership with Jay Z’s 40/40 club, although declined to divulge further details. “It’s just going to be huge, man,” he said.
But what if someone does not like the app or needs customer care? There will be live support, Ortiz said. But likely not until Stephen Drew finally retires, he added. And as for potential customer dissatisfaction? Ortiz dismissed the possibility, using a profanity. He explained that he’d learned a lot from his previous hot sauce entrepreneurial endeavor and vowed that PapiPay “will never be discontinued, because it’s a taste everyone will like.”
“You’re going to be able to use PapiPay at the barber. You’re going to use PapiPay to buy T-shirts. You’re going to use it for Ubers,” he said. And with security designed by students Ortiz hired from MIT, he said, there’s extremely low risk of a user’s information being hacked or stolen. “That’s not going to happen here, man,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz said he expects players to use the PapiPay app throughout the season to use their $100.50 a day meal stipends and he also said there will be a charitable component for “some charity.”
Look for the PapiPay app in your app store on Sunday, right around first pitch. Look for David Ortiz in a Boston Red Sox uniform for one last season.
Editor’s Note: This article is part of the PYMNTS.com special April Fools’ edition. Any connection to fact is purely coincidental.
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