Photo © Glen Edwards | Dreamstime.com
The co-ed International Swimming League. Athletes Unlimited (women’s basketball, volleyball, lacrosse and softball). World TeamTennis.
Last summer saw a new entry into the arena of elite, team-based sports leagues – and it might be the most surprising of all: Major League Pickleball.
The organization has a current total of 12 co-ed teams, made up of internationally recognized professional players.
The New York Times notes, “Like the three-on-three basketball league Big3, there are no home teams. Instead, all teams arrive in one city for a tournament. For each team matchup, there is a men’s and women’s doubles match and two mixed doubles matches, followed by a singles tiebreaker if necessary.”
The league has its own draft and a full array of sponsors. Prize money for this year was $1 million. And, the Times adds, MLP is only growing. The league has plans for six tournaments in 2023, in cities to be announced. Next year, teams will be competing to be considered the season winner, and though there was no overall winning team this year, one is expected to be chosen next year. Total prize money of $2.4 million is planned for next year.
ESPN notes that the league does not lack for star power on its underpinnings either. LeBron James and Maverick Carter's LRMR Ventures are headlining a new ownership group in Major League Pickleball. The group also includes investment firm SC Holdings, NBA champions Draymond Green and Kevin Love, the SpringHill Company CMO Paul Rivera, and Relevent Sports Group co-owner and CEO Daniel Sillman.
And, Deadspin points out, that’s not all. Aside from Green, James, and Love, Drew Brees recently joined an ownership group in purchasing the Austin, TX-based Mad Drops Pickleball club that includes Lakers co-owner, Jim Buss.
While there’s no doubt that pickleball is growing by quantum leaps (with more people joining the sport, and with more facilities going in every year), there are plenty of people questioning whether the trend has enough staying power to be profitable. After all, football is a far more mainstream sport and yet every league except the NFL has ultimately gone down in flames. (The International Swimming League cancelled its 2022 season, citing the war in Ukraine and financial issues).
Anne Worcester, Major League Pickleball’s strategic adviser, told reporters at the New York Times that the playing public – many of whom are beginner or intermediate players – is hungry for pickleball content.
Those players enjoy seeing the game contested at a high level and they are likely to travel to matches, as well as to purchase paddles, balls, shoes and apparel they see showcased in Major League Pickleball. (And with the finals set to be broadcast live this weekend on CBS Sports Network, it’s likely there will be plenty of eyeballs).
One interesting aspect of MLP is the conspicuous absence of many top players. There’s a reason for that. The Professional Pickleball Association (comparable to the PGA in some respects) is comprised of multiple well-known athletes and signs its players to mostly exclusive contracts that preclude them from playing Major League Pickleball and on other tours. And just as with the PGA and LIV, that’s a source of friction.
About the Author
