Ben Johns and Rob Nunnery sit down with the most polarizing figure in the sport of pickleball currently, Tom Dundon. With the purchase of Pickleball Tournaments, Pickleball Central and the PPA Tour, Tom shares his vision for the sport and the challenges we all face.
12:09 Pro Women Players - Anna Leigh Waters
13:23 Marketable figures in pickleball - Ben's World, Living the Dream
17:44 Three year contracts, higher exclusivity and why are these important?
26:37 US Open
29:56 Reaction from sponsors and venues
32:21 There is a lot to do
36:18 Social Media - 50+
45:17 What do you guys want to see?
51:48 The APP Tour
At one point in the interview, and I am paraphrasing here, Tom Dundon essentially says the “only reason” for requiring exclusivity is to ensure a higher standard for things like production qualities, camera angles, data that is captured, amenities for the players etc. (time stamp 19:56 of the podcast).
There was a joke made by Ben in the podcast about Dundon taking everyone’s freedom and how he is the “evil empire” (time stamp 22:45). It’s not that we at NML, or the people, think Dundon is evil. Rather, it’s the reality that he is almost certainly motivated by his own self-interests.
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