Who Really Owns Pickleball? Inside the Tug-of-War Between Rival Rulemakers

Pickleball ownership is a tangled mess of billionaires and sports stars battling for control. Major League Pickleball, founded by Steve Kuhn in 2021, recently merged with the Carvana PPA Tour in a $75 million deal. Big names like Tom Brady, LeBron James, and Mark Cuban have all grabbed pieces of the pie. With 19 million Americans now playing, everyone wants a slice of America’s fastest-growing sport. The real power struggle is just heating up.

What started as a quirky backyard sport has morphed into a high-stakes ownership battle between billionaires and sports legends. The once-humble pickleball scene is now a playground for the ultra-wealthy, with heavy hitters like Tom Brady, LeBron James, and Mark Cuban all grabbing their piece of the paddle-shaped pie.

At the center of it all is Steve Kuhn, who founded Major League Pickleball (MLP) in 2021. He’s not hogging all the glory though – Kuhn’s now a minority owner in most MLP teams, sharing the wealth with his management squad and advisers.

And boy, has that wealth grown. The sport’s seeing some serious money moves, including a whopping $75 million investment backing the merger between MLP and the Carvana PPA Tour. The new organization is overseen by a diversified board of directors, including industry veterans and former Goldman Sachs partners.

The list of investors reads like a who’s who of sports royalty. Even chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen got in on the action, investing in the AZ Drive team. MLB and NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen aren’t sitting on the sidelines either – they’re all in on this pickleball bonanza. The market’s explosive growth is fueled by innovative equipment design that keeps players of all skill levels engaged and coming back for more.

The numbers don’t lie. Pickleball participation skyrocketed 223% over three years, with 19 million Americans now chasing plastic balls around courts. The sport has quickly become one of America’s favorite pastimes, with 13.6 million players participating in 2023 alone.

Speaking of courts – they need about $855 million worth of new ones over the next 5-7 years. That’s a lot of dinking space.

The recent merger between PPA Tour and MLP creates one mighty pickle empire, combining individual bracket-style competitions with team-based co-ed formats.

Over 150 pros have signed multi-year deals with the new entity, including big names like Tyson McGuffin and Zane Navratil.