The Rapid Rise of Pickleball: An Interview with Connor Pardoe, PPA President
Connor Pardoe reflects on growth of pickleball, new partnerships, and the future of the sport.
Connor Pardoe, president of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA), joined Jason Aspes and Jared Paul of the popular podcast Kitchen Konversations this week to discuss the exponential growth of pickleball and the PPA's role in shaping the sport.
Pardoe has quickly risen to become one of the leading figures in the rapidly expanding world of professional pickleball. He oversees operations for one of the major pickleball tours and has been instrumental in landing major sponsorship deals, television broadcasts, and other initiatives that have fueled the sport's meteoric growth.
In the wide-ranging interview, Pardoe reflected on the mad dash of progress pickleball has seen in recent years, emerging partnerships between pickleball entities, new investments in the sport from high-profile figures, and his vision for where pickleball is headed next.
0:39 Connor Pardoe Introduction
Aspes and Paul welcomed Pardoe, noting he's become a repeat guest on their show as "one of the visionaries of the sport." Pardoe joked about looking young for his age and sporting a trim physique compared to past appearances, crediting an increased focus on his health and fitness.
"At just 28 years old, I feel like a grandpa in this sport," Pardoe remarked, referencing the number of tennis converts and other newcomers entering pickleball. He first got involved around age 24, seeing an opportunity to run a professional tour on the cheap compared to other sports.
Pardoe cited the influx of new organizations and leaders that have sprung up in pickleball as an indicator of the sport's vitality. "I feel real lucky to be a part of it and there's some awesome individuals that are going to try to make sure this sport grows the right way," he said.
1:44 MLP Dallas, Nationals
The first topic addressed was the upcoming MLP Dallas tournament, followed by the USA Pickleball National Championships.
Pardoe called it an exciting time with three major pickleball tournaments on the calendar. He noted that moving the National Championships from California to Texas has opened up accessibility and attracted record registration numbers.
"We're going to have like 88 courts going and it's going to be a big, big fun party," Pardoe said. He cited ticket sales reaching 3,000 for the Saturday semifinals and 4,000 total players registered across divisions.
5:08 The Race, San Clemente Orange County Cup
Aspes asked Pardoe to explain "The Race," a season-long points competition on the PPA Tour to qualify for a year-end championship event. Players accumulate race points and rankings separately from their overall tour rankings.
"The race you see who is qualified to get into the PPA finals at the end of the year," Pardoe explained. He likened it to lining up kickball-style and choosing teams, where the top players get to pick their partners.
The championship tournament will take place in San Clemente at the PPA's annual Orange County Cup. Pardoe said the race format will showcase unique matchups and "should be pretty cool."
11:07 What is the prize for The Race?
When asked about prizes, Pardoe shared that Carvana is sponsoring two new cars for the mixed doubles winners.
"Someone's going to need to upset Ben and Anna Leigh, which I think they can," Pardoe said about the seemingly unbeatable duo. The cars would go to whoever beats them in the finals. Pardoe cited a few teams capable of pulling off the upset.
14:01 Seeding
Pardoe denied accusations that early round matchups are manipulated for drama, saying seedings are randomly generated. But he admitted doing so the first year when the tour was unofficial and solely for entertainment.
"I chose who was playing who," Pardoe confessed about the early days. "There was no rhythm, there was no like we didn't even have a ranking."
Now seedings are handled by a committee to ensure fairness across PPA events.
15:33 Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters
When asked if Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters are too dominant for the good of pickleball, Pardoe acknowledged they drive interest and viewership numbers back that up.
"Having dominance in the sport is a good thing," Pardoe asserted. "One day someone will beat Ben and Anna Leigh, and that's going to be a story."
Their consistent excellence makes occasions when they are challenged more dramatic. Pardoe cited 6x viewership for matches involving Ben Johns versus other players.
18:25 Anna Leigh's New Paddle, PPA/MLP Paddle Testing
Aspes brought up Anna Leigh unveiling a new paddle prototype and rumors that paddles are tested differently at MLP and PPA events.
Pardoe stated their shared goal is making equipment standards as fair as possible across tours while balancing practical considerations. He denied allegations of lax enforcement by PPA versus MLP.
"Is it perfect between the two and are we doing everything the exact same? No, we're not," Pardoe conceded. "But you are getting the best individuals in a room trying to understand the data and make the right decisions."
22:51 Signing Tennis Players
Pardoe explained the PPA's effort to sign high-profile tennis converts came in response to player interest once prize money reached a certain threshold.
"You wouldn't believe how many tennis players had reached out saying, 'I'm ready to go pickleball full-time when you're ready,'" he recalled.
The PPA moved quickly once they felt professional tennis players would take them seriously as a landing spot. Pardoe expressed no regrets, saying the high-caliber athletes have elevated play and exposure.
26:02 Ball Technology
Regarding the PPA's use of Dura balls, Pardoe chronicled their long-standing partnership with Dura's parent company, Escalade Sports. But he said they are evaluating proposals from Franklin, Vulcan, Cirk, and others for when their contract expires at the end of 2023.
"I think the ball's interesting especially with paddle technology increasing," Pardoe remarked on the importance of a standardized ball. He described the current process as a "ball tour" akin to visiting colleges.
31:32 Rule Changes
When posed with the question of what rule he would change, Pardoe said the rapid growth of pickleball should give pause to any major modifications.
"I'm a big believer that you don't fix what's not broken," he stated. But Pardoe said he's open to potential tweaks that improve play, citing the example of requiring referees to be properly positioned before calling scores.
35:33 Projected Growth
Pardoe confessed he did not anticipate pickleball's explosive rise when he first got involved. He said daily incremental improvements across all facets of the sport will continue yielding substantial growth.
"I know it's going to grow more than it did the previous four years," Pardoe envisioned. He cited key indicators like TV broadcasts, sponsorship revenue, and participant numbers already surpassing comparable sports like beach volleyball.
"Where are the goal posts? It's almost so big I don't know," he admitted, while expressing confidence in the sport's upward trajectory.
41:13 Launching The Week Of Nationals: Pickleball.com, Pickleball Tournaments, Pickleball TV
Pardoe highlighted major interactive platforms launching in conjunction with the National Championships as part of an integrated pickleball ecosystem.
He touted pickleball.com as a hub for all things pickleball, from blogs to rankings data. Pickleballtournaments.com has a fresh revamp with bracket functionality akin to their Pickleball Brackets software. Lastly, the Pickleball TV venture with Tennis Channel will provide 24/7 pickleball coverage.
"We got a lot going on," Pardoe said. "I'm sure we'll screw some of it up but we're pretty excited."
44:50 Sports Gambling
On the topic of sports gambling, Pardoe said the trial run with FanDuel surpassed expectations with over $1 million wagered on two events. But he acknowledged they are still calibrating odds and props to strike the right balance.
Pardoe foresees more sportsbooks adding pickleball and projections of it becoming one of the most bet-on sports. "If it follows tennis and racket sports, there's just so much you can do," he said.
The infrastructure investment by PPA and partners paved the way for the gaming aspect. "Now we just got to make sure FanDuel and DraftKings and all these people have it right," Pardoe concluded.
Summary
In his conversation with the Kitchen Konversations hosts, Connor Pardoe covered an immense amount of ground pertaining to the multiplying facets within pickleball's universe. But his overarching takeaway was unbridled optimism about the sport's future given the excellence of partnerships formed and leaders attracted in its corner.
"We're trying to bring the best of the best together and I feel real lucky to be a part of it," Pardoe reiterated. With prize money swelling, platforms proliferating, and public intrigue booming, it's clear this pickleball party is just getting started.
YouTube Time Code List
0:39 Connor Pardoe Introduction 1:44 MLP Dallas, Nationals, Kitchen Open 5:08 The Race, San Clemente Orange County Cup 11:07 What is the prize for The Race? 14:01 Seating 15:33 Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters 18:25 Anna Leigh's New Paddle, PPA/MLP Paddle Testing 22:51 Signing Tennis Players 26:02 Ball Technology 31:32 Rule changes 35:33 Projected growth 41:13 Launching The Week Of Nationals, Pickleball.com, Pickleball Tournaments, Pickleball TV
44:50 Sports gambling
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