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The pickleball phenom in 3 pictures

The pickleball phenom in 3 pictures

Fresh flick attack. PB investor's mindset.

June 14, 2023

So, uh, don’t think about this too hard, but we have to ask you something:

If you were to buy a pickleball-themed fragrance, something ideal for applying straight after you step off the court, what would you want it to smell like?

Submit your answer here.

Why do we ask? Don’t worry about it.

In This Issue:

A flick attack fresh out of the lab
Time for MLP
Inside the mind of a PB investor
Subtle displays of pickle’s takeover

3-2-1. Liftoff.

Inventing a New Attack

Ben Johns is always looking for an advantage. He studies the game as much as any player ever has.

This weekend we witnessed a creation fresh out of the Johns Bros’ pickleball lab.

Check out this flick attack from Ben in the mixed doubles final.

We assume it is something Ben has been working on in practice, but even he looks stunned that it almost worked.

Let's take a closer look at the shot:

Johns maximizes his reach, leaning all the way into the kitchen
He hits the ball with a backhand from his forehand side
Watch the whipping motion from right to left as his paddle grips the ball and spins it into the air

Tyson McGuffin and Catherine Parenteau are frozen. Left to wonder what just happened. They recover only just in time to turn around and call the ball out.

Johns is known for having the most effective backhand flick in the game. Now he has found a way to repurpose it on the forehand side.

An attack from your shoetops is rarely advisable, but this one accomplishes three things:

Surprise. No one will see this one coming. At least not for another month or two.
Pressure. You have just made the kitchen even smaller for your opponent and given them one less place to land a dink.
Control. If you can control the spin on this shot consider yourself a black belt. Having that level of connection will only benefit your game.

If you're killing time on the court this week, try wrapping your head (and paddle) around this shot.

Pickleball Clothes: Elevated

AVI is elevating pickleball by creating exceptional athletic wear.

They believe everyone — from professional athletes to casual enthusiasts — deserves well-constructed, expertly designed clothing made just for their sport.

With pockets created specifically to hold pickleballs, comfortable fabrics, and ultra-lightweight feel, AVI is elevated performance wear for both on AND off the court!

MLP Week - There's Nothing Else Like It

New rules, new rosters, and one last hurrah. MLP San Clemente is the final event in season one of MLP. Come Tuesday, the rosters are erased and teams will prepare to redraft for season two.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. A weekend full of thrilling team pickleball starts tomorrow.

The twelve Challenger Level teams start MLP with group play. Each team will play three matches and the top two in each group advance to the knockout round.

The Bay Area Breakers went back-to-back in Mesa and Daytona and are heavy favorites to three-peat. Can their newest team member Vivian Glozman help keep them in the winner’s circle?

As for the Premier Level, the Seattle Pioneers are the reigning champs. With Etta Wright and Meghan Dizon playing better than ever, it is difficult to imagine anyone dethroning the Pioneers.

San Clemente will debut 8 rule changes announced by the league this week. The changes include:

Advanced video replay process
New paddle testing policies
End changes & additional challenges
And another strategic option on the coin toss. Read about all eight here.

Subscribe to the Major League Pickleball YouTube page to stream all of the matches except the Super Final Monday night, which will be shown exclusively on ESPN 2.

Oh, and ahead of the final. You can catch a Live Recording of PicklePod, which will be streamed on our YouTube channel and Major League Pickleball’s as well.

Why Did Gary V. Invest in Pickleball?

You might have seen this recent Bloomberg video. It’s a familiar format: big media corp publishes basic overview to capitalize on the number of people googling the sport.

But there's a reason to actually watch this one. Business Influencer Gary Vaynerchuk reveals why he invested in MLP:

“I knew Super Bowl One did not sell out its tickets.”
“I knew the 1982 NBA Finals was not even aired live.”
“I remembered watching the first UFC fight with my buddies in college going, ‘What is this?!’

“It’s always going to be confusing at first. Big things are not always obvious,” he told the Bloomberg reporter.

Gary V makes a good point. Consider the sports he referenced:

Gridiron football was first invented in the mid 1800s and didn’t even feature passing in the sport until 1906; the NFL didn’t exist until 1920.
Basketball had its unlikely start in Massachusetts in 1891 but the NBA didn’t form until 1946.
Mixed Martial Arts had to overcome national ban threats during the 90s in order to start regularly premiering on TV in the early 2000s.

In our latest episode of PicklePod, MLP founder Steve Kuhn talks about the time he invited Gary V over for a game and told him about the league he was about to start up.

“I also remember telling Andy Roddick that someday, more people are going to play pickleball than tennis. He wasn’t completely aligned with it.”

Here’s hoping other big-name investors release statements on why they decided to put their money in pickleball – it could encourage more to do the same.

^{Get the POWER you need without breaking the bank.}

Our latest paddle review is of the PCKL Power Series, a perfect option for someone looking to step up their game with a comfortable corded grip that's light on the hand and suprisingly gritty surface that helps create plenty of spin.

Check out the full review and make sure to use code DINK15 to save 15% off sitewide!

Pickle’s Takeover in Three Pics

When a new, popular thing takes over news headlines and becomes visible in public spaces, people typically call it a “craze” or a “fad,” the assumption being it’ll burn out eventually.

But pickleball is well beyond the fad phase now.

Putting all the money investments aside, consider the subtle displays of cultural impact our sport has already made.

For example, this $78 pickleball tee:

That shirt is from Anthropologie. It’s the #47 fashion retailer in the US that used to be in a lot of malls (we all know what that space is used for now).

If even they feel like they need a pickleball shirt, what does that tell you?

(Side note: you can do better than that unfortunate Anthropologie shirt. Check out our store here).

Or this LuLu Lemon ad:

This billion dollar company also recently sent out a marketing email touting pickleball…just for their regular line of athletic apparel (all the more reason you should check out AVI above for their real pickleball activewear).

How about this office which installed a court in an unused room?