DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Pro pickleball players band together as chaos, a merger and pay cuts grip the sport
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-15 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Major League Pickleball finals at Pickle & Chill on October 16, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. Emilee Chinn | Getty ImagesDozens of professional pickleball players have formed a collective to voice their concerns about recent pay cuts and the future of the sport. In a letter obtained by CNBC, the collective shared their dissatisfaction with how they have been treated by Major League Pickleball and the Pro Pickleball Association Tour. The MLP and the PPA Tour are currently negotiating a proposed merger. CNBC spoke with multiple players who say they feel like they've been unfairly treated or received threats for not agreeing to the proposed pay cuts.

Persons: Emilee Chinn, Major League Pickleball, they've, LeBron James, Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, Patrick Mahomes, Julio DePietro, Steve Kuhn, Brooks Wiley, DePietro, Connor Pardoe, Jillian Braverman, Braverman, It's, Ritchie Tuazon Organizations: League Pickleball, Getty, CNBC, Major League, Pro Pickleball, MLP, PPA, Florida, NYSE, PPA Tour, MLP Challenger, California BLQK Bears Locations: Columbus , Ohio, Pardoe, California

☆ Major League Pickleball names new CEO and COO to capitalize on surging popularity
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Jorja Johnson of the Hard Eights holds her Franklin paddle during the Major League Pickleball finals match against BLQK at Pickle & Chill on October 16, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. Major League Pickleball is getting new leadership as it looks to capitalize on the rise of America's fastest-growing sport at the professional level. "The additions of Julio and Bruce signify another landmark step forward in the evolution of Major League Pickleball," said MLP founder Steve Kuhn. We're at just the beginning of this hockey-stick growth," DePietro told CNBC. In the year-plus that he's served as an owner in the league, DePietro said, team valuations have seen 100-times growth.

Persons: Jorja Johnson, Franklin, Major League Pickleball, Julio DePietro, Bruce Popko, Julio, Bruce, Steve Kuhn, DePietro, Kuhn, he's, pickleball, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Tom Brady, Drew Brees Organizations: League Pickleball, BLQK, Major League, pickleball, NFL, CNBC, Citadel, Florida, MLP, NBA, Anheuser, Busch Locations: Columbus , Ohio

☆ Amazon Prime signs on to stream professional pickleball tournaments
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon's Prime Video streaming platform announced on Tuesday it's signed a multiyear deal with the Professional Pickleball Association for global streaming rights to four live PPA Tour events per year, including the 2023-2024 PPA Tour World Championship Series. "When something has an explosion in growth, naturally it catches our eye," Charlie Neiman, head of sports partnerships at Amazon Prime Video, told CNBC. Connor Pardoe, CEO and cofounder of the Pro Pickleball Association, called the deal "monumental" for the burgeoning league. "We're always looking at content and making sure our offerings on Prime Video reflect our customers interests," he said. Earlier this month, the PPA Tour announced that ESPN will cover eight of the league's tournaments.

☆ Walmart customers and employees can now play pickleball for free at dozens of courts across the US. Here's how to sign up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart is partnering with a racket-sports booking platform to create access to pickleball courts. Walmart did not respond directly when asked who is paying for use of the pickleball courts, only reiterating that it is "offering 125,000 court reservations." And on the website link to book courts, Walmart advertises its "favorite" pickleball supplies. How to reserve a free pickleball courtTo book a pickleball court through the partnership, Walmart employees and customers can go to www.breakthelove.com/x/walmart and select a court and time in their area. Walmart employees can access the comped reservations by entering a code on the booking platform.

☆ Tennis Channel will air Major League Pickleball tournament matches, deepening broadcast partnership
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Anna Bright of the Ranchers returns a shot during a group play Major League Pickleball match against Mad Drops Pickleball Club at Pickle & Chill on October 15, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. Major League Pickleball announced Thursday the cable channel will broadcast the league's premier level tournament semifinals and finals in Mesa, Arizona, and will make all matches of the tournament available for streaming. The longtime Tennis Channel executive said pickleball has already seen a very natural overlap with existing tennis sponsors. He noted that during MLP professional matches, the ball is in action about 40% of the time, compared with professional tennis matches at 16%. Adding pickleball matches to its streaming offerings means beefing up content at a time when linear television is stagnant, at best.

☆ LeBron James is a pickleball fan. And now he's buying a team
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

LeBron James, the king of basketball courts, is one of the newest owners of a professional pickleball team. "When I started playing pickleball, I immediately connected with the sport's community and its capacity to be both fun and competitive," Carter told CNBC in an interview. "We had this immediate connection over their passion for playing pickleball, their passion for growing pro pickleball grassroots. Worcester said the demand for owning a pickleball team is high with more than 60 different groups expressing interest. "Yes, we would welcome LeBron or Draymond or Kevin Love to think about playing," Worcester said laughing.

Search resuls for: "Pro Pickleball"

6 mentions found