Updated on May 22, 2024

If you are reading this post, you probably already know that pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America. The game has evolved from its recreational roots to competitive play. Competition is intense, on and off the pickleball courts. The world of competing professional pickleball organizations is complex. Well-heeled investors have jumped in for a piece of the action and have aligned themselves with one organization or the other.

The sport’s burgeoning popularity and the communities that have sprung up around it have brought about the need for rules, regulations, and organizations to manage and grow the game. Professional leagues, associations, and governing bodies have become part of the pickleball landscape. However, not all organizations are playing nice with each other. As organizations compete for relevance and dominance, there is bickering and dealmaking that have resulted in power shifts.

As they say, it’s complicated!

So, here’s a high-level look at what has been happening inside the world of professional pickleball organizations.

Note: The information included in this post is subject to change based on the goings on in the world of Professional Pickleball Organizations.

USA Pickleball

USA Pickleball (USAP), formerly known as the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA), is the oldest and most established organization related to pickleball in the United States today. Their website states, “USA Pickleball is the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball in the U.S. and provides players with official rules, tournaments, rankings, and promotional materials.“

USAP promotes the development and growth of pickleball in the United States and has published and updated rulebooks for recreational and tournament play. USAP’s annually updated rulebook has been adopted by most amateur clubs and recreational players for both tournaments and recreational play. Events such as the National Championship Series use the USAPA Tournament Player Rating” (UTPR) system to rate and seed players for tournament play.

However, the USAP’s de facto status as pickleball’s National Governing Body (NGB) in the US has been called into question.

United Pickleball Association of America (UPA-A)

In May 2023, the United Pickleball Association (UPA) – the parent company of Major League Pickleball (MLP) and the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA Tour) – announced the formation of the United Pickleball Association of America (UPA-A). The goals and objectives of this newly formed organization are strikingly similar to those of the USAP, leaving players, manufacturers, and the pickleball community as a whole wondering, “What now?”

The UPA-A’s ambitious goal of becoming the global governing body for pickleball has sparked controversy within the community. While USA Pickleball has been widely accepted as the rules and standards organization for the game, its claimed status as the country’s governing body has come into question. UPA-A’s emergence could significantly impact not only the professional scene but also amateur play and the broader pickleball landscape. UPA-A has also established strategic alignments with DUPR, the official player rating system of MLP and PPA. Paddle testing, a function currently undertaken by the USAP, will be provided by Pickleball Pro Labs, UPA-A’s partner. While the future impact of UPA-A remains uncertain, its formation marks a significant development in the competing world of professional pickleball organizations.

Professional Pickleball Association (PPA)

Over the past two years, the PPA has emerged as a high-profile professional pickleball tour organization and resembles the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The PPA is not affiliated with USAP and consequently does not require its pro players to hold a USAP membership. PPA’s strategic on-again, off-again relationship with the MLP and its wealthy backers have successfully attracted many of the game’s top pros. Top players in the PPA enjoy higher prize money and appearance fees in return for exclusivity and commitment to play in a set number of tournaments every year. Tournaments run by PPA do not strictly adhere to USAP rules. PPA allowing “lets” on serves is a notable departure from USAP rules.

PPA already boasts annual prize monies that top 5.5 Million dollars. Prominent big-name sponsors of PPA include Carvana, CIBC, Hertz, Baird Wealth Management, and others. Pickleball’s popularity is not lost on big media. ESPN, YouTube, and Tennis Channel are some media outlets broadcasting or streaming select PPA pickleball matches. PPA uses the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) to rate its players. The PPA player standings list the who is who of pickleball. The fact that some of these players have exclusivity contracts does not bode well for competing organizations such as the APP.

Major League Pickleball

Under its current model, Major League Pickleball (MLP) is all about team competitions. Like other major leagues, such as the NBA and MLB, team owners pick the top pro pickleball players into their four-player teams using a snake draft format. MLP has 24 participating teams, with the 12 top-rated teams playing in the Premier League and the others in the Challenger League. Each unit consists of two male and two female players and plays custom-format matches that involve women’s doubles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles, and a potential tiebreaker singles, which MLP calls the DreamBreaker.

It is fair to say that MLP has created a stir among celebrity circles. From successful tech investors to sports superstars, Hollywood stars, and social media celebrities, the MLP does not appear to have any challenges in finding investors to buy into their expansion teams. Though the MLP-PPA alliance hit some snags during 2023, they seem to have put their differences behind them and have announced fresh investments and expansion plans for 2024. MLP sponsors include the restaurant/bar chain Margaritaville and Anheuser-Busch-owned beer company Michelob Ultra.

Note: The bickering between the MLP and PPA appears to have come to an end. On February 29th, 2024, the Carvana PPA Tour (“PPA Tour”) and MLP by Margaritaville (“MLP”) announced the completion of their merger and the creation of a new holding company. With an additional cash infusion of $75 million, the new entity is expected to be a “sustainable, viable, and healthy ecosystem for all key participants,” according to PPA Tour Founder and CEO Connor Pardoe.

Time will tell!

MLP competes with APP and USAP for pickleball fans and their money. However, in a rare display of solidarity, MLP, PPA, and USAP recently announced a joint effort to implement paddle testing and compliance standards using modern equipment.

The Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP)

Founded in 2019, The APP is USAP’s official pickleball pro tour partner. All APP tournaments are USAP-sanctioned and play under its rules. The APP organizes and runs tournaments that involve professionals, senior professionals, amateurs, and collegiate players. While the APP does not hold players to exclusive contracts, a USAP membership is a requirement to play in APP tournaments. In 2022, the annual APP tournament prize monies totaled 2 Million dollars. However, the recent PPA-MLP strategic partnership and exclusivity contracts with top players could mean a talent drain for future APP tournaments.

The APP’s sponsors are more pickleball-centric, with paddle manufacturers, retailers, and others forming the bulk. Using a tennis analogy, the APP may be shaping up more like the Challenger Series of the ATP than the Grand Slams or the Masters 1000 series tournaments.

The International Pickleball Federation

The IPF, launched initially in 2010 as the International Federation of Pickleball, is the global governing body for pickleball. The USA, Canada, Spain, and India were the inaugural members of the IFP. Over the years, the IPF attracted 60 countries to join its fold to promote pickleball globally. The IPF provides consistent rules and guidelines for sanctioned tournaments around the world. Besides organizing and conducting international tournaments, the IPF also supports the development of players, officials, coaches, and other pickleball-related functions around the world. IPF’s goal is to bring pickleball enough fanbase and attention to have it included as an Olympic sport in the future.

However, things are not all rosy at the IPF. In March 2022, nine major member countries of the IPF withdrew from the organization, citing “no confidence” in the current President and the IPF operations. With the dropout of the US, Canada, Spain, Australia, Czech Republic, England, France, Mexico, and the Philipines, the IPF may have lost significant clout in pickleball’s heartland and other major markets around the globe.

The World Pickleball Federation (WPF)

Another global pickleball governing body, WPF, has similar goals and aspirations as the IPF. WPF is a direct competitor to the IPF and organizes itself as different federations representing the continents around the world. WPF drives awareness for pickleball internationally, seeking out sponsorships and raising the profile of its professional players. In addition to organizing WPF- WPF-sanctioned international tournaments, it provides member countries access to revenue-building opportunities, teacher training, and software programs for clubs and tournaments.

IPF’s woes stand to benefit the WPF. With 60 countries in the fold and counting, the WPF can potentially step in and take over the international role that IPF played for the pickleball community. Most countries that left the IPF looking for a new home are already members of the WPF. It would bode well for the WPF to remember that it is a lot easier to hang on to its existing members than try to acquire new ones. The WPF’s recent decision to make it more of a member-driven organization appears to be a step in the right direction.

We may not have seen the end of it yet

The world of competing professional pickleball organizations is still in a state of flux. Many rivalries are yet to be entirely played out. As the pickleball gold rush continues, Fortune 500 companies such as Anheuser-Busch are getting into the MLP mix. Pickleball organizations will be way more revenue-driven than they ever were. The face of the game as a seniors’ sport will have to take a back seat.

It is good for the professional side of the sport.

As for the recreational side? Well! Keep quiet and carry on…