America’s fastest-growing sport continues to draw high-profile entertainment and sports investors with Tuesday’s announcement Pickleball League 12 new teams for 2023. Kevin DurantHeidi Klum, Eva Longoria, Michael Phelps and Tom Ricketts are among dozens of investors in the clubs. was the news first reported by diverseSister site, Sportico.
“The diversity in the backgrounds and experiences of our fantastic new owners is an incredible asset as we aggressively expand the Major League pickle ball to reach more fans than ever before,” said Brian Levine, interim CEO of MLP, in a statement about the news. “We always say that pickleball brings people together, and this list of leaders from a variety of industries is a powerful testament to our That philosophy.”
Last month, MLP merged with rival Tom Dundon Professional Pickleball Association, which had just announced the launch of the VIBE Pickleball League with Mark Cuban as the team’s first owner. The move allowed the MLP to expand to 24 teams with six events and $5 million in prize money for 2023. It had eight teams and one event in 2021. Each team will have two men and two women. MLP added casual dining chain Margaritaville as a title sponsor last week.
The newly announced teams drafted their combo rosters Monday night and will start at Challenger level in 2023. The 12 pre-existing teams, whose rosters include LeBron James, Drew Brees and Tom Brady, will start at Level 1. Last week, those teams drafted the top 48 professional players for pickles. The two groups of teams will then swap leagues for the second half of the 2023 season and recast with combined season results determining the team’s level in 2024. The 2024 season will see promotion and relegation between the two tiers with the premiers. Set the highest level.
Newly announced ownership groups display pre-existing relationships. The DC Pickleball team is made up largely of current Liga MX Club Necaxa investors, including Al Tylis, Sam Porter, Eva Longoria, Justin Verlander, Kate Upton and Mesut Ozil. DC got the first pick in the draft and selected 10-time ATP champion Sam Querrey, who recently retired from tennis.
Miami has attracted investment from Naomi Osaka and her agent, Stuart Duguid Launched Their own agency, Evolve, this year. Evolve’s only other client, Nick Kyrgios, has also invested, as has Alex Cohen, who works as a financial advisor to Osaka, launching his own firm, Heights, in 2021 after more than a dozen years at Main Street Advisors. The Chicago team has four Grand Slam tennis champions, including Chris Evert.
Kevin Durant and his longtime partner, Rich Kleiman, will They own the team in Brooklyn through their investment fund 35V. Expansion fees for the Durant franchise were $1 million, and fees for other recent franchises were in the range and exceeding $3 million, according to multiple sources familiar with the deals who were not authorized to speak publicly about them.
“It’s not just about writing a check, it’s about finding the right strategic partners to help us grow MLP and the whole pickleball sport,” Anne Worcester, MLP’s strategic advisor and board member, said in an email in October.
The Sports and Fitness Industry Association named pickleball its fastest-growing sport, with participation up 39% between 2019 and 2021. The sport’s governing body, USA Pickleball, says there are 4.8 million pickleball players in the United States and more than 10,000 locations to play, Including nearly 800 added in 2021.
New MPL teams/owners
Atlanta Sentinels: Anheuser Busch
AZ Drive: Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Phelps, Devin Booker, Dierks Bentley, Robert Garry, Doug Hirsch, Sheila Gulati, John Merwin, Sam Frakes, Mark Dalton, Richard J. Chanel
Bay Area Cutters: Jeremy Lin, Mimi Mercado, David Mercado, Jeff Nguyen, Stacy Nichi, Jeff Nichi, Eli Lowe and Kathleen Lowe
Brooklyn Aces: Kevin Durant and 35Volt Rich Clement
Chicago Slice: Ron Saslow’s 35 Capital, Heidi Klum, Tom Ricketts, David Justice, Doug Ellin, Chris Evert, Lindsay Davenport, Tracy Austin, Gigi Fernández, David Dobrik, Joe Bonamassa, Ted Foxman, Steve Bellamy
Columbus Pickleball Club: David Cass and Doug Ullman
Dallas Pickleball Club: Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, John Eisner, Robert Herjavec, Chandler Parsons, Todd Wagner
DC Pickleball Team: Al Taylors, Sam Porter, Eva Longoria, Justin Verlander, Mesut Ozil, Kate Upton, Shawn Marion, Rip Hamilton, Matt Walsh
Miami Pickleball Club: Naomi Osaka, Nick Kyrgios, Patrick Mahomes, Rich Paul, Darius Garland, Mardy Fish, Alex Davis, Alex Cohen, Stuart Duguid, The Palm Tree Crew, Prakash Amritraj, Matthew Pritzker, Mark Ein, Romy Chaudhary, Soumi Minami
Texas Ranchers: Tim Clich, Dan Ferrier, Brian Sheffield, Kate Sheffield, and Richard Witttenheimer
Utah Black DiamondsBardot family
Valhalla hail: be determined
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