More fans showed up for PPA Mesa than an NBA game
Last Edited
Feb 26 2025
Category
News
Nearly 19,000 fans packed the Arizona Athletic Grounds last week for the 2025 PPA Tour Carvana Mesa Cup, an attendance figure that outsized the average crowd at both NBA and NHL regular-season games last year. Yes, you read that right—pickleball is officially competing with major sports games.
The six-day event was record-breaking in its own right. Revenue from ticket sales soared past $300,000, making it the most financially successful PPA Tour event ever outside of the World Championships.
Thursday through Sunday were completely sold out across all ticket levels, from general admission to courtside VIPs.
“The 2025 Carvana Mesa Cup will go down in history as one of the greatest pickleball events ever,” said Connor Pardoe, founder and CEO of the Carvana PPA Tour. “Our first-ever PPA Tour event was here in Mesa five years ago, so it was a real pinch-me moment to see how far we’ve come.”
The doubters used to ask: “Can pickleball sustain a pro scene?” That question feels downright silly now. The real question is: how big can this sport get?
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