SSAC23: Pickleball: The Next Chapter for the World’s Fastest Growing Sport

 

March 3-4
17th Annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (SSAC) presented by ESPN at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Pickleball Panel: The Next Chapter for the World’s Fastest Growing Sport

Speakers

• Connor Pardoe
• Brian Levine
• Dave Fleming
• Jessie 'Trinity' Irvine

YouTube Time Stamps

1:10 Dave Fleming: Who has played pickleball? Why do so many people love this game? 2:27 Jessie Irvine, Pro Player 4:01 Connor Pardoe, Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) 5:09 Brian Levine, Major League Pickleball (MLP)

7:05 Connor Pardoe - The PPA Tour 9:26 Brian Levine - What is MLP? 13:22 Jessie Irvine - Preparing to play PPA/MLP events 15:07 Brian Levine - The PPA/MLP Partnership 15:58 Connor Pardoe - The PPA/MLP Relationship

16:55 Dave Fleming: Let's talk about the business side here for a minute. Brian The Major League Pickleball got a lot of attention last year from the celebrity and sports owners coming in. LeBron James is an owner Tom Brady is an owner Naomi Osaka is an owner Mark Cuban is in 17:24 Brian Levine - What enabled that incredible A-list to become a part of this growing Sport and how do you see that evolving going forward? 20:18 Connor Pardoe - Sponsors 22:23 Jessie Irvine - The Pickleball Rocketship 27:07 Brian Levine - Where do you see data within this great sport going and how can those in this audience who do this for a living potentially get involved in our fast growing sport? 29:48 Connor Pardoe - Live Gambling (May 2023) 31:10 Dave Fleming: Lots of things on the horizon. You guys touched on this earlier but I think it's really important and Jesse I want to start with you. The inclusivity of this sport. The best player in the world that Brian mentioned is Anna Leigh Waters. She's 16 years old. Women get the same amount of money and time on any broadcast. What does that mean to you? What is it like being a Diplomat for the sport? 31:57 Jessie Irvine: How does it make you feel that you are being valued by the teams running these leagues? 33:59 Brian Levine - The inclusivity of Pickleball 35:37 Connor Pardoe - Amateur Involvement 39:04 Brian Levine - Converting casual players into fans 40:46 Jessie Irvine: How does a Pro Pickleball Player Prepare? 42:47 Connor Pardoe: Innovative thinking within the game 45:23 Brian Levine: US Open finals 5-10 years ago 47:12 Connor Pardoe: The Kitchen is a great equalizer 47:47 Dave Fleming: Where is Pickleball going in 3-5 years? Audience Questions 50:06 What can you learn from other leagues? 52:26 Jessie Irvine: A tip on getting better as a pickleball player? 53:59 What values do you want your leagues to stand for?

2023 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference YouTube Playlist (40+ Sessions)