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SBJ's plan to enhance pickleball viewership

SBJ's plan to enhance pickleball viewership

Always have a backup plan. Results from Las Vegas and Chicago.

August 30, 2024

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Are you ready for the biggest weekend of the year? It’s your last chance to soak in the summer and enjoy another treasured three-day weekend.

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In This Issue:

✌️ Primary and secondary dink locations
🏟️ Can pickleball thrive as a spectator sport?
🏆 Results from Las Vegas and Chicago

Happy (early) Labor Day, Dink Fam.

Our Picks ☝️

📰 News: College Athletics

Selkirk just became the official pickleball partner of UVA Athletics. But what really piqued my interest: they will also become the presenting sponsor of the UVA men’s and women’s tennis teams. Now that’s a first.

💸 Stocks: Buys & Sells

Like stocks? Infamous anonymous pickleball commentator Odoth and Matty Pickles put together a breakdown of the fastest rising and falling stock values in pro pickleball based on average points per event. Gold – 1000, Silver – 800, Bronze – 600, 4^th – 400, QF – 200, R16 - 100.

📈 MD Top 3 Buys: Gabriel Tardio, Andrei Daescu, Christian Alshon
📈 WD Top 3 Buys: Rachel Rohrabacher, Mari Humberg, Catherine Parenteau
🔻 MD Top 3 Sells: Ben Johns, Collin Johns, Riley Newman
🔻 WD Top 3 Sells: Parris Todd, Jackie Kawamoto, Lucy Kovalova

💬 Quote: Anna Bright on ATPs

“Personally I think a huge, quantifiable metric of how pb has improved in the last few years is % of ATPs that are defended. When I started I feel like they never came back. Now they come back very frequently. Would be curious in year over year numbers on this”

📹️ Video: Word Association

Brian Lim, better known as Building Pickleball, posted a clip of his interview with UPA CEO Connor Pardoe. They played word association, and it got interesting, with Pardoe offering “feeder tour”, “the future” and “incompetent” in response to “APP Tour”, “UPA” and “USAP”, respectively.

Always Have a Backup Plan

Pickleball is not always about hitting the perfect spot on the court. It’s about hitting the spot your opponent is least prepared to cover.

Shea Underwood explains how he uses a primary location and secondary location for each of his dinks.

The primary location is obvious. If you are sending the ball crosscourt to out-dink an opponent, then hit that location repeatedly.
The secondary location, however, is your backup plan. You need to be reading what your opponents are doing across the net and adjust your game accordingly.

Patrick Mahomes doesn’t fire a ball to Travis Kelce if he’s triple-teamed. He reads the defense and targets an open receiver.

If you see your opponent’s partner start creeping into the middle to intrude on the dink rally, then it’s time to switch to your secondary location.

At higher levels, this can happen in an instant, so you need to have a plan in place. All too often a player tries to change their shot at the last second and regrettably flubs the ball into the net.

Have your two locations picked out and always read what adjustments your opponents are making.

Selkirk’s Got Your Back(pack)

We all know the struggle of hauling our gear to and from the courts. Especially when you're juggling paddles, water bottles, extra balls, maybe even some snacks.

Selkirk makes a great line of pickleball backpacks that might be the perfect solution. They come in three sizes: the Day Bag, the Team Bag, and the Tour Bag.

The Day Bag is ideal if you're a casual player or just starting out. It's got enough space for your paddle, a water bottle, some balls, and maybe a towel or two. The Team Bag is a good mid-size option. It can hold multiple paddles and any other accessories you might need.

And then there's the Tour Bag. This is the king of pickleball backpacks – it's got all the space you'll ever need for paddles, balls, shoes, extra clothes, and probably even your lunch. Plus, it's got a separate shoe compartment to keep the stinky shoes away from your clean clothes.

We've got a fun video review of these bags on Instagram that you should definitely check out. See why Selkirk's bags are more than just storage—they’re a game changer.

Can Pickleball Become a Mainstay Spectator Sport?

Pickleball's rapid growth has been remarkable, but can it succeed as a professional spectator sport? Mike Golub, a nationally recognized sports executive with experience in five major U.S. sports leagues, offers five key strategies for the sport's continued success in a recent Sports Business Journal article:

Broadcast Innovation: Pickleball needs to enhance its broadcast experience with interactive features, multiple camera angles, and real-time data to captivate viewers.
Statistics: Introducing comprehensive, real-time statistics will help fans and media better understand the game's nuances and boost engagement.
Betting: Developing a robust betting experience can drive fan engagement and increase viewership.
Major League Pickleball: MLP should differentiate its presentation, strengthen team-city connections, and eventually establish a true home city hosting model.
Peaceful Coexistence: Resolving conflicts between governing bodies and paddle manufacturers is crucial for the sport’s long-term success and international growth.

Golub’s insights are particularly valuable given his track record of transforming emerging sports into mainstream successes (like Major League Soccer), making his recommendations especially relevant for those invested in pickleball’s future.

Can’t-Miss Matchups in Las Vegas

A familiar face was hiding among the crowd in Las Vegas. Andre Agassi was spotted taking in the pro pickleball action and rooting on fellow U.S. tennis star Jack Sock.

It was also announced that Agassi is headed to India to kick off the PWR DUPR Indian Tour and League and last week he was introduced as a brand ambassador for JOOLA. It’s clear Andre is all in on pickleball.

A Bad Day to be Number 2
Both No. 2 seeds are out of contention in the singles draws. Connor Garnett was dropped by (33) Noe Khlif, who went on to beat Gabe Tardio and will play Dylan Frazier in the quarterfinals today.

Catherine Parenteau has fallen into a singles slump and was bested by (15) Chao Yi Wang yesterday. Wang will look to make her third straight podium in three weeks.

Riding the Waves
Court inconsistencies continue to be an issue at Fontainebleau. Dead spots and court wrinkles have affected some outer-court matches. Hopefully, the issue becomes a non-factor this weekend as the majority of matches move to Championship and Grandstand court.

A New Record?
Shout out to @memesofpickleball for catching this one. The new duo of Jorja Johnson and Rachel Rohrabacher might have set the PPA record for fastest game of pickleball. They were completely locked in and pickled their opponents in a game lasting only four minutes and five seconds (including the timeout).

Can this new team or another new duo of Anna Bright/Tina Pisnik challenge the top seed in women’s doubles?

Today’s can’t-miss matchups
Federico Staksrud vs Jack Sock
Lea Jansen vs Kate Fahey
Ben Johns & Collin Johns vs Riley Newman & Christian Alshon
Anna Bright & Christian Alshon vs Jessie Irvine & Gabe Tardio

See what our Erik Tice has gotten right thus far by checking out his preview. Tune in to the event on PickleballTV and the PPA’s YouTube.

Change the Game

Are you tired of scouring the web for the latest pickleball gear?

Wish someone would just send it straight to your doorstep? Your pickleball fairy godmother has arrived. Pickleball’s #1 subscription box is here.

With The Essentials Box or The Pro Box, you'll score a bunch of pickleball gear without breaking the bank. Subscribe today and transform your pickleball journey with every box!

The Queen Returns in Chicago

The APP Chicago Open got underway yesterday at Danny Cunniff Park, and a familiar name returned to the finals in women’s singles.

The Queen Returns
Simone Jardim is a name that all pickleball fans need to know. Jardim fought her way through the bracket yesterday and will play Megan Fudge for gold on Sunday.

Partners Face Off
Chris Haworth and Grayson Goldin are two of the most dangerous singles players in the game right now. On Saturday, the two will pair up for a run in men’s doubles, but on Sunday they will go toe-to-toe for the men’s singles gold.

Mixed Doubles Free-for-All
Mixed doubles action begins today and can be streamed on APPTV. This division is a free-for-all with multiple teams in contention for gold. Top picks include Susannah Barr/Ryler DeHeart, Yana Newell/Will Howells, Erik Lange/Bobbi Oshiro and Jill Braverman/CJ Klinger. Tune in today to see who will reach the finals.

Find out everything you need to know about the Chicago event, including podium predictions here.