Named the Empress of Pickleball in Milwaukee, Retired Pro Athletes Launch League, MLP Draft is Open & Pickleball Canada

Happy Friday! I'm back home in Florida after an incredible trip in Milwaukee for client meetings and apparently with the title "Empress of Pickleball," which was a new one for me as I was chatting with former advertising contacts about my experience within the sport for the last 3+ years.

As you could have guessed, I of course brought my pickleball paddles with me and I invited others to join me at the Riverwalk Commons Concert Series for some Pickleball in the Sun at the two courts they opened last year right across the street from the Milwaukee Public Market

Kudos to the city for creating this grassroots spot for people to stop by and get in a few games before work, on their lunch break or while enjoying happy hour.

Before the Pickleball In The Sun happy hour, I stopped by Newsradio 620 WTMJ to chat pickleball with Greg Matzek , John Mercure and Sandy Patyk .

Check out the full interview below:

Pickleball In The Sun at the Milwaukee Public Market

Thank you to Lucian McAfee for capturing highlights from our Pickleball In The Sun Happy Hour at the Milwaukee Public Market .

Visit our Pickleball In The Sun Facebook page for more photos!

Follow @lucian_mcafee on Instagram and check out the photos he took of Anna Leigh Waters for Paddletek !

Drew Brees' Team the LA Mad Drops, & The Chicago Slice Win the Season One Championships

There's nothing like the atmosphere at Major League Pickleball! Whether you were in person in San Clemente, or you watched from home, MLP featured some of the best professional pickleball to date as the top players in the world competed for the $240,000 prize purse to finish out season one of 2023.

Even though I was in the air on a flight to Milwaukee, I made sure to tune in on YouTube to find who would be moving on to Monday's Super Finals.

To fit the theme of my trip, the Milwaukee Mashers were so close to making it to the finals for the Premier Level, but in the end, it was the top two players in the world, Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters, that went up against each other with their respective teams, the Seattle Pioneers and New Jersey 5s. The Seattle Pioneers beat the New Jersey 5s in a close Dreambreaker (playing all singles) and Ben Johns was named the MVP of San Clemente.

On Monday, Pickleball in the Sun was on the ground to witness the excitement of the players as they competed for the biggest prize purse to date in pickleball. Each player on the winning team was going to go home with $60,000, so the emotions were high and I'm sure the teammates felt a lot of pressure to make sure they were on top of their game.

The LA Mad Drops were playing like a solid team, cheering each other on, picking each other up after bad points, and ended up with the $240,000 prize beating the Seattle Pioneers 3-0. Congrats to Julian Arnold, Catherine Parenteau, Irina Tereschenko and Thomas Wilson on becoming Season One Champs of the Premier Level!

For more highlights from MLP San Clemente and to relive the matches, check out MajorLeaguePickleball.net.

Visit our Instagram Channel for Highlights from Major League Pickleball San Clemente from Pickleball in the Sun & Pickleball Magazine:

Forbes - Major League Pickleball Delivers the Action in San Clemente

By Todd Boss

The third event of the 2023 Major League Pickleball (MLP) season is in the books. MLP San Clemente by Margaritaville was held at Life Time Inc. San Clemente in Southern California just a week after the PPA Tour held a regular stop there, giving the bulk of the touring pros two events for their traveling dollar.

Read more of Forbes' event recap:

The Major League Pickleball Draft is Now Open for Season Two!

Want your shot at being drafted in Season Two of Major League Pickleball? The draft is officially open! Visit their website for more info.

Retired Pro Athletes Join Pro-Am Style Pickleball Venture

The Sports Facilities Companies , the nation's leading manager of sports and recreation facilities, has teamed up with sports industry leaders, and retired professional male and female athletes to launch PBX Pickleball .

Advisors for the new organization include 3x Major League Baseball (MLB) Star Kevin Youkilis, 4x World Series Champ Dino Martinez, 2x MLB All-Star Brad Penny, 18-year MLB veteran Kent Mercker, NHL Player, Coach, GM and Team President Paul Holmgren, 4x Stanley Cup Champ Kris Draper, NFL Pro Bowler and Super Bowl Champ Golden Tate, former CEO USA Pickleball Stu Upson and more.

PBX Pickleball will attract top retired professional athletes from all major sports, including baseball, hockey, football and basketball, and has entered a partnership with the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPAA) and the NHL Alumni Association . Additional partnerships will be announced. PBX Pickleball will incorporate retired players' charities and other nonprofit organizations nationwide.

PBX Pickleball will consist of four experiences:

• PBX Tour - athletes who previously competed at the highest level of their sports will represent their respective sports in PBX Pickleball tournaments
• PBX Pro-Ams will allow amateur pickleball players to play with and against former major sports teams' athletes
• PBX Dream Weekends - will offer the ultimate pickleball experience for amateur participants
• PBX Corporate Experiences will be fully customizable with turnkey services to support corporate meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. Retired professional athletes will be a part of the experience

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Franklin Sports Inks Five-Year Partnership Deal with Pickleball Canada

Franklin Sports , a leading manufacturer and retailer in the sporting goods industry, announced that it has signed a five-year partnership agreement with Pickleball Canada , the National Sport Organization of the country's fastest-growing sport. As part of the agreement; Franklin's signature X-40 and X26 balls and wide assortment of paddles become the Official Balls and Paddle of Pickleball Canada.

Read more...