This week on Pickleballers, we sit down with the most powerful man in pickleball, Connor Pardoe. He is the CEO of the UPA (the combined PPA Tour + MLP). Connor shares his origin story, how he fell in love with the game, and the napkin-math that became the PPA. He walks us through exclusivity with players, the pivotal partnership with Tom Dundon, the wild Kansas City “Tour Wars” weekend, and why unifying pro pickleball under UPA changed everything.

We dig into the new three-year extensions, the shift toward prize-money-driven earnings, how MLP and PPA now run in distinct seasons, and the bigger vision: turning millions of doers into viewers with bigger moments, bigger purses, and a more premium product for fans and players alike.

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify.