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What do I love about pickleball?
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It's a sense of community
that pickleball
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is breeding
throughout the country.
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It's the one sport that has
transcended all boundaries.
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Age, race, religion,
sex, abled, disabled.
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It doesn't matter if you're
7 years old or 97 years old.
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You can go out and play
and have a good time.
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Pickleball is considered
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the fastest-growing sport
in the US,
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with some reports claiming
more than 36 million Americans
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picked up a paddle
just last year.
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It's a magic moment in a sport
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that is just becoming popular
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in a way that
we've not seen in my lifetime.
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Bingo used to be the most
attended thing at Cypress Cove,
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00:00:51,801 --> 00:00:52,969
and now it's pickleball.
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There is a social part of it
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that really does
save many people's lives.
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I've been
at the bottom of the bottom,
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but when I'm on the court,
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all that matters is
hitting this ball over this net.
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Pickleball brought us together.
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It's a pickleball love story.
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It is.
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It has made my life full.
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It has made my life
with a purpose.
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The pickleball community
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is so there for each other.
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I've seen people's lives saved
on the pickleball court,
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and, unfortunately,
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I've seen somebody die
on the pickleball court.
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But he died,
he died doing what he loved.
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The money being thrown around in pickleball
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right now is insane.
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Some of it wisely,
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some of it may be
not so wisely.
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With its surging popularity,
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conflict emerged between
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the professional
pickleball leagues MLP,
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the team format backed
by A-list investors,
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and the PPA,
considered by many the sport's true tour,
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establishes
player rankings
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00:01:51,569 --> 00:01:53,905
and determines
the best player in the world.
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Both leagues are competing
for TV deals,
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sponsors, and top talent.
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I think
there's some competition
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between the leagues.
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A lot of big money behind it,
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a lot of billionaires
who are funding pickleball.
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Occasionally I have dreams about pickleball,
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but as I've gotten more involved
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in the organization
part of pickleball
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as opposed
to the playing part,
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those dreams sometimes
turn into nightmares.
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One or two of these leagues
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are gonna go up in smoke.
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Now, I don't know
which one's gonna survive.
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Probably the one who's got
the most billionaires behind it.
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To the big money
coming into pickleball,
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do what you wanna do,
but don't ruin it.
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{\an8}
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Howdy.
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My name is Mike Sliwa.
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My friends call me Sleeves,
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and I live in a yurt
in Cliff, New Mexico.
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And this is where I record
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{\an8}the Senior Pickleball
Report Channel.
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And I'm a pickleball fan.
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A big pickleball fan.
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So unless you live
further off grid than I do,
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you may not know
what pickleball is.
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It was invented by three guys
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in Bainbridge Island,
Washington, in the 1960s.
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Lots of folks think
the sport was named after
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the family's founder dog,
Pickles.
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Truth is, it comes from
the crew term "pickle boat,"
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the boat made up
of a hodgepodge of rowers
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that really don't fit
together as a team.
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Makes sense if you recall,
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pickleball was first played
with equipment
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from other popular sports
of the day.
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Anyways, COVID hits,
pickleball explodes.
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There's a paddle
in everybody's hand,
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and, of course, money starts
to roll into the sport.
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And that could be for the better
or for the worse.
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But what we get out of it
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is a thing called
professional pickleball.
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Yeah, that's a thing.
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Now we have competing leagues,
we have competing halls of fame,
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and now we have two rich guys
who may or may not want to
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control the entire
pickleball universe.
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And caught in the crossfire
are a bunch of folks
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just trying to make
an honest living
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as professional
pickleball players.
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So, buckle up.
It's gonna be a bumpy ride.
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{\an8}But first, we have
to go back to 2021
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{\an8}where this kinda got going.
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The Major League Pickleball
inaugural tournament
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{\an8}in a little dusty town
called Dripping Springs, Texas.
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I'm Ryan Sherry here at Dreamland.
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{\an8}I play tennis
at the University of Florida.
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{\an8}Um, you know, I was there,
I was number two in the nation.
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{\an8}Sixteen in the world in tennis.
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Um, love pickleball.
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Uh, a couple of years ago,
I introduced to it
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and, uh, you know,
being 38 years old,
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it's pretty cool to have
an opportunity
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to play pro, um, sport.
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And I love it.
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Marriages used to be
getting broken
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from guys going
to bars and nightclubs.
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Now it's staying too long
at the pickleball, you know, complex.
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It's, uh, it's just,
it's just fun.
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MLP is different from BPA
or other tournaments
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{\an8}most of us play in every week.
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{\an8}It's an event.
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{\an8}It's a party event,
which I love.
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{\an8}Just like in the NBA or NFL,
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you got owners
drafting their players.
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Here it's two guys,
two girls per team, four games a match.
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If no one emerges
a clear winner,
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it's settled
by a single showdown
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where men and women
can go head-to-head
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in a way I've never seen
in sports.
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It's called a dreambreaker.
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Uh, A, B, C, D, cut to the sound,
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{\an8}pickleball is awesome.
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{\an8}Welcome to Dreamland.
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I am Steve Kuhn.
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I'm the founder of
Major League Pickleball and Dreamland.
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I found Dreamland
because I wanted to celebrate
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what I think is
the most powerful brand in human history,
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the American dream.
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At Dreamland, we celebrate
that by doing mini golf,
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which is
a great American sport.
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Pickleball, a great sport
invented in America.
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And all these sports are meant
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as ways to bring
people together.
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We have plenty of things
in this country right now
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which are dividing us.
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No one's talking about politics
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on the pickleball court.
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Everybody is having fun.
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Some people
describe America
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as a place where you
can have a second chance.
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If things are not going well
in your country,
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you can come to America
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and maybe find your way
to the American dream.
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Uh, some people have said
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that pickleball
is the same in sports.
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You're a little bit older,
but you can come to pickleball and probably compete.
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Whether you compete
at the highest level or not?
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Maybe, but you certainly
can have a great time,
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and it's something
you can probably play
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for the rest of your life.
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{\an8}
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{\an8}Because the name of pickleball
is so strange,
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people haven't taken it
as seriously,
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and I think it makes it
less of a sport.
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As an investor,
as a hedge fund manager,
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I look for things that are
undervalued or mispriced.
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Pickleball is undervalued.
It's mispriced.
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So I never answer the question,
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"Why is the sport
named pickleball?"
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I always say that
I'm thankful that it is.
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Morgan,
what's your biggest takeaway
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as we've watched
two and a half days of Major League pickleball?
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Yeah, I mean,
I think it has to be just...
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People ask me,
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why do I love
the pickleball pros so much?
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Obviously because
I love the sport.
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You're gonna love the players
who are best at it.
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It's a tough life to be
a pickleball pro.
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These pros are playing
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sometimes 20 to 30
tournaments a year.
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They're traveling
every other week,
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sometimes even more than that.
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You're paying for the entry fees
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{\an8}and the tournaments
and the hotels and the airfare.
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{\an8}It does get expensive.
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Ohh!
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Even though I'm making
money through pickleball,
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I still work.
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A lot of people who play
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professional pickleball,
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{\an8}they're probably
professional at something else.
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{\an8}They might have a day job.
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{\an8}They might be a lawyer.
They might be a teacher.
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AJ Koller!
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I remember AJ Koller was living out of his car.
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I mean,
not really out of his car, but not far from it,
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while he was chasing
the pickleball dream.
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I mean, I think it's getting
better and better,
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{\an8}and that's kind of
why I'm in it,
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{\an8}'cause it really, it's changing
a lot of people's lives.
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{\an8}
How nervous are you right now?
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{\an8}I'm not nervous.
Pressure is a privilege.
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It's over. Game over.
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- He's done.
- Ohh!
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Even for players
in the top ten,
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it's hard to make a living.
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We have housing at Dreamland.
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They can live there
and train there.
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It's important for them
because they're on the road
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so much these days.
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They're playing
so many tournaments
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that I'm trying
to make their lives
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a little bit more
financially successful
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so that they can continue
to help us grow the sport.
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00:09:01,332 --> 00:09:03,543
And you got the top players in the world here pretty much.
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00:09:03,543 --> 00:09:04,877
You know, not myself.
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00:09:04,919 --> 00:09:06,921
You know, I didn't get
picked in this draft.
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00:09:06,963 --> 00:09:08,047
I'm more of a singles player.
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00:09:08,047 --> 00:09:09,257
A lot of these, uh,
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00:09:09,298 --> 00:09:10,424
a lot of these things
are more focused
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00:09:10,466 --> 00:09:11,801
on doubles and mixed doubles.
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00:09:11,842 --> 00:09:14,554
But $100,000 prize, um,
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00:09:14,554 --> 00:09:16,222
the biggest prize in pickleball.
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00:09:16,222 --> 00:09:17,807
You know, really excited
to finally, you know,
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00:09:17,848 --> 00:09:20,560
have somebody, you know,
put the money out there to
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get the top players here,
and it's pretty, pretty amazing.
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00:09:24,063 --> 00:09:26,524
There's
so many good things that are taking place with the sport.
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00:09:26,566 --> 00:09:27,900
It could be so much bigger.
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00:09:27,942 --> 00:09:29,694
And I just hope that I'm not
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00:09:29,735 --> 00:09:31,404
{\an8}coming into the sport
too early
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00:09:31,404 --> 00:09:34,657
{\an8}where I'd miss out on some of
the big money coming in.
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00:09:34,991 --> 00:09:37,660
Tyson's the guy
you wanna root for every single week.
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He's got the tats,
and, you know, the arm sleeve.
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00:09:40,079 --> 00:09:41,247
He's got all the swag.
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This is called flip flops.
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These are called ups.
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00:09:45,001 --> 00:09:46,586
This is called
being a stud.
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00:09:50,256 --> 00:09:51,757
So I don't know
if I told you this morning,
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00:09:51,799 --> 00:09:54,093
but I was taking
a shower with Banks.
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She was sitting
on the ground.
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00:09:56,262 --> 00:09:59,724
Next thing I know, there was
something that came out of her.
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00:09:59,765 --> 00:10:03,644
And I believe she may have
taken a shit in the shower.
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00:10:03,686 --> 00:10:05,229
I was in there with her.
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00:10:05,271 --> 00:10:07,148
Just to get my morning started.
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00:10:07,189 --> 00:10:10,067
A little early morning deuce
in Dad's shower.
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00:10:10,776 --> 00:10:14,280
When I came to pickleball,
it was about five years ago
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00:10:14,322 --> 00:10:16,449
and I only had one child,
so it was very different.
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00:10:16,490 --> 00:10:19,201
I didn't have three other kiddos
to worry about.
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00:10:19,243 --> 00:10:20,953
{\an8}You know, we were kinda
crossing our fingers,
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00:10:20,995 --> 00:10:22,288
{\an8}I think, for a little bit
and just saying, you know,
248
00:10:22,330 --> 00:10:24,498
{\an8}gosh, we really hope,
hope this all works out and--
249
00:10:24,540 --> 00:10:26,626
{\an8}We're investing
so much time, so much effort,
250
00:10:26,667 --> 00:10:28,085
so much energy
and trying to travel
251
00:10:28,127 --> 00:10:29,712
and make this thing work,
but financially,
252
00:10:30,296 --> 00:10:32,465
you know, it didn't make sense
for a couple years
253
00:10:32,506 --> 00:10:34,342
and now it's starting to,
so it's pretty cool.
254
00:10:34,383 --> 00:10:36,844
Tyson's known
to be crowd friendly,
255
00:10:36,886 --> 00:10:39,138
but Ben is often described
as the GOAT.
256
00:10:40,139 --> 00:10:43,643
{\an8}He had 170 straight wins
in singles.
257
00:10:43,643 --> 00:10:44,852
{\an8}That's a crazy record.
258
00:10:44,894 --> 00:10:46,354
{\an8}- And there it is!
- And that's gonna do it.
259
00:10:46,395 --> 00:10:48,481
{\an8}
Ben Johns puts it away!
260
00:10:48,481 --> 00:10:50,024
{\an8}He's by far
the best in the game.
261
00:10:50,066 --> 00:10:51,901
{\an8}
Ben Johns, the best.
262
00:10:51,942 --> 00:10:53,277
Ben in the last
three, four years
263
00:10:53,319 --> 00:10:55,112
has done some things
that's pretty unprecedented.
264
00:10:55,404 --> 00:10:57,323
Not just in this sport,
in any sport,
265
00:10:57,323 --> 00:11:00,868
to be at the top and to continue
to win and work hard
266
00:11:00,910 --> 00:11:02,078
and doesn't wanna lose.
267
00:11:02,119 --> 00:11:03,621
I mean, that's impressive.
268
00:11:04,622 --> 00:11:05,706
{\an8}
269
00:11:05,748 --> 00:11:08,000
Yeah, you know, it just
comes along with what I got.
270
00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,336
So, I'm, uh,
real happy about it.
271
00:11:12,380 --> 00:11:15,007
I have people
bringing me coffee, so it's a good day.
272
00:11:15,049 --> 00:11:17,051
{\an8}
Underway men's doubles.
273
00:11:18,511 --> 00:11:20,513
McGuffin staring in.
274
00:11:21,347 --> 00:11:22,765
Got a touch of the ball here.
275
00:11:23,265 --> 00:11:25,184
Ben Johns and Tyson McGuffin
276
00:11:25,184 --> 00:11:26,852
are very different players.
277
00:11:26,894 --> 00:11:29,772
They have very different style
of their game.
278
00:11:32,650 --> 00:11:35,695
Tyson, he puts in a lot
of effort into every point.
279
00:11:35,695 --> 00:11:37,530
He's always been
kinda competing
280
00:11:37,571 --> 00:11:39,115
and fighting for his spot.
281
00:11:39,490 --> 00:11:40,866
There it is.
282
00:11:40,908 --> 00:11:42,702
Oh.
283
00:11:42,702 --> 00:11:45,287
He doesn't need to be
miked up for the growling.
284
00:11:45,871 --> 00:11:47,957
Ben, on the other hand, is super calm and collected.
285
00:11:47,998 --> 00:11:51,168
You're rarely gonna see
Ben react to a point.
286
00:11:53,129 --> 00:11:55,381
Ben Johns
lurking in the middle,
287
00:11:55,381 --> 00:11:57,675
waiting for
the right opportunity.
288
00:11:57,717 --> 00:11:59,844
His game is very efficient.
289
00:11:59,885 --> 00:12:03,889
Wow. And an 8-3 lead here for Johns and Nunnery.
290
00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:06,142
And then
you have the skill set,
291
00:12:06,183 --> 00:12:08,769
the variety of shots
that Ben has.
292
00:12:08,811 --> 00:12:12,732
And Johns on fire in this match.
293
00:12:15,526 --> 00:12:17,403
{\an8}
That ball stays in.
294
00:12:17,445 --> 00:12:21,615
{\an8}Johns and Nunnery will hand
the Discovery Warriors
295
00:12:21,657 --> 00:12:23,659
their first loss of this event.
296
00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:25,578
Did not turn out in our favor.
297
00:12:25,619 --> 00:12:28,581
Live to fight
another day though. Back here tomorrow.
298
00:12:32,001 --> 00:12:34,128
Dear Lord, be with the girls today.
299
00:12:34,170 --> 00:12:37,339
Help them to have fun
and keep them safe. Amen.
300
00:12:37,381 --> 00:12:38,674
- Amen.
- Amen.
301
00:12:40,551 --> 00:12:41,927
Who are you cheering for?
302
00:12:43,846 --> 00:12:46,265
Ohh! Let's go!
303
00:12:46,724 --> 00:12:49,685
We've been playing pickleball
for about four years now.
304
00:12:49,727 --> 00:12:53,022
{\an8}I first heard about pickleball
was my grandfather.
305
00:12:53,522 --> 00:12:54,940
He used to go
and play all the time,
306
00:12:54,982 --> 00:12:57,902
but we didn't really think
much of it until we tried it.
307
00:12:58,694 --> 00:13:00,654
{\an8}In my previous life,
I was an attorney,
308
00:13:00,696 --> 00:13:04,033
but it got to the point
where we started traveling so much with pickleball,
309
00:13:04,074 --> 00:13:09,121
I decided that I was going
to go inactive as an attorney
310
00:13:09,163 --> 00:13:12,792
and travel the country playing
pickleball with my daughter.
311
00:13:13,375 --> 00:13:14,877
{\an8}-
Yeah!
312
00:13:14,919 --> 00:13:17,213
{\an8}
Match goes to Leigh Waters
313
00:13:17,213 --> 00:13:18,798
{\an8}and Anna Leigh Waters.
314
00:13:18,839 --> 00:13:21,383
{\an8}Another women's
doubles championship.
315
00:13:21,884 --> 00:13:23,552
It's just so cool to be able
316
00:13:23,594 --> 00:13:25,596
to travel with my family
around the country,
317
00:13:25,638 --> 00:13:27,097
getting to do something
that we love.
318
00:13:27,139 --> 00:13:30,768
It makes you like, think about,
like, how lucky you are.
319
00:13:30,810 --> 00:13:32,394
It's more nerve-racking
watching her play
320
00:13:32,394 --> 00:13:33,813
than me playing myself.
321
00:13:33,854 --> 00:13:35,773
You gotta remember, she's 14 years old
322
00:13:35,815 --> 00:13:38,067
{\an8}and she's playing against
mid 20-year-old,
323
00:13:38,108 --> 00:13:39,735
{\an8}30-year-old pros.
324
00:13:39,777 --> 00:13:42,238
{\an8}So it's, um,
there's some nerves there,
325
00:13:42,238 --> 00:13:43,447
{\an8}but she can handle it.
326
00:13:43,489 --> 00:13:46,033
Out of Delray Beach, Florida,
327
00:13:46,075 --> 00:13:49,036
- Anna Leigh Waters!
328
00:13:50,621 --> 00:13:52,248
Yeah, this is huge tonight.
329
00:13:52,248 --> 00:13:55,376
It's the first ever
Major League Pickleball championship.
330
00:13:55,417 --> 00:13:56,794
So when you think
of legacies,
331
00:13:56,836 --> 00:13:58,754
you wanna win
the first in something.
332
00:13:58,754 --> 00:14:01,090
So, young
Anna Leigh Waters wants it,
333
00:14:01,090 --> 00:14:04,051
and the GOAT, Ben Johns,
on the other side
334
00:14:04,093 --> 00:14:06,595
absolutely wants
to add to his legacy
335
00:14:06,637 --> 00:14:08,681
by winning the first cup.
336
00:14:10,766 --> 00:14:11,934
By many ranking systems,
337
00:14:11,934 --> 00:14:13,519
Anna Leigh Waters
is the number one
338
00:14:13,561 --> 00:14:14,937
female player in the world.
339
00:14:14,937 --> 00:14:16,397
Today in
Major League Pickleball,
340
00:14:16,438 --> 00:14:17,982
she plays up against Ben Johns,
341
00:14:18,023 --> 00:14:19,775
the number one male player
in the world.
342
00:14:19,817 --> 00:14:22,444
Ben Johns
went after Anna Leigh Waters.
343
00:14:22,444 --> 00:14:23,904
She responded in a big way.
344
00:14:23,946 --> 00:14:25,322
Watching them on the court
345
00:14:25,364 --> 00:14:26,490
at the same time is amazing.
346
00:14:27,199 --> 00:14:31,036
Oh-oh. There's another big shot by Anna Leigh Waters.
347
00:14:31,745 --> 00:14:34,039
Kid is an absolute rock star.
348
00:14:34,081 --> 00:14:35,833
You're on the side right here.
349
00:14:35,875 --> 00:14:39,753
Your feet have to be
on almost on this side of the line.
350
00:14:39,795 --> 00:14:41,171
Okay? Because if they are...
351
00:14:41,213 --> 00:14:42,923
- If you can shift...
- Then I got it.
352
00:14:42,965 --> 00:14:44,008
You got it.
353
00:14:46,135 --> 00:14:49,138
What a hand battle. How about that?
354
00:14:52,308 --> 00:14:53,851
When I go into this event, I said there was
355
00:14:53,893 --> 00:14:55,019
three things
that were important to me.
356
00:14:55,060 --> 00:14:56,645
Did the players
have a good time?
357
00:14:56,645 --> 00:14:57,897
Did the fans have a good time?
358
00:14:57,938 --> 00:15:00,316
And did the people
watching it on the air,
359
00:15:00,316 --> 00:15:01,775
do they love it?
360
00:15:01,817 --> 00:15:03,569
- It's in. He's got a...
- Tweener.
361
00:15:03,611 --> 00:15:04,737
Ohh!
362
00:15:04,778 --> 00:15:07,448
Ohh!
363
00:15:07,489 --> 00:15:10,951
I think a lot of people live in a zero-sum world
364
00:15:10,993 --> 00:15:14,246
where they think
that someone else's success is bad for them.
365
00:15:14,288 --> 00:15:17,583
Team BLQK,
they take care of business.
366
00:15:17,625 --> 00:15:19,168
This guy just too much.
367
00:15:19,168 --> 00:15:22,671
I try to fight
zero-sum thinking in my own life,
368
00:15:22,671 --> 00:15:24,840
and I would encourage them
to refresh.
369
00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:28,093
Find joy
in any place you can.
370
00:15:33,265 --> 00:15:35,976
- Yes! Come on!
- Yeah! Come on!
371
00:15:36,018 --> 00:15:37,728
Rob Nunnery.
372
00:15:37,770 --> 00:15:39,855
Biggest moment
in his pickleball life.
373
00:15:40,272 --> 00:15:42,775
When other people
are seeing their dreams happen,
374
00:15:42,816 --> 00:15:44,568
I think it's more likely
that your dreams
375
00:15:44,610 --> 00:15:46,111
are likely
to come true as well.
376
00:15:48,030 --> 00:15:51,617
There it is. Team BLQK.
377
00:15:51,659 --> 00:15:54,912
Rob Nunnery,
Irina Tereschenko,
378
00:15:54,954 --> 00:15:56,830
Ben Johns,
and Andrea Koop,
379
00:15:56,872 --> 00:16:00,167
the first-ever Major League
Pickleball champions.
380
00:16:00,209 --> 00:16:01,710
I believe that the future
381
00:16:01,752 --> 00:16:03,295
for Major League Pickleball
is very bright.
382
00:16:06,924 --> 00:16:08,842
{\an8}My name is Connor Pardoe,
383
00:16:08,884 --> 00:16:10,511
{\an8}founder and creator
384
00:16:10,552 --> 00:16:14,098
{\an8}and current CEO
of the PPA Tour.
385
00:16:14,139 --> 00:16:17,559
{\an8}The PPA is
the professional tour of pickleball.
386
00:16:17,601 --> 00:16:19,561
{\an8}So what the PGA may be to golf
387
00:16:19,561 --> 00:16:21,730
{\an8}or what the ATP
may be to tennis,
388
00:16:21,772 --> 00:16:23,399
{\an8}the PPA is to pickleball.
389
00:16:23,399 --> 00:16:25,359
{\an8}So we're the pro tour
where the best players
390
00:16:25,401 --> 00:16:28,153
{\an8}in the world come and play
over a 52-week period.
391
00:16:31,573 --> 00:16:34,076
{\an8}
392
00:16:34,118 --> 00:16:36,412
The most chaotic person
in pickleball.
393
00:16:36,829 --> 00:16:39,498
That causes me
the most chaos. Jeez.
394
00:16:39,540 --> 00:16:41,083
Um,
395
00:16:41,083 --> 00:16:44,294
you know, I would say
the most chaotic person
396
00:16:44,336 --> 00:16:46,714
in pickleball up to this point
has probably been the PPA Tour.
397
00:16:46,755 --> 00:16:49,925
PPA said, uh,
"The pros don't play when they wanna play.
398
00:16:49,967 --> 00:16:52,052
{\an8}They play when
we tell them to play."
399
00:16:52,094 --> 00:16:53,429
{\an8}- You hear that?
- That's the quote.
400
00:16:53,470 --> 00:16:55,097
{\an8}- That's the quote.
Whoo!
401
00:16:55,097 --> 00:16:57,307
- Whoo! Yeah...
- Dang.
402
00:16:57,349 --> 00:17:00,310
I don't know if anyone
that's ruffled as many feathers,
403
00:17:00,352 --> 00:17:03,272
has pushed the envelope
harder than our group.
404
00:17:03,772 --> 00:17:05,649
Connor Pardoe is a trailblazer
405
00:17:05,691 --> 00:17:08,110
{\an8}in the sense that he's just,
like, I'm gonna do this tour
406
00:17:08,152 --> 00:17:09,820
{\an8}and I don't care
what I'm spending.
407
00:17:09,862 --> 00:17:11,196
{\an8}And I think he comes from
a pretty wealthy family,
408
00:17:11,238 --> 00:17:13,323
{\an8}so I think there's
deep pockets there to spend.
409
00:17:14,074 --> 00:17:15,826
We're not just throwing money at something.
410
00:17:15,868 --> 00:17:17,077
We wanna be
a profitable business.
411
00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:18,912
And that's what you have
in the PPA tour.
412
00:17:18,954 --> 00:17:20,372
Who knows where
tomorrow's gonna be?
413
00:17:20,414 --> 00:17:22,624
Like, let's just make sure
that we're pushing the envelope
414
00:17:22,666 --> 00:17:24,376
each and every day.
415
00:17:26,587 --> 00:17:28,547
We are talking
professional pickleball
416
00:17:28,589 --> 00:17:30,591
and the momentum
it is gaining
417
00:17:30,632 --> 00:17:33,594
and the money being spent
in this game.
418
00:17:33,594 --> 00:17:35,512
You have
Connor Pardoe of the PPA,
419
00:17:35,554 --> 00:17:37,431
you have Steve Kuhn of MLP
420
00:17:37,431 --> 00:17:39,349
spending large
amounts of money
421
00:17:39,391 --> 00:17:42,061
getting these leagues
off the ground, and they do.
422
00:17:42,102 --> 00:17:43,604
But it catches the attention
423
00:17:43,645 --> 00:17:46,732
of Carolina Hurricanes
owner Tom Dundon.
424
00:17:47,775 --> 00:17:51,945
Tom Dundon comes
from the subprime auto loan background,
425
00:17:51,945 --> 00:17:53,113
made a lot of money there.
426
00:17:53,572 --> 00:17:56,950
Dundon Capital Partners, DCP, led by Tom Dundon,
427
00:17:56,950 --> 00:17:59,620
purchased the PPA,
pickleballtournaments.com
428
00:17:59,620 --> 00:18:01,663
and Pickleball Central. Boom.
429
00:18:01,705 --> 00:18:04,333
He's the owner of the
NHL Carolina Hurricanes.
430
00:18:04,374 --> 00:18:06,960
He was a huge investor
in Topgolf.
431
00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,713
Mr. Pardoe will stay on, um,
432
00:18:09,755 --> 00:18:11,673
and help run the league
for the next couple years.
433
00:18:11,715 --> 00:18:13,300
So who is Tom Dundon?
434
00:18:13,300 --> 00:18:16,386
{\an8}Tom's kind of a mysterious
character to me, honestly.
435
00:18:16,428 --> 00:18:17,805
{\an8}I've never officially
met Tom Dundon.
436
00:18:17,805 --> 00:18:19,640
{\an8}I mean, I've met him,
shook his hand.
437
00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:21,016
{\an8}Um, I don't know
if he remembers me.
438
00:18:21,058 --> 00:18:22,101
{\an8}I'd like to think he does.
439
00:18:22,142 --> 00:18:23,477
I've never met the guy
in my life,
440
00:18:23,477 --> 00:18:24,686
so I couldn't tell you
anything about him.
441
00:18:24,728 --> 00:18:26,146
Tom Dundon really brought
442
00:18:26,146 --> 00:18:27,523
a unique perspective
on the sport
443
00:18:27,564 --> 00:18:30,359
{\an8}and how to make it extremely
marketable and profitable.
444
00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:32,361
{\an8}He really brought
a business element to pickleball.
445
00:18:32,402 --> 00:18:34,154
He really took us
ten years ahead.
446
00:18:34,154 --> 00:18:36,782
{\an8}I know Tom Dundon
has been involved
447
00:18:36,824 --> 00:18:38,617
{\an8}in Topgolf, Carvana,
448
00:18:38,659 --> 00:18:40,994
{\an8}and he owns
the Carolina Hurricanes.
449
00:18:40,994 --> 00:18:42,579
He also was part of, I believe,
450
00:18:42,621 --> 00:18:45,541
of a football league
that did not make it.
451
00:18:45,582 --> 00:18:47,251
I heard there
was some friction
452
00:18:47,292 --> 00:18:49,336
in the dissolving
of that league,
453
00:18:49,378 --> 00:18:50,963
some contracts
that weren't paid.
454
00:18:51,797 --> 00:18:53,674
- Let's go, Tom!
- I like Tom a lot.
455
00:18:53,674 --> 00:18:55,384
I think he's doing
good things for the sport.
456
00:18:55,425 --> 00:18:57,469
I thought he was not the guy
457
00:18:57,511 --> 00:18:59,721
{\an8}that I think everybody
kind of painted him out to be,
458
00:18:59,763 --> 00:19:02,558
{\an8}which was like this
evil empire type dude.
459
00:19:02,599 --> 00:19:05,102
He's clearly just elevated it
on the pro level.
460
00:19:05,936 --> 00:19:09,690
He has a rolodex
that I've never quite seen anything like.
461
00:19:09,731 --> 00:19:11,275
I don't think
there's anyone in the world
462
00:19:11,316 --> 00:19:13,902
that he's not at least
two phone calls away from.
463
00:19:13,944 --> 00:19:15,195
Maybe not one phone call,
464
00:19:15,195 --> 00:19:16,488
but if you wanna get
a hold of Justin Bieber,
465
00:19:16,530 --> 00:19:17,781
he's probably
two phone calls away.
466
00:19:17,823 --> 00:19:20,159
When you have somebody
as successful as Tom Dundon,
467
00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:22,035
people stop and they listen.
468
00:19:23,620 --> 00:19:25,330
So this is
where it gets tricky.
469
00:19:25,372 --> 00:19:27,541
Time comes into the sport,
470
00:19:27,958 --> 00:19:31,336
and he wants his top players
471
00:19:31,378 --> 00:19:35,549
to sign exclusive
three-year contracts.
472
00:19:35,549 --> 00:19:36,675
What does that mean?
473
00:19:36,717 --> 00:19:40,888
Well, it means
they have to play the PPA.
474
00:19:41,471 --> 00:19:44,808
Also means
they can't play Steve's MLP.
475
00:19:44,850 --> 00:19:50,105
Now, three years in pickleball
is like how we count dog years.
476
00:19:50,564 --> 00:19:52,649
Things change so quickly
in this sport.
477
00:19:52,691 --> 00:19:53,775
You're out there grinding.
478
00:19:53,817 --> 00:19:56,361
We don't know which tour
is gonna survive.
479
00:19:56,403 --> 00:19:59,573
So at the end of the day,
Steve Kuhn's big dream
480
00:19:59,573 --> 00:20:02,659
for Major League Pickleball
is really in danger.
481
00:20:03,744 --> 00:20:05,370
According to
No Man's Land blog,
482
00:20:05,412 --> 00:20:09,541
uh, the PPA has
secured and signed 22 of the top players
483
00:20:09,583 --> 00:20:12,377
to exclusively play
for the PPA.
484
00:20:12,419 --> 00:20:14,630
So when the contracts came in to these players,
485
00:20:14,671 --> 00:20:16,757
it was one of the most
emotionally taxing times
486
00:20:16,757 --> 00:20:19,509
{\an8}'cause they were given
very short timelines
487
00:20:19,551 --> 00:20:21,428
{\an8}to actually sign anything,
488
00:20:21,428 --> 00:20:22,930
{\an8}uh, let alone review
what was happening.
489
00:20:22,930 --> 00:20:24,723
And they were forced
to make decisions
490
00:20:24,765 --> 00:20:27,100
that were gonna impact
the next few years of their life.
491
00:20:27,684 --> 00:20:29,394
I would say the PPA is
492
00:20:29,436 --> 00:20:33,523
very well known for,
"Here's a contract, sign.
493
00:20:33,565 --> 00:20:36,610
If you don't sign it,
you know, you, you can't play."
494
00:20:37,778 --> 00:20:41,073
I think that created a lot of panic and struggle
495
00:20:41,114 --> 00:20:42,157
for, like, a lot of my friends.
496
00:20:42,199 --> 00:20:43,450
You know, some of them had to
497
00:20:43,492 --> 00:20:45,577
somehow back out
and hire lawyers.
498
00:20:45,994 --> 00:20:48,664
I don't know if that was
quite fair to do to, you know,
499
00:20:48,705 --> 00:20:51,500
people in their 20s who have
no real clue what they're doing.
500
00:20:51,541 --> 00:20:53,293
And you're, you know,
501
00:20:53,293 --> 00:20:55,128
a 50-something-year-old
billionaire
502
00:20:55,170 --> 00:20:56,964
who really has
all the resources.
503
00:20:59,925 --> 00:21:02,844
So players were really
kind of caught in a bind.
504
00:21:03,470 --> 00:21:07,057
You know, if they signed
these exclusive contracts,
505
00:21:07,099 --> 00:21:08,642
well, that means no more MLP.
506
00:21:08,684 --> 00:21:10,852
So ultimately these players,
507
00:21:10,894 --> 00:21:13,855
some of them who lived
at Steve's complex, Dreamland,
508
00:21:13,897 --> 00:21:17,693
left to go sign
with Connor and Tom.
509
00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:20,988
{\an8}
510
00:21:23,115 --> 00:21:24,866
{\an8}
511
00:21:33,500 --> 00:21:36,211
The landscape of pickleball,
it was confusing.
512
00:21:36,253 --> 00:21:37,629
The PPA was definitely ahead.
513
00:21:38,005 --> 00:21:39,715
We had the best players
under contract.
514
00:21:39,756 --> 00:21:42,217
We had the most revenues.
515
00:21:42,259 --> 00:21:43,885
We had the TV deals.
516
00:21:44,219 --> 00:21:47,347
But Major League Pickleball
was an amazing idea
517
00:21:47,347 --> 00:21:48,515
and an amazing format
518
00:21:48,515 --> 00:21:49,683
and something
that is so electric.
519
00:21:49,725 --> 00:21:51,184
Whoo!
520
00:21:51,226 --> 00:21:53,228
So I put Tom Dundon
521
00:21:53,270 --> 00:21:55,188
and Steve Kuhn
together in a room
522
00:21:55,230 --> 00:21:58,358
and tried to work something out,
and it didn't really work.
523
00:21:58,358 --> 00:21:59,651
{\an8}
524
00:22:01,862 --> 00:22:03,488
{\an8}I think two egos got in the way.
525
00:22:03,530 --> 00:22:05,365
{\an8}You know, Steve, Steve wanted
526
00:22:05,365 --> 00:22:07,326
{\an8}to have the best players
in the world
527
00:22:07,367 --> 00:22:09,536
{\an8}participate in,
in his tournament.
528
00:22:09,578 --> 00:22:11,580
Uh, Tom said,
"What's in it for me?
529
00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,833
"I've got these guys
under contract with PPA.
530
00:22:14,875 --> 00:22:17,502
Why should I change
the contract for your benefit?"
531
00:22:18,045 --> 00:22:20,172
{\an8}That new
Sports Illustrated article.
532
00:22:20,213 --> 00:22:22,299
{\an8}It's got a lot of heat.
But we're all trying to find our path.
533
00:22:22,341 --> 00:22:25,052
{\an8}And there's competing tours
and competing hall of fames
534
00:22:25,093 --> 00:22:27,512
{\an8}and competing certifications
and competing camps.
535
00:22:27,554 --> 00:22:29,389
{\an8}I mean, honestly,
it goes on and on and on.
536
00:22:29,389 --> 00:22:30,974
We, we need to have
just one outlet.
537
00:22:31,016 --> 00:22:34,144
It was like, screw you,
man, I'm gonna win this.
538
00:22:34,728 --> 00:22:36,772
And Steve said something
that, you know,
539
00:22:36,813 --> 00:22:38,148
"Well, you know,
I'll buy you out."
540
00:22:38,190 --> 00:22:40,317
And Tom said,
"No, no, no, no, I buy you out."
541
00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:42,736
It was kind of over before it even started.
542
00:22:42,778 --> 00:22:44,071
Like, nobody went in
543
00:22:44,071 --> 00:22:45,864
actually wanting to
make anything happen.
544
00:22:45,906 --> 00:22:48,450
It was, it felt like,
more like peacocking.
545
00:22:48,492 --> 00:22:50,535
{\an8}
546
00:22:50,577 --> 00:22:52,079
{\an8}
547
00:22:52,079 --> 00:22:54,998
You're killing me.
You are killing me.
548
00:22:57,876 --> 00:23:01,171
It's probably best that we--
that we move on from that one.
549
00:23:03,507 --> 00:23:06,051
{\an8}Welcome to
Indian Wells, California,
550
00:23:06,093 --> 00:23:10,847
site of the Margaritaville
USA Pickleball National Championships.
551
00:23:10,889 --> 00:23:13,350
This is the Mecca
of pickleball.
552
00:23:13,350 --> 00:23:15,811
{\an8}US Championships,
what we call Nationals,
553
00:23:15,852 --> 00:23:19,523
{\an8}is the longest standing
pro tournament in pickleball.
554
00:23:19,523 --> 00:23:23,193
Um, so I think it's been
going on since 2008, 2009,
555
00:23:23,193 --> 00:23:25,320
like, way before anybody
was really playing the sport.
556
00:23:25,362 --> 00:23:27,781
So it kinda has
that old feel to it,
557
00:23:27,823 --> 00:23:30,325
almost like Wimbledon for
tennis or something like that.
558
00:23:30,367 --> 00:23:32,702
And with today, like,
having two pro tours,
559
00:23:32,702 --> 00:23:34,871
it kinda brings
all the players together.
560
00:23:34,913 --> 00:23:38,083
But I would say pickleball
is organized chaos right now.
561
00:23:38,125 --> 00:23:40,293
You've got this amazing
tide of chaos right here
562
00:23:40,335 --> 00:23:42,546
and a couple people
trying to corral it.
563
00:23:42,546 --> 00:23:45,298
I'd say, embrace the chaos.
Let, let it just rain.
564
00:23:45,340 --> 00:23:47,300
I don't think some people realize
565
00:23:47,342 --> 00:23:49,261
that I am still in school,
and, you know,
566
00:23:49,302 --> 00:23:50,887
{\an8}I'm still trying to be a kid
at the same time
567
00:23:50,929 --> 00:23:52,889
{\an8}as I am a professional
pickleball player.
568
00:23:52,889 --> 00:23:54,641
{\an8}So it can be
really, really challenging.
569
00:23:55,892 --> 00:23:58,603
{\an8}
570
00:23:59,020 --> 00:24:00,605
{\an8}Somebody called me a fraud,
571
00:24:00,647 --> 00:24:02,524
{\an8}and I said,
"You're terrible for pickleball
572
00:24:02,566 --> 00:24:05,402
{\an8}and you're ugly
and get out of here."
573
00:24:06,194 --> 00:24:08,613
{\an8}
574
00:24:08,655 --> 00:24:11,241
Uh, I actually li...
I actually lost that match.
575
00:24:12,242 --> 00:24:14,911
A couple of years ago,
nobody knew who I was at all.
576
00:24:14,953 --> 00:24:17,873
I was not verified on Instagram.
I was a nobody.
577
00:24:17,914 --> 00:24:19,332
And, uh, you know,
578
00:24:19,374 --> 00:24:21,751
now I got that
cool little blue check mark,
579
00:24:21,751 --> 00:24:23,128
which definitely helps.
580
00:24:23,170 --> 00:24:24,379
I'm starting to be spotted
at airports.
581
00:24:24,421 --> 00:24:25,839
I'm getting spotted
at restaurants.
582
00:24:25,881 --> 00:24:27,090
Obviously, like,
when I'm at tournaments
583
00:24:27,132 --> 00:24:28,300
I get, like, bombarded.
584
00:24:28,341 --> 00:24:30,594
I think his, his look helps now.
585
00:24:30,635 --> 00:24:33,763
Yeah, the distinctive
features of the tats
586
00:24:33,763 --> 00:24:35,056
and the mullet
and the mustache.
587
00:24:35,098 --> 00:24:38,101
And I may have got
a new pair of veneers as well,
588
00:24:38,143 --> 00:24:40,103
which, which definitely helps.
589
00:24:42,022 --> 00:24:43,648
Over the last
two or three years,
590
00:24:43,690 --> 00:24:44,900
I think I've been able to, like,
591
00:24:44,941 --> 00:24:46,776
really build a character
and own it.
592
00:24:49,321 --> 00:24:52,282
I think there's a lot of brands
out there that truly love that,
593
00:24:52,324 --> 00:24:55,619
and like the organic message
that I'm trying to send.
594
00:24:57,579 --> 00:25:00,123
One of the more, like,
attractive media pieces
595
00:25:00,123 --> 00:25:02,125
that have been put out
was this Barstool article
596
00:25:02,167 --> 00:25:04,669
naming me the most
electrifying guy in sports.
597
00:25:04,711 --> 00:25:06,671
And, honestly, I can't tell you
how many brands
598
00:25:06,713 --> 00:25:09,382
came knocking on the door
once that thing came out.
599
00:25:09,424 --> 00:25:12,719
Essentially, the article just
made me sound like a legend,
600
00:25:12,761 --> 00:25:14,262
and that's my true image.
601
00:25:14,304 --> 00:25:15,680
I'm trying to be
louder than life.
602
00:25:16,348 --> 00:25:18,099
When we
were growing up,
603
00:25:18,141 --> 00:25:19,559
Tyson looked like a normal,
604
00:25:19,601 --> 00:25:21,895
clean cut,
All-American guy.
605
00:25:21,937 --> 00:25:25,023
No tats, no, no new teeth,
no mullet.
606
00:25:25,065 --> 00:25:26,149
No any of that.
607
00:25:26,191 --> 00:25:27,859
So me and all my friends
608
00:25:27,901 --> 00:25:30,070
and my little sister
had the biggest crush on him.
609
00:25:30,111 --> 00:25:31,404
I'm a huge believer in, like,
610
00:25:31,446 --> 00:25:32,656
if you look good,
you play good
611
00:25:32,697 --> 00:25:34,908
and it's just nice
to have a good smile.
612
00:25:34,950 --> 00:25:36,660
You know, it is.
613
00:25:36,701 --> 00:25:38,995
Whoa! Come on!
614
00:25:39,746 --> 00:25:43,333
First match of the day,
easy work as always, you know.
615
00:25:44,501 --> 00:25:46,378
You are listening to Radio Margaritaville.
616
00:25:46,419 --> 00:25:48,380
We are here joined
by Ryan Sherry.
617
00:25:48,421 --> 00:25:51,049
Ryan, you've been
so instrumental
618
00:25:51,091 --> 00:25:53,343
in kind of building up
this tournament,
619
00:25:53,385 --> 00:25:55,679
in this sport really
over the past couple years.
620
00:25:55,679 --> 00:25:58,139
Tell me about that,
and sort of the growth that you've seen.
621
00:25:58,181 --> 00:25:59,391
People kinda know
what it is now.
622
00:25:59,432 --> 00:26:01,017
I used to, you know,
get an elevator
623
00:26:01,017 --> 00:26:02,602
and meet some girl,
"What are you doing?"
624
00:26:02,644 --> 00:26:04,938
Uh, I couldn't even...
I didn't wanna say pickleball.
625
00:26:04,980 --> 00:26:06,064
I didn't wanna explain.
626
00:26:06,106 --> 00:26:07,566
Um, but now I'm kinda,
you know,
627
00:26:07,607 --> 00:26:09,109
I don't mind
saying it, you know? - Sure.
628
00:26:09,150 --> 00:26:10,527
This is a hobby for me.
629
00:26:10,527 --> 00:26:12,195
I'm not getting sponsorships
'cause I don't want 'em.
630
00:26:12,237 --> 00:26:13,655
You know,
I got responsibility.
631
00:26:13,697 --> 00:26:15,198
My business
Legacy Pro Sports helps
632
00:26:15,198 --> 00:26:17,951
former NFL football players,
post-career.
633
00:26:17,993 --> 00:26:19,202
{\an8}You know, the disability,
634
00:26:19,202 --> 00:26:20,370
{\an8}through the
NFL Players Association
635
00:26:20,370 --> 00:26:21,746
{\an8}is there for them.
636
00:26:21,788 --> 00:26:23,373
They have to go apply.
637
00:26:23,415 --> 00:26:25,875
But only about 10%
of the guys actually get it.
638
00:26:25,875 --> 00:26:27,377
And we're probably about 50%.
639
00:26:27,377 --> 00:26:28,962
I mean, you're dealing
with guys with, you know,
640
00:26:29,004 --> 00:26:30,130
whether it's
child support issues,
641
00:26:30,171 --> 00:26:31,715
whether it's, you know,
642
00:26:31,756 --> 00:26:33,883
coming from, you know,
no family, friends that,
643
00:26:33,883 --> 00:26:35,677
you know, took their money
and invested it in something
644
00:26:35,719 --> 00:26:37,804
that, you know, they didn't
even know what was going on.
645
00:26:37,846 --> 00:26:39,222
That's where we come in.
646
00:26:40,682 --> 00:26:42,392
The Sher Bear, Ryan Sherry.
647
00:26:42,434 --> 00:26:44,728
He is the John Daly
of pickleball.
648
00:26:44,728 --> 00:26:47,397
He's out partying
till all hours of the night.
649
00:26:47,397 --> 00:26:49,107
And you look at him
and you would say,
650
00:26:49,149 --> 00:26:50,692
"This guy is not
a pro pickleball player,"
651
00:26:50,734 --> 00:26:52,694
but he's one of the best
singles players in the world.
652
00:26:52,986 --> 00:26:54,779
{\an8}
Ryan Sherry is a legend.
653
00:26:54,821 --> 00:26:58,950
{\an8}It pisses me off that he is
three steps faster than me.
654
00:26:58,992 --> 00:27:00,368
{\an8}
What a shot from Sherry.
655
00:27:00,410 --> 00:27:02,245
And three levels smarter.
656
00:27:02,245 --> 00:27:03,622
And he looks like a fat troll.
657
00:27:03,663 --> 00:27:05,582
Championship point.
658
00:27:05,582 --> 00:27:09,085
And it's the backhand
that does it for Sherry.
659
00:27:09,085 --> 00:27:10,879
He is a champion.
660
00:27:11,171 --> 00:27:12,589
I also believe
that he's been
661
00:27:12,631 --> 00:27:14,841
one of the most
important people in the sport.
662
00:27:14,883 --> 00:27:16,551
He's been a huge connector.
663
00:27:18,637 --> 00:27:22,390
{\an8}For brands such as
the PPA, and ESPN, MLP.
664
00:27:22,432 --> 00:27:25,685
He is a mad man
with a huge heart.
665
00:27:27,062 --> 00:27:30,440
Who's ready for some ladies pro doubles?
666
00:27:32,442 --> 00:27:34,069
I'm watching one of
closest friends, Parris Todd,
667
00:27:34,110 --> 00:27:35,445
um, love the girl to death.
668
00:27:35,487 --> 00:27:36,863
She's been there for me,
been there for her.
669
00:27:36,905 --> 00:27:39,074
We both won
our first tournaments the same week.
670
00:27:39,449 --> 00:27:41,660
Parris Todd!
671
00:27:41,701 --> 00:27:43,411
Parris Todd, she's one of the new crop of players
672
00:27:43,453 --> 00:27:45,455
coming into the sport
that's looking at pickleball
673
00:27:45,497 --> 00:27:47,207
as a professional career.
674
00:27:47,248 --> 00:27:48,458
{\an8}Loves pushing
the fashion envelope
675
00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:49,918
{\an8}in the pickleball world,
which I think is needed.
676
00:27:49,959 --> 00:27:53,171
I don't think I'd look good
in anything she wears,
677
00:27:53,213 --> 00:27:55,757
so, you know, darn.
678
00:27:55,799 --> 00:27:56,925
Um...
679
00:27:56,966 --> 00:27:58,426
But definitely one to watch.
680
00:27:58,468 --> 00:28:00,136
{\an8}My name is Parris Todd.
681
00:28:00,178 --> 00:28:01,846
{\an8}I am currently ranked top 15
682
00:28:01,888 --> 00:28:04,849
in every single division
in pickleball right now.
683
00:28:07,477 --> 00:28:10,105
I have been on this journey
for about a year now.
684
00:28:10,146 --> 00:28:12,649
I originally started, I was
a professional tennis player.
685
00:28:13,650 --> 00:28:14,984
Trying to kill the ball.
686
00:28:14,984 --> 00:28:17,112
I turned pro
when I was 14 years old,
687
00:28:17,153 --> 00:28:19,155
so I was touring
all over the world
688
00:28:19,155 --> 00:28:20,198
with both my parents.
689
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:21,741
Mexico City.
690
00:28:21,783 --> 00:28:22,617
Go, Parris Todd.
691
00:28:22,659 --> 00:28:24,494
What do you have
to say to your fans?
692
00:28:24,494 --> 00:28:26,246
What do you gotta say?
693
00:28:29,499 --> 00:28:31,751
{\an8}Oh, no, you're gonna
get her started.
694
00:28:31,793 --> 00:28:32,836
{\an8}We don't wanna go there.
695
00:28:32,836 --> 00:28:34,546
{\an8}"Was Parris rebellious?"
696
00:28:34,963 --> 00:28:39,592
Okay, so I had to read books
on the strong-willed child.
697
00:28:39,968 --> 00:28:41,094
Where are you going?
698
00:28:42,929 --> 00:28:45,515
It's like you weren't there when
she lit her bedroom on fire.
699
00:28:45,515 --> 00:28:47,183
You weren't there...
Like, I could go on and on.
700
00:28:47,225 --> 00:28:50,228
Even her piano teacher had her
by the neck and dropped her off
701
00:28:50,270 --> 00:28:52,897
at our doorstep and said,
"She's unteachable."
702
00:28:52,939 --> 00:28:55,108
You weren't there when
she got kicked out of school.
703
00:28:55,150 --> 00:28:56,359
I mean...
704
00:28:57,736 --> 00:28:59,112
When she was seven years old,
705
00:28:59,154 --> 00:29:01,364
the very first day when
I took her to Bollettieri,
706
00:29:01,406 --> 00:29:03,491
I woke her up in bed
with a camera.
707
00:29:03,533 --> 00:29:04,784
{\an8}
708
00:29:04,826 --> 00:29:06,828
{\an8}- Hi.
Yeah.
709
00:29:07,454 --> 00:29:08,663
You know,
you talk about manifest.
710
00:29:08,705 --> 00:29:10,165
You know,
she was already trained
711
00:29:10,206 --> 00:29:11,875
then, "I'm a world champion."
712
00:29:11,875 --> 00:29:14,043
And that wasn't our goal.
713
00:29:14,085 --> 00:29:15,295
That was never our intention.
714
00:29:15,336 --> 00:29:17,422
All we did,
me and Angela, as parents
715
00:29:17,464 --> 00:29:19,758
was just fostered that
and encouraged that and just,
716
00:29:19,799 --> 00:29:21,718
you know, started to do
the things that we knew
717
00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:23,970
that we needed to do
to build a champion.
718
00:29:25,889 --> 00:29:28,057
I think after playing
about six months,
719
00:29:28,057 --> 00:29:30,435
I really started to have,
like, a little bit of success
720
00:29:30,477 --> 00:29:31,603
in some singles wins.
721
00:29:32,103 --> 00:29:34,898
{\an8}Parris Todd
with a championship point.
722
00:29:35,607 --> 00:29:37,066
{\an8}Parris Todd!
723
00:29:37,108 --> 00:29:41,321
{\an8}A major victory over
the great Anna Leigh Waters.
724
00:29:41,362 --> 00:29:42,530
For me,
being a professional athlete,
725
00:29:42,572 --> 00:29:44,115
it's also about my brand
726
00:29:44,157 --> 00:29:46,159
and building, you know, myself.
727
00:29:46,201 --> 00:29:47,869
Ohh!
728
00:29:48,244 --> 00:29:49,662
Well, congratulations.
729
00:29:49,704 --> 00:29:52,916
Parris Todd, Lauren Stratman,
moving on to the second round.
730
00:29:53,333 --> 00:29:56,044
Parris said this, I asked her, "What is your goal?"
731
00:29:56,085 --> 00:29:57,253
That's what I asked Parris.
732
00:29:57,253 --> 00:29:58,755
"What is your goal
for the first year?"
733
00:29:58,755 --> 00:30:00,715
She said, "I wanna make
a million dollars."
734
00:30:00,757 --> 00:30:01,758
I said, "Okay."
735
00:30:04,928 --> 00:30:06,805
Alright, big news,
Tom is sitting pretty.
736
00:30:06,846 --> 00:30:08,681
He's got all the players
wrapped up.
737
00:30:08,723 --> 00:30:10,767
Um, Steve's kinda
hung out in the wind.
738
00:30:10,767 --> 00:30:13,478
He doesn't have anybody,
so he's gotta think of a way
739
00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:15,939
that he can get back
into the game.
740
00:30:15,939 --> 00:30:17,482
And he pulls a rabbit
out of his hat.
741
00:30:17,524 --> 00:30:19,901
He basically gets
celebrity investors
742
00:30:19,943 --> 00:30:24,030
like Tom Brady,
LeBron James, and Drew Brees
743
00:30:24,072 --> 00:30:26,282
to buy MLP teams.
744
00:30:26,324 --> 00:30:29,202
A massive number
of celebrity and pro athletes
745
00:30:29,244 --> 00:30:30,954
are investing in,
yes, pickleball,
746
00:30:30,954 --> 00:30:34,457
including Kevin Love,
Tom Brady, and LeBron James.
747
00:30:34,499 --> 00:30:36,084
{\an8}I'm super excited to announce
748
00:30:36,125 --> 00:30:40,171
{\an8}that I'm officially joining
the MLP family, pickleball.
749
00:30:40,213 --> 00:30:41,881
{\an8}Let's go.
750
00:30:41,923 --> 00:30:43,508
♪ It's about to be a problem ♪
751
00:30:43,550 --> 00:30:46,052
♪ Yeah, we on fire,
better not try us ♪
752
00:30:46,094 --> 00:30:48,263
{\an8}♪ 'Cause we gon' run it up
when we touchdown ♪
753
00:30:48,304 --> 00:30:51,766
If you're gonna raise money
to try and build the next big sport,
754
00:30:51,808 --> 00:30:54,352
who better to invest
than athletes
755
00:30:54,394 --> 00:30:56,855
who, you know, have been
at the highest level.
756
00:30:56,896 --> 00:30:59,148
Someone like LeBron
is buying a team,
757
00:30:59,190 --> 00:31:00,441
shit is pretty real!
758
00:31:00,483 --> 00:31:03,945
{\an8}
759
00:31:03,987 --> 00:31:05,822
{\an8}So now
he's back in the game
760
00:31:05,864 --> 00:31:08,533
{\an8}and all the players
really wanna play MLP,
761
00:31:08,575 --> 00:31:11,953
so they're the ones really
putting the pressure on Tom.
762
00:31:11,995 --> 00:31:14,247
But Tom's not a guy
to just sit around.
763
00:31:14,289 --> 00:31:15,331
So what does he do?
764
00:31:15,331 --> 00:31:16,666
He starts his own
765
00:31:16,666 --> 00:31:19,627
celebrity-invested team league.
766
00:31:20,003 --> 00:31:21,754
He calls it VIBE.
767
00:31:24,132 --> 00:31:25,508
{\an8}
768
00:31:26,759 --> 00:31:29,429
Um, I don't know
if I wanna talk about VIBE.
769
00:31:29,470 --> 00:31:30,555
You really want me
to talk about it?
770
00:31:30,597 --> 00:31:32,015
I will if you really want me to.
771
00:31:32,015 --> 00:31:34,726
Okay. Um...
772
00:31:34,767 --> 00:31:37,645
VIBE Pickleball
was our opportunity
773
00:31:37,687 --> 00:31:39,689
to launch our own
team league.
774
00:31:39,731 --> 00:31:41,399
Whether we liked it or not,
we had somebody
775
00:31:41,441 --> 00:31:43,109
coming to us every week
wanting to buy a team,
776
00:31:43,151 --> 00:31:44,110
even though we didn't do that.
777
00:31:44,152 --> 00:31:46,029
And we were gonna
bring in Mark Cuban
778
00:31:46,070 --> 00:31:48,114
and Larry Fitzgerald
and Michael Phelps.
779
00:31:48,156 --> 00:31:49,782
I'm really close with Tom Dundon.
780
00:31:49,824 --> 00:31:52,285
And, you know, he was talking
about the VIBE group,
781
00:31:52,327 --> 00:31:53,703
{\an8}if I had any interest in it.
782
00:31:53,703 --> 00:31:56,039
{\an8}And I said, "Absolutely, I would
love to be a part of it."
783
00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:59,542
Reached out to Michael Phelps
and talked to Devin Booker.
784
00:31:59,542 --> 00:32:03,963
{\an8}
VIBE team owner Mark Cuban is in attendance right now.
785
00:32:04,005 --> 00:32:05,798
{\an8}Everybody seems
to love pickleball these days.
786
00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:07,467
{\an8}We came up
with the taglines,
787
00:32:07,508 --> 00:32:09,385
{\an8}we got the T-shirts,
we got the players promoting it,
788
00:32:09,385 --> 00:32:11,387
we got
celebrity owners involved.
789
00:32:11,429 --> 00:32:15,558
{\an8}Was VIBE ever gonna launch?
I... It's hard to believe so.
790
00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:17,602
{\an8}I mean, they have the hoodies,
they have the hoodies.
791
00:32:17,644 --> 00:32:19,562
So that makes it
a business, right?
792
00:32:19,896 --> 00:32:21,898
{\an8}VIBE, I believe was
the greatest marketing ploy
793
00:32:21,940 --> 00:32:24,150
{\an8}that pickleball has ever seen.
794
00:32:24,192 --> 00:32:28,488
{\an8}I think it was really just
T-shirts with the logo VIBE.
795
00:32:28,529 --> 00:32:30,156
{\an8}
796
00:32:30,740 --> 00:32:32,575
Again, I'm gonna, I'm gonna
pass on that one too.
797
00:32:33,076 --> 00:32:36,579
I'm gonna go,
I'm gonna go 0-for-2 on that.
798
00:32:36,621 --> 00:32:39,999
So who knows if VIBE
was an actual league
799
00:32:40,041 --> 00:32:41,417
or a negotiating tactic.
800
00:32:41,459 --> 00:32:43,378
Either way, it got
Steve back to the table
801
00:32:43,419 --> 00:32:46,255
and force a merger of sorts.
802
00:32:46,297 --> 00:32:50,593
And these two rivals
now were becoming partners.
803
00:32:50,885 --> 00:32:52,595
What could possibly go wrong?
804
00:32:55,139 --> 00:32:58,768
I don't know
that the merger makes sense
805
00:32:58,810 --> 00:33:00,770
from a personality standpoint.
806
00:33:00,770 --> 00:33:04,732
{\an8}If you're having
a lot of trouble
807
00:33:04,774 --> 00:33:07,819
{\an8}discussing major issues
when you're dating,
808
00:33:07,860 --> 00:33:09,946
it's probably not
a great idea to get married.
809
00:33:09,946 --> 00:33:13,157
We all have egos.
I'm sure Tom Dundon has one.
810
00:33:13,199 --> 00:33:14,534
I'm sure I have one.
811
00:33:14,575 --> 00:33:17,453
When I looked at
the situation calmly,
812
00:33:17,453 --> 00:33:18,913
I thought this was better
for the goals
813
00:33:18,955 --> 00:33:21,541
that I originally did this,
to have the merger.
814
00:33:21,582 --> 00:33:23,167
It was better for the sport.
815
00:33:23,209 --> 00:33:27,380
Uh, it was better to
bring more people to the game.
816
00:33:27,422 --> 00:33:28,965
Uh, better for the pro players.
817
00:33:28,965 --> 00:33:31,843
This was the right thing to do.
818
00:33:31,884 --> 00:33:33,678
So now that Tom's players
819
00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,055
in the PPA could play MLP,
820
00:33:36,097 --> 00:33:38,891
the PPA used that time
and opportunity
821
00:33:38,933 --> 00:33:41,561
to sign more players
to contracts.
822
00:33:42,103 --> 00:33:43,855
This really wasn't
Steve's ethos
823
00:33:43,896 --> 00:33:45,231
about telling players
what to do.
824
00:33:45,273 --> 00:33:47,650
He wanted players to be able
to chase their dreams
825
00:33:47,692 --> 00:33:49,610
wherever they
wanted to do that.
826
00:33:51,988 --> 00:33:54,991
{\an8}Alright, we are back for
another Kitchen conversation.
827
00:33:54,991 --> 00:33:58,119
{\an8}This week we have
the hottest name
828
00:33:58,161 --> 00:34:01,205
on the Tour of Pickleball,
Parris Todd.
829
00:34:01,247 --> 00:34:04,625
Parris is definitely the talk of the pro circuit right now,
830
00:34:04,667 --> 00:34:07,003
as she's the only
top pro player
831
00:34:07,003 --> 00:34:10,339
who has refused to sign
the PPA MLP contract.
832
00:34:10,339 --> 00:34:11,758
Good. Yeah. Perfect.
833
00:34:11,799 --> 00:34:13,468
Eyes up here. Eyes up, eyes up.
834
00:34:13,509 --> 00:34:15,011
We offered her a very good deal,
835
00:34:15,053 --> 00:34:17,472
and it was a very, I think,
generous and fair deal,
836
00:34:17,513 --> 00:34:20,767
but that doesn't mean
that she can't think something different.
837
00:34:21,267 --> 00:34:23,644
Parris is asking
for ridiculous money.
838
00:34:23,686 --> 00:34:26,481
You can't ask
for $350,000 a year
839
00:34:26,522 --> 00:34:30,026
from an organization
who's not even making that in profit each year.
840
00:34:30,735 --> 00:34:34,030
What do we think about Parris Todd holding out?
841
00:34:34,030 --> 00:34:36,157
{\an8}For whatever her reasons are,
she chose not to,
842
00:34:36,199 --> 00:34:38,743
{\an8}and she chose
not to put herself in the draft.
843
00:34:38,785 --> 00:34:42,163
{\an8}Um, whether it was money
or whether it was exclusivity,
844
00:34:42,205 --> 00:34:43,498
whatever, I don't know.
845
00:34:43,873 --> 00:34:45,041
I like Parris, but I think
846
00:34:45,041 --> 00:34:47,085
she's overvalued herself
as a player.
847
00:34:47,126 --> 00:34:48,169
Beautiful. Good.
848
00:34:48,211 --> 00:34:49,587
I don't know
what's going on there.
849
00:34:49,629 --> 00:34:51,172
She's a tough cookie.
850
00:34:51,214 --> 00:34:53,299
I'll tell you what,
I think she wants a set figure.
851
00:34:53,341 --> 00:34:56,427
So it's gonna be interesting
to see what takes place there.
852
00:34:57,095 --> 00:34:58,971
When you're doing something
853
00:34:59,013 --> 00:35:00,765
that is different
from other people,
854
00:35:00,807 --> 00:35:02,809
there's always gonna be
people that step in
855
00:35:02,850 --> 00:35:05,269
and that will say things,
and gossip goes around.
856
00:35:05,311 --> 00:35:07,563
And especially in pickleball,
it's such a small world.
857
00:35:07,563 --> 00:35:09,148
They think that I'm crazy
858
00:35:09,190 --> 00:35:11,400
and think I'm asking
for way too much.
859
00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:12,985
And it's not easy to hear
860
00:35:13,027 --> 00:35:14,779
the gossip that goes on
behind the scenes
861
00:35:14,821 --> 00:35:16,906
and people not agreeing
with what I'm doing.
862
00:35:16,948 --> 00:35:19,200
But if I don't stand up,
then who is gonna do it?
863
00:35:19,242 --> 00:35:21,869
Right. And I totally
admire you for that.
864
00:35:23,204 --> 00:35:25,289
Lord, I thank You
and I come into agreement
865
00:35:25,331 --> 00:35:26,791
and I pray for all the sponsors
866
00:35:26,833 --> 00:35:28,417
and all those who are
sitting on the fence
867
00:35:28,459 --> 00:35:29,794
and thinking about it.
868
00:35:29,836 --> 00:35:31,087
I ask, Lord,
that You would increase
869
00:35:31,087 --> 00:35:33,923
their portfolios exponentially,
Lord God,
870
00:35:33,923 --> 00:35:36,008
that it would just be
a drop in the bucket for them
871
00:35:36,050 --> 00:35:38,427
to wanna be
a part of this organization
872
00:35:38,469 --> 00:35:40,263
and this industry
that's booming.
873
00:35:40,263 --> 00:35:42,140
And I thank You, Lord,
for my child.
874
00:35:42,181 --> 00:35:44,809
I thank You, Lord, that You have
given her supernatural strength.
875
00:35:44,851 --> 00:35:46,686
- Golden goose.
- The golden goose.
876
00:35:46,727 --> 00:35:48,563
- Yeah, baby.
- Her ability, her agility.
877
00:35:48,604 --> 00:35:50,106
Lord, I thank You
that You will rise her
878
00:35:50,106 --> 00:35:52,024
to places of great expectation.
879
00:35:52,066 --> 00:35:53,651
And we put it
under the blood of Jesus.
880
00:35:53,693 --> 00:35:56,195
And we give You all the praise,
all the honor,
881
00:35:56,237 --> 00:35:57,613
and all the glory.
882
00:35:57,613 --> 00:35:59,574
- And Parris said...
- Amen.
883
00:35:59,615 --> 00:36:01,784
- Amen!
- Anything you wanna add?
884
00:36:01,826 --> 00:36:05,371
Um, I just, Lord,
I just pray over the players.
885
00:36:05,913 --> 00:36:07,623
{\an8}Only You know
where the sport is going.
886
00:36:07,623 --> 00:36:10,501
{\an8}Only You know where You wanna
put each of Your children.
887
00:36:21,554 --> 00:36:23,306
We're here in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
888
00:36:23,347 --> 00:36:26,517
{\an8}We have the MLP draft,
which is so incredible.
889
00:36:26,559 --> 00:36:28,811
{\an8}We have the top players in
the world here getting drafted,
890
00:36:28,811 --> 00:36:31,230
{\an8}and, uh, there's also just
an event going on here,
891
00:36:31,272 --> 00:36:34,108
and they're bringing in
four professional tennis players
892
00:36:34,150 --> 00:36:36,444
in a team-style tournament
this weekend.
893
00:36:36,903 --> 00:36:39,113
We have the best of the best.
Everyone's here.
894
00:36:39,155 --> 00:36:40,948
Especially the players
that couldn't play last year
895
00:36:40,990 --> 00:36:43,409
that now with the merge
are able to play.
896
00:36:43,451 --> 00:36:45,661
I'm really excited 'cause I didn't get to play last year.
897
00:36:45,703 --> 00:36:48,122
I think all of us PPA players
saw how much fun it was,
898
00:36:48,164 --> 00:36:50,791
{\an8}so we're happy to be able
to join for next year.
899
00:36:54,045 --> 00:36:57,131
We're in Las Vegas right now for the MLP draft.
900
00:36:57,131 --> 00:36:58,507
{\an8}
901
00:36:59,926 --> 00:37:00,801
Well, I can't play.
902
00:37:00,843 --> 00:37:02,720
Hopefully, I can
get drafted for MLP.
903
00:37:02,762 --> 00:37:04,764
But the system
is based upon analytics,
904
00:37:04,805 --> 00:37:07,183
but they're not based
upon intangibilities.
905
00:37:07,225 --> 00:37:08,976
I mean, Tim Tebow,
great quarterback,
906
00:37:09,018 --> 00:37:12,480
safe to say had the best
fourth quarter QBR rating
907
00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:13,731
in the history of football.
908
00:37:13,773 --> 00:37:15,900
But he was terrible
in other quarters.
909
00:37:15,942 --> 00:37:18,736
So if you were gonna, you know,
draft him based on statistics,
910
00:37:18,778 --> 00:37:19,820
well, he's not there.
911
00:37:19,820 --> 00:37:20,780
Eli Manning, not there.
912
00:37:20,821 --> 00:37:22,198
But Eli Manning
is a Hall of Famer.
913
00:37:22,240 --> 00:37:23,366
I'm a Hall of Famer.
914
00:37:23,407 --> 00:37:24,825
Safe to say based upon
what I've done,
915
00:37:24,825 --> 00:37:27,245
the people I've beaten,
but I'm not used to
916
00:37:27,286 --> 00:37:29,497
playing people
six hours a day
917
00:37:29,497 --> 00:37:31,540
and then go play
a 23-year-old, you know?
918
00:37:31,582 --> 00:37:33,251
I mean, Heidi Klum,
she's not used to
919
00:37:33,292 --> 00:37:34,877
going and running,
you know, a marathon
920
00:37:34,919 --> 00:37:36,003
than going to the runway.
921
00:37:36,045 --> 00:37:37,505
She needs her time
to prepare.
922
00:37:37,505 --> 00:37:38,631
You know, I'm not saying
I'm Heidi Klum,
923
00:37:38,673 --> 00:37:40,424
but I need time to prepare.
924
00:37:42,260 --> 00:37:43,719
In the last year,
925
00:37:43,761 --> 00:37:45,554
the valuation
of our MLP team
926
00:37:45,596 --> 00:37:49,684
has increased
from the low $200,000
927
00:37:49,684 --> 00:37:51,811
{\an8}to north of
five million dollars.
928
00:37:51,852 --> 00:37:53,020
Here we go. Here we go.
929
00:37:53,604 --> 00:37:54,772
The MLP, when I started,
930
00:37:54,814 --> 00:37:57,024
the teams were on
for $100,000.
931
00:37:58,567 --> 00:38:00,528
And once PPA
and MLP joined up,
932
00:38:00,569 --> 00:38:03,406
it started to go up
to around three to six million,
933
00:38:03,447 --> 00:38:04,657
is the numbers I heard.
934
00:38:04,699 --> 00:38:05,866
And, you know, in five years
935
00:38:05,908 --> 00:38:07,535
I could easily see
that trend continuing
936
00:38:07,535 --> 00:38:09,078
and it could be
upwards of 20 million.
937
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:12,331
Like everything in our culture right now,
938
00:38:12,373 --> 00:38:15,918
{\an8}valuations just go up like crazy
because of a feeling.
939
00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:18,629
{\an8}Well, what's wild to me is
I've had people call me,
940
00:38:18,671 --> 00:38:20,214
{\an8}who, you know,
have a lot of money,
941
00:38:20,256 --> 00:38:22,300
{\an8}and when they tell me
the valuation
942
00:38:22,341 --> 00:38:23,551
that they're talking about now,
943
00:38:23,551 --> 00:38:25,261
which I have no idea
what's it's true or not,
944
00:38:25,303 --> 00:38:26,721
it's about eight times
what I'm in at.
945
00:38:26,762 --> 00:38:29,932
Would I invest
in a pickleball team at $5 million?
946
00:38:29,974 --> 00:38:31,183
No, 'cause it's like Starbucks.
947
00:38:31,225 --> 00:38:33,185
Why didn't I know?
It's like Uber.
948
00:38:33,227 --> 00:38:35,563
Why didn't I know?
It's too late for me.
949
00:38:35,938 --> 00:38:38,482
I've had a couple
that I got in early on,
950
00:38:38,524 --> 00:38:40,276
so I missed pickleball.
951
00:38:40,318 --> 00:38:42,445
{\an8}It's almost impossible
to explain
952
00:38:42,486 --> 00:38:45,406
{\an8}why pickleball has taken off
the way that it did,
953
00:38:45,448 --> 00:38:46,907
but clearly people
respond well to it
954
00:38:46,949 --> 00:38:48,826
and they're willing to pay
large amounts of money for it.
955
00:38:48,868 --> 00:38:50,953
And some of the players
are making a lot of money.
956
00:38:50,995 --> 00:38:54,415
♪ I'm an all star
in every sport ♪
957
00:38:54,415 --> 00:38:56,917
♪ Bases loaded
we run it full court ♪
958
00:38:56,917 --> 00:38:59,628
♪ It's a touchdown
you better press record ♪
959
00:38:59,670 --> 00:39:02,882
♪ I'm a champion with rings
but I need more ♪
960
00:39:02,923 --> 00:39:06,385
♪ I'm an all star
in every sport ♪
961
00:39:06,427 --> 00:39:08,763
♪ Bases loaded
we run it full court ♪
962
00:39:08,763 --> 00:39:10,931
First of all, how do you value a pro pickleball player?
963
00:39:10,931 --> 00:39:12,266
At the moment it's like,
964
00:39:12,266 --> 00:39:13,768
what's their following
on Instagram?
965
00:39:13,809 --> 00:39:16,896
Like, how many ads
can they be in?
966
00:39:16,937 --> 00:39:19,440
'Cause I don't really think
it's based on who's winning.
967
00:39:20,066 --> 00:39:21,650
Most of the hard work
is done off the court,
968
00:39:21,692 --> 00:39:23,444
like not just with
training and stuff,
969
00:39:23,486 --> 00:39:26,280
but, like, you know,
contracts and interviews
970
00:39:26,322 --> 00:39:27,573
and, you know,
stuff like that.
971
00:39:27,615 --> 00:39:28,949
I'm Anna Leigh Waters
972
00:39:28,949 --> 00:39:32,036
and I'm pumped to be
the new Lock Laces athlete.
973
00:39:32,078 --> 00:39:33,120
I'm sponsored by Fila.
974
00:39:33,162 --> 00:39:34,872
You know, Fila is
an international company.
975
00:39:34,914 --> 00:39:36,624
So it's just been, like,
really amazing to see
976
00:39:36,624 --> 00:39:39,668
how pickleball has grown
as like I've kind of grown with it.
977
00:39:39,710 --> 00:39:42,088
When you have
any large amount of money
978
00:39:42,129 --> 00:39:44,715
being thrown around,
that's amazing for pickleball.
979
00:39:44,757 --> 00:39:46,008
It's amazing for the pros.
980
00:39:46,050 --> 00:39:48,010
There's really nobody
that loses, that's for sure.
981
00:39:48,052 --> 00:39:49,595
You have
people making, like,
982
00:39:49,637 --> 00:39:52,515
$150,000, $200,000 a year
on paddle deals.
983
00:39:52,807 --> 00:39:54,725
For sure Ben Johns
is selling product.
984
00:39:54,767 --> 00:39:56,560
His paddles are the best.
985
00:39:56,602 --> 00:39:59,939
Joola is getting their worth
of whatever they paid Ben.
986
00:39:59,980 --> 00:40:01,816
{\an8}Anytime I need
to fuel my performance,
987
00:40:01,816 --> 00:40:03,692
{\an8}Pickle Fuel is what gets me
to that next level.
988
00:40:03,734 --> 00:40:04,985
More money comes in,
more fame comes in.
989
00:40:04,985 --> 00:40:06,779
I mean, it's life.
More money, more problems.
990
00:40:06,821 --> 00:40:09,448
I think Puff Daddy said it.
Biggie or whoever.
991
00:40:09,490 --> 00:40:11,325
"Mo Money Mo Problems."
It was Puffy, right?
992
00:40:11,367 --> 00:40:13,244
Mase?
Good outfits, weren't they?
993
00:40:13,285 --> 00:40:16,455
You have Skechers deals
worth 250 plus.
994
00:40:16,497 --> 00:40:17,832
Hi, I'm Tyson McGuffin,
995
00:40:17,832 --> 00:40:20,418
{\an8}and I'm a Skechers Elite
professional pickleball player.
996
00:40:20,918 --> 00:40:22,920
When I first started
this back in 2016,
997
00:40:22,962 --> 00:40:24,755
I thought there was
no way in hell
998
00:40:24,797 --> 00:40:25,923
I was gonna be in a position
999
00:40:25,965 --> 00:40:27,341
where I could
just play full-time
1000
00:40:27,383 --> 00:40:28,384
and be like
a full-time athlete.
1001
00:40:29,051 --> 00:40:32,263
Back to center court here at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
1002
00:40:32,304 --> 00:40:36,517
{\an8}So I'm expecting more intense
women's doubles action here.
1003
00:40:36,559 --> 00:40:40,479
What a point!
Now, that's the kinda point that can spark a little fire
1004
00:40:40,521 --> 00:40:42,064
and get the MO
going the other way.
1005
00:40:42,106 --> 00:40:43,149
Oh, yeah.
1006
00:40:43,190 --> 00:40:44,692
So I'm the observer.
1007
00:40:44,692 --> 00:40:47,027
I'm the narrator.
I sort of... what I'm seeing.
1008
00:40:47,069 --> 00:40:49,488
He is sort of an expert
1009
00:40:49,530 --> 00:40:51,907
and, uh, he knows
what he's talking about.
1010
00:40:51,949 --> 00:40:55,870
And so he can provide
that color and analysis.
1011
00:40:55,870 --> 00:40:56,871
And I sort of...
1012
00:40:57,204 --> 00:40:59,707
I'm great for, I think,
for the, for the new eye.
1013
00:40:59,748 --> 00:41:01,542
Yeah. And there's,
there's good banter.
1014
00:41:01,584 --> 00:41:04,503
We just say whatever we want,
and, uh--
1015
00:41:04,545 --> 00:41:05,880
- It's really relaxed.
- It's great.
1016
00:41:05,921 --> 00:41:08,215
I heard it was, like, seven million people
1017
00:41:08,215 --> 00:41:11,343
are watching this tournament
here from Las Vegas
1018
00:41:11,385 --> 00:41:12,720
on the Tennis Channel,
1019
00:41:12,720 --> 00:41:15,097
like, maybe seven and a half
million people.
1020
00:41:15,973 --> 00:41:17,725
Oh, sorry. Wait a minute,
that was thousand.
1021
00:41:17,725 --> 00:41:20,394
Seven thousand people are...
1022
00:41:20,394 --> 00:41:21,437
Not a lot.
1023
00:41:21,479 --> 00:41:22,521
Wow.
1024
00:41:22,563 --> 00:41:23,731
Tereschenko did
a great job there
1025
00:41:23,772 --> 00:41:26,400
of holding that
outside forehand dink and...
1026
00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:28,486
There's not that
many people watching the sport.
1027
00:41:28,903 --> 00:41:31,947
So until there's
more viewership,
1028
00:41:31,989 --> 00:41:34,575
people are basically,
like, betting on a promise.
1029
00:41:34,617 --> 00:41:37,495
And it's kind of
like a scary thing...
1030
00:41:38,787 --> 00:41:40,873
'cause that could
eventually fall.
1031
00:41:43,751 --> 00:41:46,754
I think we're
in the midst of a bubble
1032
00:41:46,754 --> 00:41:48,589
that is frothing right now.
1033
00:41:49,548 --> 00:41:51,467
There's just no way
1034
00:41:51,509 --> 00:41:55,679
a lot of us are worth
what we're getting paid.
1035
00:41:56,472 --> 00:42:00,184
My first check in 2020
was for $250.
1036
00:42:00,226 --> 00:42:02,269
That didn't even cover
my entry fees, anything.
1037
00:42:02,311 --> 00:42:06,023
Now it's like you get paid
to go to the tournament.
1038
00:42:06,065 --> 00:42:07,274
Prize money is going up.
1039
00:42:07,816 --> 00:42:09,902
I always wanna be
optimistic about it,
1040
00:42:09,944 --> 00:42:12,613
but the average sports fan
is not gonna tune in
1041
00:42:12,613 --> 00:42:14,281
and watch me dink
and win a firefight.
1042
00:42:14,281 --> 00:42:16,992
Like, my own father doesn't
watch some of my matches
1043
00:42:17,034 --> 00:42:18,786
'cause he just thinks
it's too boring.
1044
00:42:19,245 --> 00:42:22,206
This isn't the NBA
where they're making millions off of us.
1045
00:42:22,248 --> 00:42:23,290
They've self-admitted.
1046
00:42:23,290 --> 00:42:24,750
They're making
nothing off of us.
1047
00:42:24,792 --> 00:42:26,627
{\an8}The first pick
in the 2023
1048
00:42:26,627 --> 00:42:28,295
{\an8}Major League Pickleball draft,
1049
00:42:28,587 --> 00:42:32,091
the New Jersey 5s
select Anna Leigh Waters.
1050
00:42:33,217 --> 00:42:35,719
I almost compare the PPA and MLP
1051
00:42:35,761 --> 00:42:38,639
and what they're doing to,
to like raising venture capital
1052
00:42:38,639 --> 00:42:40,558
as an early stage startup
1053
00:42:40,599 --> 00:42:43,018
where, you know,
you're not really making money,
1054
00:42:43,060 --> 00:42:46,772
{\an8}but you just are pumping in
so much and elevating it
1055
00:42:46,814 --> 00:42:49,400
to where, you know,
it has inherent value
1056
00:42:49,441 --> 00:42:50,526
until they do make money.
1057
00:42:51,151 --> 00:42:53,821
As an accountant, I think going through their books
1058
00:42:53,821 --> 00:42:55,656
would just be crazy.
1059
00:42:55,656 --> 00:42:57,783
MLP-PPA merger,
we're about to see
1060
00:42:57,825 --> 00:43:00,369
the best of the best compete
against each other next year.
1061
00:43:00,411 --> 00:43:02,413
How cool is that
for the sport?
1062
00:43:02,454 --> 00:43:03,998
Yeah, I'm super excited.
1063
00:43:04,039 --> 00:43:07,084
I have a theory because of the MLP and PPA merger,
1064
00:43:07,126 --> 00:43:09,837
once they come together
and they have all the players,
1065
00:43:09,878 --> 00:43:11,839
they're not gonna
pay us anymore.
1066
00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:13,257
I'm not gonna get
an appearance fee
1067
00:43:13,299 --> 00:43:14,633
to show up to a tournament
1068
00:43:14,675 --> 00:43:16,719
where they are not seeing
any profit return on.
1069
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:18,846
Like, see ya, kick rocks,
you know.
1070
00:43:20,806 --> 00:43:22,391
Something that just got thrown our way,
1071
00:43:22,433 --> 00:43:25,436
this bubbly team event
taking place this weekend.
1072
00:43:25,477 --> 00:43:28,188
My set guarantee to show up
was supposed to be 40.
1073
00:43:28,647 --> 00:43:31,525
I was told last week
that it's now five.
1074
00:43:31,567 --> 00:43:34,653
Uh, typical pickleball bullshit,
if you know what I mean.
1075
00:43:34,695 --> 00:43:35,779
Another prime example.
1076
00:43:35,821 --> 00:43:38,157
We were all supposed
to stay at Mandalay Bay.
1077
00:43:38,198 --> 00:43:40,367
We were told
the week of the event
1078
00:43:40,409 --> 00:43:42,119
that we're all being
moved to.
1079
00:43:42,161 --> 00:43:44,330
My wife contacted
the PPA and said,
1080
00:43:44,330 --> 00:43:46,707
there was no way
we're staying at. That place looks like
1081
00:43:46,749 --> 00:43:49,335
it's been chewed up
and spit out and stomped on.
1082
00:43:49,376 --> 00:43:51,170
And, yes, we are heading
in the right direction
1083
00:43:51,170 --> 00:43:53,964
and the PPA tour seems like
it's the right tour
1084
00:43:54,006 --> 00:43:55,507
and there's plenty of longevity,
1085
00:43:55,507 --> 00:43:56,884
but there's just
a lot of red flags
1086
00:43:56,925 --> 00:43:59,428
that, that comes with it,
if you know what I mean.
1087
00:44:02,097 --> 00:44:05,351
{\an8}Apparently a bunch
of wealthy people have
1088
00:44:05,351 --> 00:44:07,436
{\an8}decided that,
that this is like a game
1089
00:44:07,478 --> 00:44:10,648
that they sort of can control
what's going on
1090
00:44:10,689 --> 00:44:15,194
as far as, you know,
having their sort of little hobby,
1091
00:44:15,235 --> 00:44:18,739
uh, that they can potentially
make money off of
1092
00:44:18,781 --> 00:44:20,115
is the way I see it.
1093
00:44:20,157 --> 00:44:21,659
You know, I find it strange
1094
00:44:21,700 --> 00:44:23,702
that they are asking people
to pay a lot of money,
1095
00:44:23,702 --> 00:44:27,206
like my friend Kim Clijsters,
who I love,
1096
00:44:27,206 --> 00:44:28,749
I go, "Where's your team?"
1097
00:44:28,791 --> 00:44:31,377
"I don't know.
It's gonna be something."
1098
00:44:31,418 --> 00:44:34,880
Well, shouldn't that, you know,
when you're investing in a team,
1099
00:44:34,922 --> 00:44:37,633
I would think it would matter
a little bit where it is.
1100
00:44:37,675 --> 00:44:40,386
But apparently it's so big
that it doesn't matter.
1101
00:44:40,386 --> 00:44:43,389
It could be up in a cloud
and you can make millions.
1102
00:44:46,141 --> 00:44:48,102
{\an8}You have this
interesting phenomenon
1103
00:44:48,143 --> 00:44:49,728
{\an8}where athletes
from other sports
1104
00:44:49,770 --> 00:44:53,232
{\an8}who are going to retire,
move into the pickleball arena.
1105
00:44:53,273 --> 00:44:55,150
You're gonna have
tennis players
1106
00:44:55,192 --> 00:44:56,735
who made it
to the highest levels.
1107
00:44:56,735 --> 00:44:58,987
Like a John Isner
or a Jack Sock.
1108
00:44:59,530 --> 00:45:02,032
They will be able to have
a longer shelf life
1109
00:45:02,074 --> 00:45:04,660
on a pickleball court.
1110
00:45:04,702 --> 00:45:06,954
Right here at Tennis Channel
we had Andrea Petkovic,
1111
00:45:06,995 --> 00:45:09,581
who was one
of the great tennis players of the modern age,
1112
00:45:09,623 --> 00:45:11,834
and we said,
"Well, what do you think of pickleball?"
1113
00:45:11,875 --> 00:45:14,086
And she said, "Well,
I think it's a great game."
1114
00:45:14,086 --> 00:45:16,255
I said,
"Well, but tennis is a sport."
1115
00:45:16,296 --> 00:45:17,631
And we said,
"Well, what's the difference?"
1116
00:45:17,673 --> 00:45:20,217
And she said, "Well, a game
is something you can play
1117
00:45:20,259 --> 00:45:21,385
while you're drinking."
1118
00:45:21,427 --> 00:45:22,720
I don't think the best
players in the world
1119
00:45:22,761 --> 00:45:23,762
are drinking a cocktail
1120
00:45:23,762 --> 00:45:25,681
while they're playing
at the highest level.
1121
00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:31,937
I will bring the rum
to our matches and anybody,
1122
00:45:32,438 --> 00:45:34,690
if they need some,
give 'em a little shot.
1123
00:45:34,732 --> 00:45:36,859
They play better.
I've tested it.
1124
00:45:37,609 --> 00:45:39,445
In pickleball,
if you're a really good athlete
1125
00:45:39,486 --> 00:45:41,196
there's a fair chance
that, you know,
1126
00:45:41,238 --> 00:45:42,823
you could be competitive
in this game.
1127
00:45:42,865 --> 00:45:45,075
Will Jack Sock be better
than Ben Johns?
1128
00:45:45,117 --> 00:45:49,246
That's an interesting twist
that hasn't really existed
1129
00:45:49,288 --> 00:45:51,999
with any other sport
in a very meaningful way.
1130
00:45:52,040 --> 00:45:53,125
Michael Jordan
found out he wasn't
1131
00:45:53,167 --> 00:45:55,711
a professional
baseball player, right?
1132
00:45:55,753 --> 00:45:57,463
Even though
if anyone could transfer,
1133
00:45:57,463 --> 00:45:59,006
you, you would have thought
it would have been him.
1134
00:45:59,047 --> 00:46:01,633
I don't know if LeBron's
going to pickleball after this,
1135
00:46:01,675 --> 00:46:03,093
but, you know,
seeing Sam Querrey
1136
00:46:03,135 --> 00:46:04,344
going from
the tennis circuit to this
1137
00:46:04,386 --> 00:46:06,805
is just unbelievable.
1138
00:46:13,479 --> 00:46:14,938
{\an8}finals,.
1139
00:46:16,607 --> 00:46:19,610
{\an8}You look like you're
400 years old with that on.
1140
00:46:19,651 --> 00:46:21,361
In this respect,
I think it's more
1141
00:46:21,403 --> 00:46:23,989
of an extension
of their careers.
1142
00:46:24,990 --> 00:46:26,158
They're getting to the point
1143
00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:28,494
where they're not
gonna train for tennis
1144
00:46:28,535 --> 00:46:29,995
and put their bodies
through everything
1145
00:46:30,037 --> 00:46:31,705
that tennis requires.
1146
00:46:36,502 --> 00:46:38,670
{\an8}-
No.
1147
00:46:52,476 --> 00:46:54,770
At the beginning of the year my ranking was dropping.
1148
00:46:54,812 --> 00:46:57,064
I wasn't enjoying
tennis as much,
1149
00:46:57,105 --> 00:46:58,690
{\an8}and then ultimately, I had a...
1150
00:46:58,732 --> 00:47:00,567
{\an8}I tore the tendon
in my elbow here,
1151
00:47:00,609 --> 00:47:02,694
and I'm honestly happy
that I tore the tendon.
1152
00:47:02,694 --> 00:47:04,905
It kind of helped me
make the decision to retire.
1153
00:47:05,781 --> 00:47:07,741
Oh, any top tennis player that came in
1154
00:47:07,783 --> 00:47:10,035
and thinks they could
just play the next week?
1155
00:47:10,035 --> 00:47:12,079
Singles,
maybe they can come over
1156
00:47:12,120 --> 00:47:14,039
and they can compete
fairly quickly.
1157
00:47:14,081 --> 00:47:15,415
Maybe give 'em
six months or so.
1158
00:47:15,457 --> 00:47:17,000
Game translates
a little bit better.
1159
00:47:17,042 --> 00:47:18,585
Playing doubles pickleball
1160
00:47:18,627 --> 00:47:20,879
is like going from
checkers to chess.
1161
00:47:20,921 --> 00:47:23,090
Nice. Let's go,
let's go right here.
1162
00:47:23,549 --> 00:47:25,801
The part I really
don't like is when they started
1163
00:47:25,843 --> 00:47:28,720
to make it seem like it's
harder or better than tennis.
1164
00:47:28,762 --> 00:47:31,390
I'm like... no.
1165
00:47:31,932 --> 00:47:33,725
I think the best
pickleball player would be someone
1166
00:47:33,767 --> 00:47:35,936
who's like, five feet tall
but extremely long arms.
1167
00:47:35,978 --> 00:47:37,855
The top five male tennis player in the world
1168
00:47:37,896 --> 00:47:39,523
would come over
and lose to Anna Leigh Waters.
1169
00:47:39,565 --> 00:47:41,608
Without a doubt, I'll bet
everything I have on it.
1170
00:47:44,278 --> 00:47:46,572
{\an8}
It's a battle of the sexes.
1171
00:47:46,572 --> 00:47:49,616
{\an8}We've got Anna Leigh Waters
and Jessie Irvine
1172
00:47:49,658 --> 00:47:52,536
{\an8}playing Jack Sock
and John Isner.
1173
00:47:52,911 --> 00:47:56,498
Can the tennis stars show us
what they've learned?
1174
00:47:56,540 --> 00:47:59,251
This is a Bobby Riggs type of situation here.
1175
00:47:59,793 --> 00:48:03,714
And a gorgeous ATP from Jessie Irvine.
1176
00:48:03,755 --> 00:48:05,465
Look how much fun
John Isner is having.
1177
00:48:05,507 --> 00:48:07,342
He's jawing away on Twitter.
1178
00:48:07,384 --> 00:48:08,677
"Yeah, my team's gonna win.
1179
00:48:08,719 --> 00:48:10,637
This is only about
who's gonna get second place."
1180
00:48:11,930 --> 00:48:14,933
Oh, get up, Jack Sock. Oh, no.
1181
00:48:14,933 --> 00:48:16,977
Ooh!
1182
00:48:17,019 --> 00:48:18,770
I think tennis players are realizing
1183
00:48:18,770 --> 00:48:20,439
it's not the step down thing.
1184
00:48:20,480 --> 00:48:22,566
Pickleball is... difficult.
1185
00:48:22,608 --> 00:48:26,612
We are on Tennis Channel and Isner and Sock have love.
1186
00:48:26,612 --> 00:48:29,781
Very hard to control the pace of play.
1187
00:48:31,491 --> 00:48:33,076
So they're all
learning that.
1188
00:48:33,118 --> 00:48:36,455
{\an8}
Oh, and he goes tweener into the net.
1189
00:48:36,914 --> 00:48:38,707
With anything
work hard enough at it,
1190
00:48:38,749 --> 00:48:41,418
you know you can get good,
but they're not the same.
1191
00:48:44,212 --> 00:48:46,715
- Ooh!
- Look at Sock hustle.
1192
00:48:50,594 --> 00:48:52,971
This is a different team here from Isner and Sock.
1193
00:48:53,221 --> 00:48:55,724
These guys are on fire
right now.
1194
00:48:55,766 --> 00:48:58,018
Look at Sock
pull that down the line.
1195
00:48:58,060 --> 00:49:00,771
And Sock is coming
for Anna Leigh Waters.
1196
00:49:00,812 --> 00:49:02,481
I mean,
Jack Sock is really good.
1197
00:49:02,522 --> 00:49:04,650
And if you know Jack,
you've seen him play tennis.
1198
00:49:04,650 --> 00:49:05,984
He was eighth
in the world in singles.
1199
00:49:05,984 --> 00:49:07,986
He's won multiple
Grand Slam titles in doubles
1200
00:49:08,028 --> 00:49:09,988
and that translates
over to pickleball.
1201
00:49:10,989 --> 00:49:13,992
ATP from Jack Sock!
1202
00:49:13,992 --> 00:49:16,870
{\an8}Who saw a third game
in this coming?
1203
00:49:16,912 --> 00:49:18,497
{\an8}Not one soul.
1204
00:49:19,665 --> 00:49:22,668
And Jack Sock
speeds it up down the middle.
1205
00:49:22,668 --> 00:49:25,337
But look at her
blast the big man.
1206
00:49:25,379 --> 00:49:26,964
I think all the other pickle players there
1207
00:49:27,005 --> 00:49:29,424
wanted the girls
to beat them to prove, like,
1208
00:49:29,466 --> 00:49:30,842
hey, there's a big difference
1209
00:49:30,884 --> 00:49:32,386
between, like,
the top pickle players
1210
00:49:32,427 --> 00:49:33,512
and these tennis players
that came in.
1211
00:49:33,929 --> 00:49:35,681
Drama building here.
1212
00:49:35,681 --> 00:49:37,349
It's seven-eight.
1213
00:49:37,391 --> 00:49:40,769
And those hands of Sock.
1214
00:49:40,811 --> 00:49:42,396
Pressure was
on the girls to win that.
1215
00:49:42,437 --> 00:49:44,439
As a tennis player,
I absolutely loved it.
1216
00:49:45,565 --> 00:49:48,694
And they have done it!
1217
00:49:48,694 --> 00:49:53,949
{\an8}Sock, Isner
lose game one 11-0
1218
00:49:53,991 --> 00:49:57,911
{\an8}and come roaring back
to win 11-9.
1219
00:49:57,953 --> 00:50:00,288
The tennis world
is probably crowing right now
1220
00:50:00,330 --> 00:50:01,873
because John Isner
and Jack Sock
1221
00:50:01,915 --> 00:50:04,543
beat Jessie Irvine
and Anna Leigh Waters,
1222
00:50:04,543 --> 00:50:06,837
which I didn't see coming,
nobody saw coming.
1223
00:50:07,796 --> 00:50:10,549
It's not about, like,
this is going to be a sport
1224
00:50:10,590 --> 00:50:13,510
where it's gonna
bypass tennis,
1225
00:50:13,552 --> 00:50:14,970
and, um, it's gonna become
1226
00:50:15,012 --> 00:50:16,722
one of the biggest sports
in the world or something.
1227
00:50:16,763 --> 00:50:19,891
I would find
that laughable, honestly.
1228
00:50:21,393 --> 00:50:23,979
As more and more money pours into the sport,
1229
00:50:24,021 --> 00:50:26,273
seems to be gaining
a lot of attention from people,
1230
00:50:26,565 --> 00:50:30,235
the MLP draft
basically had a few surprises.
1231
00:50:30,277 --> 00:50:32,863
Hardly any of the celebrity
ownership showed up.
1232
00:50:32,904 --> 00:50:35,073
Tyson really wasn't
drafted all that high.
1233
00:50:35,073 --> 00:50:38,535
And, Parris,
well, she opted out completely
1234
00:50:38,577 --> 00:50:40,746
and basically nobody
watched on television.
1235
00:50:40,746 --> 00:50:44,041
So the future of
professional pickleball
1236
00:50:44,082 --> 00:50:45,542
hangs in the balance.
1237
00:50:50,881 --> 00:50:51,965
I mean, pickleball is fun.
1238
00:50:52,007 --> 00:50:53,633
We got into it
because it was fun.
1239
00:50:53,675 --> 00:50:54,718
{\an8}You have a blast,
1240
00:50:54,718 --> 00:50:56,178
{\an8}and, yes, it's competitive,
1241
00:50:56,219 --> 00:51:01,725
{\an8}but I think people now
are seeing it as a job.
1242
00:51:02,017 --> 00:51:03,185
Who's that?
1243
00:51:03,769 --> 00:51:06,104
Pro pickleball
has definitely changed in the last five years,
1244
00:51:06,146 --> 00:51:08,732
and I think it's gonna
continue to change.
1245
00:51:08,774 --> 00:51:10,901
How's the event going?
1246
00:51:10,942 --> 00:51:12,736
{\an8}Yeah? How many people
do we have here?
1247
00:51:13,528 --> 00:51:14,780
{\an8}Will you say hello
to my husband?
1248
00:51:14,821 --> 00:51:16,073
Just say hello, Joe.
1249
00:51:16,114 --> 00:51:17,407
- It's the wrong way around.
- Yeah, you're right.
1250
00:51:17,741 --> 00:51:20,035
Hi, Joe. I heard you're
leaving your wife for me.
1251
00:51:20,911 --> 00:51:22,496
No, he's not.
1252
00:51:23,580 --> 00:51:25,290
- That was cute.
- Of course.
1253
00:51:25,332 --> 00:51:26,833
You know,
I'm always thinking of,
1254
00:51:26,875 --> 00:51:28,418
for me, life after pickleball.
1255
00:51:28,418 --> 00:51:30,754
I'm not stupid enough
to know that my shelf life
1256
00:51:30,754 --> 00:51:32,089
is gonna last forever.
1257
00:51:33,507 --> 00:51:34,591
Hey, how are ya?
1258
00:51:34,633 --> 00:51:36,593
We've seen the evolution
of pro sports before.
1259
00:51:36,593 --> 00:51:38,386
We know that path
that it's gonna take.
1260
00:51:38,428 --> 00:51:39,846
It can either be
smooth or bumpy,
1261
00:51:39,888 --> 00:51:42,390
depending on, on the entities
that are in the pro space
1262
00:51:42,432 --> 00:51:44,893
and how they decide to play nice
in the sandbox or not.
1263
00:51:45,602 --> 00:51:48,396
I hope none of that gets into
the amateur recreational space
1264
00:51:48,438 --> 00:51:50,023
because it is
a phenomenal space,
1265
00:51:50,065 --> 00:51:52,109
and if that keeps going,
1266
00:51:52,109 --> 00:51:53,819
then pickleball will survive.
1267
00:51:58,115 --> 00:51:59,449
- Thank you.
- Great to have you guys here.
1268
00:51:59,491 --> 00:52:02,369
Thanks for coming.
What do you think? Maybe?
1269
00:52:02,410 --> 00:52:04,454
- Thank you.
- Good luck, folks.
1270
00:52:04,496 --> 00:52:06,123
The APP tour was a vision
1271
00:52:06,123 --> 00:52:10,127
that I came up with
back in spring of 2019.
1272
00:52:11,753 --> 00:52:14,464
My whole goal was to provide
a great experience
1273
00:52:14,506 --> 00:52:16,299
{\an8}that all players
can benefit from,
1274
00:52:16,299 --> 00:52:18,176
{\an8}regardless of
what their playing ability is.
1275
00:52:18,218 --> 00:52:20,637
Your check for super senior
is up with Dana,
1276
00:52:20,637 --> 00:52:23,181
up at the information desk.
I already wrote it yesterday.
1277
00:52:23,223 --> 00:52:25,350
If people wanna label us
as a minor league tour,
1278
00:52:25,392 --> 00:52:27,144
I suggest they come out there
1279
00:52:27,144 --> 00:52:28,311
and put their paddle in a hand
1280
00:52:28,311 --> 00:52:29,604
and go out there and see
1281
00:52:29,646 --> 00:52:31,398
if they can win
an APP Tour stop.
1282
00:52:31,439 --> 00:52:33,316
Let's go.
Come on, Parris.
1283
00:52:35,485 --> 00:52:38,405
I think right now the sport is in the unique phase
1284
00:52:38,446 --> 00:52:41,783
where the pros and the amateurs
are still at the same venue.
1285
00:52:42,325 --> 00:52:43,952
There it is, right there.
Come on.
1286
00:52:43,994 --> 00:52:45,120
Nice, Parris.
1287
00:52:45,162 --> 00:52:46,329
It's just so unique
1288
00:52:46,371 --> 00:52:47,831
that you
can run into a Parris Todd
1289
00:52:47,831 --> 00:52:50,167
at the lunch truck
while you're an amateur player
1290
00:52:50,167 --> 00:52:52,002
and get a chance
to meet with them.
1291
00:52:52,002 --> 00:52:53,628
William. Whoo!
1292
00:52:53,670 --> 00:52:55,630
The sport
is still in a phase
1293
00:52:55,672 --> 00:52:58,216
where the pros
are still very approachable.
1294
00:53:01,011 --> 00:53:02,179
Let's go!
1295
00:53:02,179 --> 00:53:04,431
Good game, guys. Come on.
1296
00:53:07,976 --> 00:53:09,644
It's good, good to be tested.
1297
00:53:17,110 --> 00:53:21,031
Why did Parris not sign the PPA MLP contract?
1298
00:53:21,031 --> 00:53:23,241
- Here we go.
- It's a good question.
1299
00:53:25,619 --> 00:53:26,661
Come on!
1300
00:53:30,373 --> 00:53:32,334
There's a lot
of misconceptions about Parris
1301
00:53:32,375 --> 00:53:33,543
and the road she's taking.
1302
00:53:33,543 --> 00:53:36,213
And you read
the social media feeds like,
1303
00:53:36,254 --> 00:53:38,173
"Oh, she overvalued herself
1304
00:53:38,215 --> 00:53:39,716
and she doesn't know
what she's doing."
1305
00:53:39,758 --> 00:53:41,801
What's, what's wrong
with being very valuable?
1306
00:53:41,843 --> 00:53:44,846
It's like, that's what
we raised you to be, valuable.
1307
00:53:46,806 --> 00:53:48,391
A lot of people said
she asked for too much money.
1308
00:53:48,391 --> 00:53:50,977
It was never about
money from the leagues.
1309
00:53:51,311 --> 00:53:53,730
The leagues offered her
a lot of money.
1310
00:53:53,772 --> 00:53:56,399
It was about the obligations
and the restrictions.
1311
00:53:56,399 --> 00:54:00,278
I mean, she's literally
hitting it so freakin' hard.
1312
00:54:00,320 --> 00:54:02,322
Main restriction was
1313
00:54:02,364 --> 00:54:05,408
that you could only play
PPA tournaments.
1314
00:54:05,408 --> 00:54:07,077
If you're only playing
on one league,
1315
00:54:07,118 --> 00:54:09,537
then you limit your
eyeballs that you're gonna be able to have.
1316
00:54:09,579 --> 00:54:11,581
So why don't you just go back
and renegotiate the deals?
1317
00:54:11,623 --> 00:54:14,084
You don't like
the restrictions, negotiate it.
1318
00:54:14,084 --> 00:54:15,835
There was a time period
put on that.
1319
00:54:15,877 --> 00:54:20,257
It's unfortunate the way
that it all got set up with the merger,
1320
00:54:20,298 --> 00:54:22,133
that PPA also controlled MLP.
1321
00:54:22,175 --> 00:54:24,010
So she basically
got shut out of the MLP
1322
00:54:24,052 --> 00:54:25,220
because she wouldn't do that.
1323
00:54:25,262 --> 00:54:26,638
And that was part
of the power play I think.
1324
00:54:29,641 --> 00:54:30,684
Yes!
1325
00:54:32,602 --> 00:54:34,354
You gotta have
an entrepreneurial mindset
1326
00:54:34,396 --> 00:54:36,606
where it's like, I'm not just
gonna take a paycheck.
1327
00:54:36,648 --> 00:54:38,400
I'm gonna go make
my own paycheck,
1328
00:54:38,441 --> 00:54:40,902
and I'm gonna make paychecks
for other people as well too.
1329
00:54:40,944 --> 00:54:42,570
- You know, roll the dice.
- That's exactly what we did.
1330
00:54:42,612 --> 00:54:45,407
Congratulations
punching your ticket
1331
00:54:45,448 --> 00:54:47,367
to Championship Sunday, so...
1332
00:54:47,409 --> 00:54:48,785
That's our encouragement
for her.
1333
00:54:48,785 --> 00:54:51,913
Go be you
and go fly like the eagle.
1334
00:54:51,955 --> 00:54:53,623
Don't be a chicken on the farm.
1335
00:54:55,959 --> 00:54:58,128
It's hard to believe
that nearly two years ago,
1336
00:54:58,169 --> 00:54:59,587
we had the first MLP event.
1337
00:54:59,629 --> 00:55:01,798
It was pretty amateur,
like, you know,
1338
00:55:01,798 --> 00:55:03,800
Steve was worried about
his league even staying around
1339
00:55:03,842 --> 00:55:08,471
'cause Tom was really
controlling all the top players.
1340
00:55:08,513 --> 00:55:10,598
And, you know,
look where we are now.
1341
00:55:10,890 --> 00:55:12,767
Both leagues are thriving.
1342
00:55:12,809 --> 00:55:14,811
And this, you know,
supposed merger,
1343
00:55:14,811 --> 00:55:16,438
things are looking
pretty optimistic
1344
00:55:16,479 --> 00:55:18,440
for professional pickleball.
1345
00:55:19,858 --> 00:55:21,860
{\an8}♪♪
1346
00:55:29,743 --> 00:55:32,495
I think the relationship
between PPA and MLP
1347
00:55:32,495 --> 00:55:34,831
is actually going better
than people might have thought,
1348
00:55:34,831 --> 00:55:36,833
including probably myself,
to be honest.
1349
00:55:37,334 --> 00:55:38,960
Let's go, Pioneers.
1350
00:55:39,836 --> 00:55:42,505
And I think that could have massive impacts
1351
00:55:42,505 --> 00:55:44,799
on making
the sport more popular.
1352
00:55:50,680 --> 00:55:51,931
I think there are about
1353
00:55:51,973 --> 00:55:53,391
three to five brand names
in the sport
1354
00:55:53,433 --> 00:55:55,226
who really matter
and lend credibility
1355
00:55:55,268 --> 00:55:58,188
to any of the events
that they're playing.
1356
00:55:58,188 --> 00:55:59,522
Yeah!
1357
00:55:59,564 --> 00:56:01,274
I think you have Ben Johns,
1358
00:56:01,316 --> 00:56:03,360
you have Anna Leigh,
you have Tyson,
1359
00:56:03,401 --> 00:56:07,030
and then you could argue
a couple of more,
1360
00:56:07,072 --> 00:56:08,323
but I don't think
that any of them
1361
00:56:08,365 --> 00:56:11,534
are on the level of those three.
1362
00:56:11,576 --> 00:56:15,372
Stars in the world today dictate what happens.
1363
00:56:15,372 --> 00:56:17,707
So the question is
Anna Leigh, Ben Johns,
1364
00:56:17,707 --> 00:56:19,834
do they become bigger
than the game?
1365
00:56:19,876 --> 00:56:21,336
Um, we'll find out.
1366
00:56:22,420 --> 00:56:24,005
Yeah!
1367
00:56:25,673 --> 00:56:27,133
Who wins and loses in this situation,
1368
00:56:27,175 --> 00:56:29,427
like, I think the players
were waiting for a long time
1369
00:56:29,469 --> 00:56:32,263
'cause we had the APP,
we had MLP, and PPA,
1370
00:56:32,305 --> 00:56:33,431
and Steve and Tom were just
1371
00:56:33,473 --> 00:56:35,183
in direct competition
with each other.
1372
00:56:35,225 --> 00:56:36,643
So you could go here
and get this offer
1373
00:56:36,684 --> 00:56:38,853
and you could go here,
and then you could go here.
1374
00:56:38,895 --> 00:56:40,605
Now that they've merged,
1375
00:56:40,647 --> 00:56:43,775
we've kind of lost
all of our powers.
1376
00:56:45,568 --> 00:56:49,239
Once the players are bought up,
there's no bidding war anymore.
1377
00:56:49,864 --> 00:56:52,700
Steve Kuhn makes me feel
a little bit better about it.
1378
00:56:53,576 --> 00:56:55,036
Come on!
1379
00:56:55,078 --> 00:56:57,747
Because I really
do feel like he truly loves it.
1380
00:56:57,747 --> 00:57:00,583
And he will stick
through it thick and thin.
1381
00:57:00,583 --> 00:57:04,003
But we need to form
some kinda coalition
1382
00:57:04,045 --> 00:57:05,296
or something like that.
1383
00:57:05,338 --> 00:57:07,173
We have to have
some standards.
1384
00:57:07,215 --> 00:57:09,134
Alright, guys,
I like pickleball,
1385
00:57:09,175 --> 00:57:10,427
like, as much
as the next person.
1386
00:57:10,468 --> 00:57:12,262
I'm loving it.
I love playing these tournaments.
1387
00:57:12,303 --> 00:57:14,764
The only problem is they have
no locker rooms at these events.
1388
00:57:14,806 --> 00:57:16,516
So I just pulled into
a truck stop
1389
00:57:16,558 --> 00:57:18,226
that has, like,
showers and stuff.
1390
00:57:18,268 --> 00:57:20,186
I sacrificed the Filas.
1391
00:57:20,228 --> 00:57:21,354
There was zero shot
I was touching
1392
00:57:21,396 --> 00:57:22,689
the floor in this place.
1393
00:57:22,730 --> 00:57:26,484
Alright.
First-ever truck stop shower complete.
1394
00:57:26,526 --> 00:57:29,446
Uh, and I got out alive,
most importantly.
1395
00:57:29,779 --> 00:57:31,698
There's no parking for the pro players.
1396
00:57:31,739 --> 00:57:34,284
Whereas PPA, MLP,
there's always... - Yeah.
1397
00:57:34,325 --> 00:57:36,119
We've been walking
an average of
1398
00:57:36,119 --> 00:57:37,704
probably a mile
and a half a day
1399
00:57:37,745 --> 00:57:40,039
just because we've had
to park up the hill.
1400
00:57:41,082 --> 00:57:42,917
We're all kinda getting hosed to a certain degree.
1401
00:57:42,959 --> 00:57:44,502
And now we're all
under contract,
1402
00:57:44,544 --> 00:57:47,130
and we may be getting used
and abused a little bit
1403
00:57:47,172 --> 00:57:48,214
and it shouldn't
be taking place.
1404
00:57:48,256 --> 00:57:49,966
So something needs to be done.
1405
00:57:50,967 --> 00:57:52,927
You know,
there's a lot of things that you could change.
1406
00:57:52,927 --> 00:57:54,345
You're talking about
having 401s,
1407
00:57:54,387 --> 00:57:55,889
but there's no ice
at tournaments.
1408
00:57:55,930 --> 00:57:57,098
I mean, come on,
like, let's,
1409
00:57:57,098 --> 00:57:58,433
you know,
let's start with the basics.
1410
00:57:58,433 --> 00:57:59,476
Let's go!
1411
00:58:03,021 --> 00:58:06,441
Now they're only down five, anything is possible.
1412
00:58:06,441 --> 00:58:07,942
Since this last MLP, you had players
1413
00:58:07,984 --> 00:58:09,402
who had
their airfare covered,
1414
00:58:09,444 --> 00:58:11,237
their housing, whether it was
hotel or a house,
1415
00:58:11,279 --> 00:58:13,531
their rental car,
their food costs covered.
1416
00:58:14,032 --> 00:58:16,117
And there were players
that had to pay their way.
1417
00:58:16,159 --> 00:58:18,912
So, unfortunately,
sometimes players are losing money.
1418
00:58:19,245 --> 00:58:20,788
From a pro pickleball
standpoint,
1419
00:58:20,788 --> 00:58:21,956
I think that needs to change.
1420
00:58:21,956 --> 00:58:23,958
Championship point.
1421
00:58:29,797 --> 00:58:31,382
- Yeah!
- Seattle Pioneers
1422
00:58:31,424 --> 00:58:34,594
will take their second
straight championship
1423
00:58:34,636 --> 00:58:39,390
in the first ever
MLP Championship Dreambreaker.
1424
00:58:44,312 --> 00:58:46,898
♪ I was scared of snakes ♪
1425
00:58:46,940 --> 00:58:51,152
♪ I was getting nervous ♪
1426
00:58:51,152 --> 00:58:57,408
♪ But I learned they had
a vital role to play ♪
1427
00:58:58,284 --> 00:59:03,164
♪ A little understanding
goes a long way ♪
1428
00:59:08,670 --> 00:59:09,963
Breaking news.
1429
00:59:10,880 --> 00:59:12,674
The merger is off.
1430
00:59:12,674 --> 00:59:15,093
It's bloodbath in pickle land.
1431
00:59:15,510 --> 00:59:17,679
{\an8}Connor has said that he knew
something was up
1432
00:59:17,720 --> 00:59:20,181
{\an8}because everything was great,
on the up and up,
1433
00:59:20,223 --> 00:59:22,725
{\an8}and then all of a sudden
he gets...
1434
00:59:23,351 --> 00:59:25,687
{\an8}Like, he's not hearing
from them anymore.
1435
00:59:25,728 --> 00:59:29,440
Thursday,
it breaks that MLP
1436
00:59:29,482 --> 00:59:31,776
is going to go off
on their own,
1437
00:59:31,818 --> 00:59:33,903
and they're no longer gonna
do the deal with the PPA.
1438
00:59:34,237 --> 00:59:36,322
And they're signing top players.
1439
00:59:36,364 --> 00:59:38,032
And, yep,
and all of a sudden...
1440
00:59:38,074 --> 00:59:40,410
Yeah, they're essentially, they're signing top players.
1441
00:59:42,203 --> 00:59:44,038
{\an8}It's PPA versus MLP.
1442
00:59:44,080 --> 00:59:46,291
{\an8}It's become this crazy divide.
1443
00:59:46,332 --> 00:59:49,002
It was an arms race,
but here's what's wild.
1444
00:59:49,043 --> 00:59:52,714
The owners of MLP
did not know about this.
1445
00:59:52,714 --> 00:59:54,674
They had no clue
that Steve Kuhn had done this.
1446
00:59:58,303 --> 01:00:00,471
We're talking to players,
they want confidentiality.
1447
01:00:00,513 --> 01:00:02,890
We're talking to agents,
they want confidentiality.
1448
01:00:02,890 --> 01:00:04,309
{\an8}We're trying to be
effective in signing
1449
01:00:04,350 --> 01:00:05,727
{\an8}as many players as we can.
1450
01:00:05,727 --> 01:00:08,021
{\an8}We are, we are walking down
a high-wire and--
1451
01:00:08,062 --> 01:00:10,064
We're actually,
we're sprinting on a high-wire.
1452
01:00:22,827 --> 01:00:24,746
{\an8}
1453
01:00:34,922 --> 01:00:37,425
We were told specifically
and directly
1454
01:00:37,425 --> 01:00:40,386
that they had no interest
in ever, you know,
1455
01:00:40,428 --> 01:00:42,597
reaching anywhere
near the amount
1456
01:00:42,597 --> 01:00:44,641
that we paid our players.
1457
01:00:53,483 --> 01:00:54,484
{\an8}Yes.
1458
01:00:56,194 --> 01:00:58,196
{\an8}
1459
01:00:58,237 --> 01:01:01,658
It was a non-binding
memorandum of understanding,
1460
01:01:01,699 --> 01:01:03,284
a non-binding MoU.
1461
01:01:03,618 --> 01:01:07,205
And we didn't succeed
in closing that deal
1462
01:01:07,246 --> 01:01:09,040
right after it was written.
1463
01:01:09,082 --> 01:01:11,459
In that time,
the world changes.
1464
01:01:14,837 --> 01:01:16,130
{\an8}Yeah?
1465
01:01:18,299 --> 01:01:20,885
Is that removing Tom
or is that removing Connor?
1466
01:01:21,594 --> 01:01:24,305
I think Tom's problem is
there's probably something
1467
01:01:24,347 --> 01:01:28,059
in the PPA purchase that
requires him to keep Connor,
1468
01:01:28,101 --> 01:01:29,519
at least for a certain
period of time.
1469
01:01:44,534 --> 01:01:46,327
{\an8}
1470
01:01:50,832 --> 01:01:54,168
Steve has talked to his father multiple times
1471
01:01:54,210 --> 01:01:55,503
over the last few days.
1472
01:01:55,545 --> 01:01:57,255
He hasn't asked
for a specific offer.
1473
01:01:57,296 --> 01:01:58,673
He hasn't asked for a specific offer.
1474
01:01:58,673 --> 01:02:00,258
We don't wanna, like,
throw out a number
1475
01:02:00,299 --> 01:02:03,845
that they're just gonna, like,
take back, shop, counter.
1476
01:02:05,388 --> 01:02:07,682
{\an8}Riley would be like
a diamond, man.
1477
01:02:08,516 --> 01:02:10,476
- Yeah.
- You know he brings Ben.
1478
01:02:10,518 --> 01:02:12,687
Ben should be with us anyway.
1479
01:02:12,687 --> 01:02:14,981
This will be a career.
He'll be a CEO someday.
1480
01:02:15,022 --> 01:02:16,357
{\an8}
1481
01:02:16,399 --> 01:02:18,192
He should be a part of what you are doing.
1482
01:02:18,192 --> 01:02:19,402
{\an8}He should be part of that.
1483
01:02:20,862 --> 01:02:22,363
We got some more work to do here.
1484
01:02:22,363 --> 01:02:24,532
Uh, many of the players
have signed with us.
1485
01:02:25,032 --> 01:02:26,367
We'd like to sign all of 'em.
1486
01:02:26,367 --> 01:02:28,369
We've got a lot of yeses.
1487
01:02:28,411 --> 01:02:31,998
We've had a lot of,
you know, very close so far,
1488
01:02:32,039 --> 01:02:33,624
not signed, but very close.
1489
01:02:33,666 --> 01:02:36,377
We have zero, uh, people
who've said no.
1490
01:02:36,377 --> 01:02:40,047
{\an8}Major League Pickleball
threw a huge offer Ben's way.
1491
01:02:40,089 --> 01:02:44,177
{\an8}Uh, but with the expectation
that he likely would not take it.
1492
01:02:44,802 --> 01:02:47,221
{\an8}
1493
01:03:00,985 --> 01:03:02,320
But what are they asking?
1494
01:03:02,361 --> 01:03:04,363
Like, we'll fix it,
so she's always number one?
1495
01:03:04,405 --> 01:03:06,574
- We can't do that.
- No, no, no, no. No, no, no, no.
1496
01:03:06,616 --> 01:03:08,743
Some sort of point system
or some sort of...
1497
01:03:09,619 --> 01:03:10,745
{\an8}Right.
1498
01:03:22,924 --> 01:03:25,593
We've got a couple of options on the table, guys, okay?
1499
01:03:25,927 --> 01:03:27,428
One would be, you know,
1500
01:03:27,428 --> 01:03:30,932
taking partial ownership
of an existing team.
1501
01:03:30,973 --> 01:03:33,434
Like, for example,
she could take,
1502
01:03:33,434 --> 01:03:35,770
you know, I'm gonna
regret saying this.
1503
01:03:35,770 --> 01:03:38,105
She could take my stake
in the Florida Smash.
1504
01:03:38,105 --> 01:03:39,816
She gets a third of a team,
1505
01:03:40,358 --> 01:03:42,610
mark-to-market
$3.5 million right now.
1506
01:03:42,610 --> 01:03:44,445
If we use
a bazooka right now,
1507
01:03:44,445 --> 01:03:47,156
we might be able to
get her and win this thing,
1508
01:03:47,198 --> 01:03:48,783
and it would actually
may be symbolic
1509
01:03:48,783 --> 01:03:51,536
coming from the CEO
to give up his stake.
1510
01:03:54,455 --> 01:03:57,291
I mean, again,
that's a $10 million gift then.
1511
01:03:57,291 --> 01:03:59,585
That's, that's a lot.
That's two bazookas.
1512
01:03:59,627 --> 01:04:01,504
I know
MLP gave Anna Leigh,
1513
01:04:01,546 --> 01:04:03,798
{\an8}literally, we'll call it
an FU deal.
1514
01:04:04,465 --> 01:04:07,927
Like, here, let's throw
just absolute crazy money
1515
01:04:07,969 --> 01:04:09,428
and see if she bites.
1516
01:04:09,470 --> 01:04:12,139
These are real pro athlete numbers now.
1517
01:04:12,348 --> 01:04:15,476
Yeah, Anna Leigh
and Parris Todd and Lea Jansen,
1518
01:04:15,518 --> 01:04:17,436
that's, that's, that's
a knockout.
1519
01:04:17,478 --> 01:04:19,230
It's just, it's just
Catherine on her own
1520
01:04:19,272 --> 01:04:20,690
hitting the ball
against the wall.
1521
01:04:21,566 --> 01:04:23,442
We got Parris Todd,
I don't know if you know that.
1522
01:04:23,484 --> 01:04:24,652
Sure.
1523
01:04:26,279 --> 01:04:28,155
Yeah. More,
more than average.
1524
01:04:28,155 --> 01:04:31,742
{\an8}While we were on here,
I just got a notification that Parris signed MLP.
1525
01:04:31,784 --> 01:04:32,743
{\an8}That's big.
1526
01:04:32,785 --> 01:04:34,871
If Parris signed,
I think we'd expect
1527
01:04:34,912 --> 01:04:36,414
Hunter and Yates to follow.
1528
01:04:36,455 --> 01:04:37,832
And probably Simone.
1529
01:04:51,095 --> 01:04:52,889
Let's go. Yes.
1530
01:04:53,180 --> 01:04:54,974
{\an8}Tyson McGuffin's deal
was two years.
1531
01:04:55,016 --> 01:04:57,852
{\an8}What do you guys think
he was getting for two years?
1532
01:04:58,227 --> 01:04:59,687
It was one million
for two years.
1533
01:04:59,729 --> 01:05:02,189
I just don't know
if it was a mil a year
1534
01:05:02,231 --> 01:05:04,775
or if it was a mil
over two years.
1535
01:05:08,529 --> 01:05:10,990
I mean, this has been
36 hours straight,
1536
01:05:11,032 --> 01:05:12,158
pretty much like this.
1537
01:05:12,199 --> 01:05:13,784
But, uh,
we're coming at this
1538
01:05:13,826 --> 01:05:15,745
from the perspectives
of the athletes first.
1539
01:05:15,786 --> 01:05:18,039
And, you know,
are we gonna get ripped
1540
01:05:18,080 --> 01:05:20,207
by some of our
owners and investors
1541
01:05:20,249 --> 01:05:21,375
for having, you know,
1542
01:05:21,375 --> 01:05:23,169
gone too far
in some of these contracts?
1543
01:05:23,210 --> 01:05:24,420
Yeah, that's the next fight.
1544
01:05:24,462 --> 01:05:25,880
That's the next fight.
That's coming.
1545
01:05:27,048 --> 01:05:29,675
{\an8}
1546
01:05:39,226 --> 01:05:41,771
Right now, I'm just
feeling exhaustion, to be honest.
1547
01:05:41,812 --> 01:05:45,608
But I think I've run out
of emotions for the day.
1548
01:05:45,650 --> 01:05:47,902
I had a lot yesterday
and a lot earlier today,
1549
01:05:47,944 --> 01:05:49,904
but right now
I'm just kind of at peace.
1550
01:05:49,946 --> 01:05:52,990
I think we're...
Yeah, I know what we're trying to do
1551
01:05:53,032 --> 01:05:55,201
and what, what we're
hoping to accomplish,
1552
01:05:55,242 --> 01:05:57,244
and I know how great
it's gonna be.
1553
01:05:57,244 --> 01:05:59,121
I hope you know,
Ben and Anna Leigh
1554
01:05:59,163 --> 01:06:01,415
will, will join us
on this journey.
1555
01:06:01,457 --> 01:06:04,418
Uh, our goal
would be, you know, working with them
1556
01:06:04,418 --> 01:06:06,754
and all the other
great players on MLP
1557
01:06:06,754 --> 01:06:10,549
to show more people
how amazing this sport is.
1558
01:06:10,925 --> 01:06:15,096
I feel like just
in the last 48 hours
1559
01:06:15,137 --> 01:06:17,390
of, of these negotiations,
1560
01:06:17,723 --> 01:06:20,601
I mean, I feel like
we literally just witnessed
1561
01:06:20,601 --> 01:06:23,270
the professionalization
of this sport.
1562
01:06:23,270 --> 01:06:24,939
You know me,
I'm at, I'm at every event
1563
01:06:24,981 --> 01:06:25,815
watching every point.
1564
01:06:25,856 --> 01:06:27,108
By the way,
I'm watching the,
1565
01:06:27,149 --> 01:06:28,442
I'm watching
the PPA right now.
1566
01:06:28,442 --> 01:06:30,236
Like, this is what I do.
1567
01:06:30,277 --> 01:06:32,571
We hear that
there's a lot of burnout.
1568
01:06:32,613 --> 01:06:34,740
I mean, this, this tour
has been a grind for them.
1569
01:06:34,782 --> 01:06:36,325
You know,
they have a great run.
1570
01:06:36,367 --> 01:06:38,285
They're on the court
for 12 hours
1571
01:06:38,285 --> 01:06:40,079
for three days in a row,
1572
01:06:40,121 --> 01:06:42,707
and even if
they win everything, win the championship,
1573
01:06:42,748 --> 01:06:45,418
they're on a plane
four days later.
1574
01:06:45,459 --> 01:06:49,797
Uh, it's a grind and,
and it's burning 'em out.
1575
01:06:49,839 --> 01:06:52,174
It's burning out their bodies.
It's burning 'em out.
1576
01:06:52,216 --> 01:06:55,428
I mean, it's burning out
fans interest, to be honest.
1577
01:06:55,761 --> 01:06:57,763
It just feels like
the right thing to do for the sport.
1578
01:06:58,305 --> 01:07:00,599
Last time
I asked you this question you wouldn't answer it.
1579
01:07:00,641 --> 01:07:02,351
So we're gonna try again.
1580
01:07:02,393 --> 01:07:04,520
Tell me about your relationship
with Tom Dundon.
1581
01:07:06,355 --> 01:07:10,317
I don't have much of
a relationship with Tom Dundon, to be honest.
1582
01:07:10,317 --> 01:07:12,403
I've only met him...
1583
01:07:12,445 --> 01:07:14,613
I only met him in person, I...
1584
01:07:14,989 --> 01:07:16,782
I wanna say once. Right?
1585
01:07:16,824 --> 01:07:18,659
I've never
spoken to him in my life.
1586
01:07:18,659 --> 01:07:20,161
Not even on an email.
1587
01:07:22,413 --> 01:07:23,873
I think I met him
in person once.
1588
01:07:24,999 --> 01:07:27,668
So not much of a relationship,
to be honest.
1589
01:07:29,170 --> 01:07:31,839
And, uh, what about Connor Pardoe?
1590
01:07:34,675 --> 01:07:37,511
Funny,
fun, fun questions.
1591
01:07:38,596 --> 01:07:40,973
- Yeah...
- Don't say anything.
1592
01:07:41,015 --> 01:07:42,141
Yeah.
1593
01:07:44,185 --> 01:07:45,686
{\an8}
1594
01:07:49,273 --> 01:07:50,900
Uh... Wow.
1595
01:07:52,151 --> 01:07:55,071
Uh, it's the story of...
1596
01:07:56,697 --> 01:07:58,449
people absolutely
falling in love
1597
01:07:58,491 --> 01:08:01,702
with something that they
never thought they would, for most of 'em.
1598
01:08:01,744 --> 01:08:04,497
I mean, you never thought you'd
fall in love with pickleball.
1599
01:08:04,538 --> 01:08:05,706
Yeah,
but that's not the story.
1600
01:08:05,748 --> 01:08:07,124
The story is...
1601
01:08:07,166 --> 01:08:10,878
No, the story is about
a guy with a dream.
1602
01:08:11,837 --> 01:08:14,381
And he's,
and he's manifested it...
1603
01:08:14,423 --> 01:08:16,050
- Well, that's nice.
- ...just through
1604
01:08:16,092 --> 01:08:19,095
10,000 hours
of finding something he loved.
1605
01:08:19,553 --> 01:08:22,848
This is, you know,
his, his, his second mountain that he found.
1606
01:08:23,224 --> 01:08:27,061
And he's, uh, you know,
he found a sport that he loved
1607
01:08:27,103 --> 01:08:29,730
and changed it
into something even better
1608
01:08:30,439 --> 01:08:33,400
and, you know, made it,
made it what it is now,
1609
01:08:33,400 --> 01:08:35,027
and it's, it's, it's amazing.
1610
01:08:35,069 --> 01:08:38,572
It's, it's almost killed him
several times in the process.
1611
01:08:39,031 --> 01:08:40,741
You're laughing,
but you know I'm right.
1612
01:08:40,741 --> 01:08:43,702
That's, that's
almost not a joke. - It's not a joke.
1613
01:08:43,744 --> 01:08:46,580
It's almost killed you
several times in the process.
1614
01:08:46,622 --> 01:08:47,915
- But...
- Yeah.
1615
01:08:47,915 --> 01:08:50,209
You know,
you're doing it for the love
1616
01:08:50,251 --> 01:08:52,002
and now you're doing it for,
1617
01:08:52,044 --> 01:08:54,171
to make it better
for the players and...
1618
01:08:54,713 --> 01:08:56,632
- and you're almost there.
- Yeah.
1619
01:09:11,814 --> 01:09:13,941
{\an8}I can't imagine these players
ever anticipated
1620
01:09:13,983 --> 01:09:15,651
{\an8}making this type of money.
1621
01:09:15,651 --> 01:09:16,986
{\an8}All the players I talked to,
1622
01:09:16,986 --> 01:09:19,822
{\an8}they assumed that pickleball
would get to this level,
1623
01:09:19,864 --> 01:09:21,407
{\an8}but it was the next generation
1624
01:09:21,448 --> 01:09:23,200
{\an8}that was gonna
reap the reward.
1625
01:09:32,585 --> 01:09:36,547
{\an8}So, Anna Leigh, three mil for,
for three years, she was given.
1626
01:09:36,839 --> 01:09:39,717
{\an8}She asked for 48 hours
to decide.
1627
01:09:39,758 --> 01:09:42,178
{\an8}She ends up going with the PPA.
1628
01:09:42,178 --> 01:09:44,305
{\an8}Tyler said that Ben signed
a three-year deal,
1629
01:09:44,346 --> 01:09:47,183
{\an8}but PPA's announcement
was only a one-year deal.
1630
01:09:47,224 --> 01:09:48,767
{\an8}Yeah, right.
1631
01:09:49,602 --> 01:09:50,686
{\an8}So I think
that's interesting too,
1632
01:09:50,686 --> 01:09:52,813
{\an8}'cause if it is
only a one-year deal...
1633
01:09:54,148 --> 01:09:56,192
{\an8}you know, Ben's a free agent
after next year.
1634
01:10:03,741 --> 01:10:08,037
{\an8}What is the likelihood
that these two entities
1635
01:10:08,037 --> 01:10:10,831
{\an8}smooth it over
once again at some point?
1636
01:10:10,873 --> 01:10:12,791
{\an8}And I know
that doesn't seem, like,
1637
01:10:12,833 --> 01:10:14,919
{\an8}possible or feasible
in this moment.
1638
01:10:15,252 --> 01:10:17,963
{\an8}But again, you know, especially
when big money is involved,
1639
01:10:18,005 --> 01:10:19,673
{\an8}it seems like
cooler heads prevail.
1640
01:10:25,387 --> 01:10:28,933
You know, Kuhn doesn't have as much control, right?
1641
01:10:28,974 --> 01:10:32,228
{\an8}He is one of five board seats.
1642
01:10:32,269 --> 01:10:34,730
{\an8}Dundon is one of five
board seats.
1643
01:10:35,064 --> 01:10:37,900
{\an8}Uh, and Pardoe is
not on that board.
1644
01:10:37,900 --> 01:10:43,364
{\an8}So, you know, Steve and Pardoe
can't, you know,
1645
01:10:43,405 --> 01:10:46,575
{\an8}turn the guns on each other
and blow this thing up again.
1646
01:10:52,248 --> 01:10:53,916
Now players
can train full-time.
1647
01:10:53,916 --> 01:10:56,794
They can wrap themselves
around good people.
1648
01:10:56,835 --> 01:10:59,046
Uh, they can use resources,
body work,
1649
01:10:59,088 --> 01:11:01,423
trainers, coaches,
you know...
1650
01:11:01,423 --> 01:11:03,384
- Recovery.
- They have a little extra dough now.
1651
01:11:03,425 --> 01:11:05,177
So, definitely invest
your money the right way.
1652
01:11:05,219 --> 01:11:07,888
Every player that has
worked their butts off,
1653
01:11:07,930 --> 01:11:11,058
or that has been here
for the last few years or more,
1654
01:11:11,100 --> 01:11:12,685
like, time is now.
1655
01:11:12,726 --> 01:11:14,937
But a lot of people
fail to realize
1656
01:11:14,937 --> 01:11:16,772
the economics behind this.
1657
01:11:16,814 --> 01:11:18,482
The economics behind MLP
1658
01:11:18,524 --> 01:11:22,111
is that at the moment,
they were not profitable
1659
01:11:22,111 --> 01:11:23,696
or even making money.
1660
01:11:23,737 --> 01:11:25,781
They were losing a lot of money.
1661
01:11:25,781 --> 01:11:28,117
Steve decides to...
1662
01:11:28,117 --> 01:11:29,618
I don't wanna use the word,
"pull a fast one,"
1663
01:11:29,618 --> 01:11:33,372
but Steve decides to move
the goalposts one more time.
1664
01:11:33,414 --> 01:11:35,916
You know, we need money.
We need to sell a team.
1665
01:11:35,958 --> 01:11:37,626
- Mm-hmm.
- Is my understanding.
1666
01:11:37,626 --> 01:11:41,130
And they were like, well,
selling another team now
1667
01:11:41,171 --> 01:11:43,215
goes against the terms
of the new merger.
1668
01:11:43,257 --> 01:11:44,091
Yeah.
1669
01:11:44,133 --> 01:11:45,509
And at that point,
1670
01:11:45,551 --> 01:11:47,720
several members
that are on the MLP board
1671
01:11:47,761 --> 01:11:49,930
were like, "Dude, we're out.
We're over this. We're out."
1672
01:11:49,972 --> 01:11:53,392
The next day, Steve, basically,
1673
01:11:53,434 --> 01:11:55,102
I think he has
a little bit of a,
1674
01:11:55,144 --> 01:11:57,646
we'll call it a, come to Jesus
meeting with himself. - Uh-huh.
1675
01:11:57,980 --> 01:12:01,900
Realizes that maybe
he's finally lost, you know,
1676
01:12:01,942 --> 01:12:04,528
his last allies
within the MLP
1677
01:12:04,570 --> 01:12:06,572
and he releases
a statement.
1678
01:12:23,047 --> 01:12:25,174
Sleeves here with your
Senior Pickleball Report.
1679
01:12:25,174 --> 01:12:26,633
Let's get it going.
1680
01:12:32,222 --> 01:12:34,058
{\an8}Steve Kuhn resigns.
What happened?
1681
01:12:34,099 --> 01:12:36,018
{\an8}I mean, they were just
dominating, you know,
1682
01:12:36,060 --> 01:12:38,979
{\an8}in the war room,
signing all these players.
1683
01:12:39,021 --> 01:12:41,148
And at the end of the day,
you know,
1684
01:12:41,190 --> 01:12:44,360
he resigns with a letter?
What went wrong?
1685
01:12:44,401 --> 01:12:47,404
Well, I think he got caught up
in a bidding war
1686
01:12:47,446 --> 01:12:51,825
and he really lost, you know,
control of the situation
1687
01:12:51,867 --> 01:12:56,163
and the trust and faith
of his shareholders
1688
01:12:56,205 --> 01:12:58,040
by really trying
to raise more capital
1689
01:12:58,040 --> 01:13:01,001
by selling
other MLP franchises,
1690
01:13:01,043 --> 01:13:02,836
and intentional or not,
1691
01:13:02,878 --> 01:13:04,213
it started to feel
and maybe look
1692
01:13:04,254 --> 01:13:06,590
a little like a Ponzi scheme.
1693
01:13:06,632 --> 01:13:07,966
So, at the end of the day,
1694
01:13:08,008 --> 01:13:09,843
he didn't get Ben or Anna Leigh,
1695
01:13:09,885 --> 01:13:11,887
which who knows
the impact of that.
1696
01:13:11,929 --> 01:13:17,059
And, you know, he's ousted by
the very league that he created.
1697
01:13:48,424 --> 01:13:52,428
A lot of people
sort of think of Steve Kuhn
1698
01:13:52,761 --> 01:13:56,056
as the ideologue
in this story.
1699
01:13:56,098 --> 01:13:58,559
I'm curious, in your
past business experience
1700
01:13:58,600 --> 01:14:02,521
what might make
an ideologue fall short?
1701
01:14:02,563 --> 01:14:04,106
Everybody has this dream
1702
01:14:04,148 --> 01:14:07,776
of what things can
become or this idea,
1703
01:14:07,818 --> 01:14:10,279
and there's
a big difference
1704
01:14:10,320 --> 01:14:13,115
between ideas and execution.
1705
01:14:13,157 --> 01:14:15,993
And I probably focus
more on the execution
1706
01:14:16,034 --> 01:14:17,995
and feel like
if you execute every day
1707
01:14:18,036 --> 01:14:19,788
and do things a certain way,
1708
01:14:19,830 --> 01:14:22,332
the outcome
should be certain.
1709
01:14:22,374 --> 01:14:23,917
{\an8}But if you start
with the outcome
1710
01:14:23,959 --> 01:14:25,377
{\an8}and you expect people
to treat you
1711
01:14:25,419 --> 01:14:27,171
{\an8}as if you've already
accomplished the things
1712
01:14:27,212 --> 01:14:29,840
{\an8}that we had not
in pickleball accomplished,
1713
01:14:29,882 --> 01:14:31,216
then you don't get
taken seriously
1714
01:14:31,258 --> 01:14:32,801
and you probably fail.
1715
01:14:32,843 --> 01:14:35,512
Um, so I just think we...
1716
01:14:36,013 --> 01:14:37,181
I just go about it different.
1717
01:14:37,222 --> 01:14:41,018
I think in recent weeks
there was merger,
1718
01:14:41,059 --> 01:14:43,353
then there wasn't,
then there is.
1719
01:14:43,395 --> 01:14:46,732
Um, and so that, that part
1720
01:14:46,773 --> 01:14:48,775
has been, uh,
1721
01:14:48,817 --> 01:14:50,986
maybe a little emotional
and a little traumatic,
1722
01:14:50,986 --> 01:14:53,322
but the end is...
1723
01:14:53,989 --> 01:14:55,991
the end is everybody
should be focused
1724
01:14:55,991 --> 01:14:58,076
on how do we continue
1725
01:14:58,118 --> 01:15:00,287
to elevate the game
and grow the sport.
1726
01:15:00,329 --> 01:15:03,040
And it feels like
that's where it's headed.
1727
01:15:03,081 --> 01:15:04,374
Um...
1728
01:15:05,209 --> 01:15:07,252
there's just,
there's a lot of hard work
1729
01:15:07,294 --> 01:15:08,378
that needs to be done.
1730
01:15:08,420 --> 01:15:10,839
And the less you can spend
1731
01:15:10,839 --> 01:15:12,841
arguing about who's better,
1732
01:15:12,883 --> 01:15:15,969
um, or who did what to whom.
1733
01:15:16,011 --> 01:15:20,015
Uh, it'd be better
to just focus on
1734
01:15:20,015 --> 01:15:22,851
more fans,
better production,
1735
01:15:22,851 --> 01:15:25,103
better venues,
better sponsors,
1736
01:15:25,145 --> 01:15:26,939
better social media,
better website.
1737
01:15:26,980 --> 01:15:28,482
And I think that's...
1738
01:15:28,524 --> 01:15:30,526
It feels like that's where
it's headed right now,
1739
01:15:30,567 --> 01:15:33,445
is that you can
actually sort of...
1740
01:15:34,112 --> 01:15:36,949
elevate the sport to where
1741
01:15:36,990 --> 01:15:38,450
people think
it's possible to go.
1742
01:15:38,492 --> 01:15:41,370
And so until you prove it,
it's just a story.
1743
01:15:41,370 --> 01:15:44,039
I tell my kids, if I want
a story, I'll buy a book.
1744
01:15:44,081 --> 01:15:46,041
And so right now
we're telling a story
1745
01:15:46,041 --> 01:15:47,751
about where this is gonna go.
1746
01:15:47,793 --> 01:15:50,170
And now it's up to us
to go do the work
1747
01:15:50,212 --> 01:15:51,713
to make sure it gets there.
1748
01:16:00,097 --> 01:16:02,474
Whew! What a ride, folks.
1749
01:16:02,516 --> 01:16:05,185
A little bumpy along the way,
but, hey, at the end of the day,
1750
01:16:05,227 --> 01:16:07,396
stay calm and paddle on.
1751
01:16:07,688 --> 01:16:11,358
One, two,
one, two, three and...
1752
01:16:21,702 --> 01:16:25,414
♪ Two at a time
they fall in line ♪
1753
01:16:25,455 --> 01:16:27,457
♪ The usual suspects ♪
1754
01:16:28,917 --> 01:16:30,669
♪ In the morning light ♪
1755
01:16:30,711 --> 01:16:32,421
♪ A firefight ♪
1756
01:16:32,421 --> 01:16:34,506
♪ Ready at the net ♪
1757
01:16:35,424 --> 01:16:36,925
♪ My shoes are tied ♪
1758
01:16:36,925 --> 01:16:38,302
♪ My laces tight ♪
1759
01:16:38,343 --> 01:16:40,470
♪ I got my sun hat, my water ♪
1760
01:16:40,512 --> 01:16:42,347
♪ My paddles, my life ♪
1761
01:16:42,389 --> 01:16:44,600
♪ Ready to fight ♪
1762
01:16:44,600 --> 01:16:46,560
♪ I don't easily scare ♪
1763
01:16:49,855 --> 01:16:51,607
♪ You can't
go in the kitchen ♪
1764
01:16:51,607 --> 01:16:54,067
♪ If you take it
in the air ♪
1765
01:17:10,334 --> 01:17:13,587
♪ Two at a time
they fall in line ♪
1766
01:17:13,629 --> 01:17:15,797
♪ The usual suspects ♪
1767
01:17:17,215 --> 01:17:18,842
♪ In the morning light ♪
1768
01:17:18,884 --> 01:17:19,926
♪ A firefight ♪
1769
01:17:20,969 --> 01:17:22,721
♪ Ready at the net ♪
1770
01:17:23,972 --> 01:17:26,642
♪ My shoes are tied,
my laces tight ♪
1771
01:17:26,683 --> 01:17:28,977
♪ I got my sun hat, my water ♪
1772
01:17:29,019 --> 01:17:30,562
♪ My paddles, my life ♪
1773
01:17:31,021 --> 01:17:32,981
♪ Ready to fight ♪
1774
01:17:32,981 --> 01:17:35,400
♪ I don't easily scare ♪
1775
01:17:38,528 --> 01:17:39,988
♪ You can't go in the kitchen ♪
1776
01:17:40,030 --> 01:17:42,032
♪ If you take it in the air ♪
1777
01:17:47,579 --> 01:17:49,998
Whoo!