Why you should watch more pro pickleball in 2025
Last Edited
Dec 18 2024
Category
News
Maybe I shouldn't admit this. After all, I work in pickleball, and I'd like to keep my job. But here goes nothing: apart from pickleball, I'm not a sports person.
At least, that's how I used to think of myself: more of a nerd than a bleacher creature.
Then, I discovered pickleball, and therefore discovered what I was physically capable of. I found I could push my body to do more on the court and at the gym than I ever thought possible; except now, I wanted to.
Then, I started working in pickleball, and therefore needed to understand the pro scene. For once in my life, I found that I could in fact enjoy watching a professional sport, both for pure entertainment value and to take notes on strategy.
Now, I truly do love watching pro pickleball, which should mean a lot coming from someone who used to make jokes about "sports people."
But you don't have to take my word for it. Now more than ever, there are many reasons to tune into the action. Here are just a few.
The most obvious answer: education
There are many in the pickleball community who probably want me to prioritize pro pickleball's entertainment factor as the most obvious answer to why you should tune in.
I agree that's the best reason to watch...if you're already convinced you should. But I also respect that many reading this won't feel that way, at least not yet, so let me tempt those folks first: watching pro pickleball is like attending a masterclass.
Pros demonstrate impeccable technique, strategy, and fundamentals that you can emulate.
When you first turn on a match, you may not know what to look for or even understand what a side-out is.
But I can speak from experience when I say that after only an hour watching pro pickleball, you'll begin to notice some important ways pros behave on the court.
Things like:
- How consistently and steadily they move
- Where they move at certain stages of each point
- The forms their bodies take during certain shots
- How they reset under pressure
- How they don't really rely on specific attack shots as much as putting general pressure on their opponents
- Their constantly-active footwork
Pro pickleball commentator Dave Fleming says a great way to play better pickleball yourself, no matter your level, is to watch the pros (and listen to the expert commentary, of course).
"Especially as it relates to shot selection, where to put the ball when on offense or when you’re in trouble, etc....Most people will never play like a pro athletically but you can mentally."
For visual learners, seeing the pros in action helps translate strategies into your own game. Watching how pros adapt under pressure or aim with precision is invaluable.
At first glance, pickleball seems simple, but watching the pros reveals its strategic complexity.
Anything can and does happen
OK, now for the entertainment bit.
Admittedly, the first hour or two I watched pro pickleball, I found myself asking questions instead of really enjoying myself.
But at least you can't say I was bored. I'm not here to lecture those who've tried over and over again to watch but didn't enjoy it.
But I suspect there are many out there, even pickleball-exclusive sports fans like me, who wouldn't normally consider themselves the type to turn it on but who may very well enjoy parts of it if they do.
Here are a few reasons you should consider doing so more in 2025:
- Several rivalries developed in 2024 that will be interesting to follow next year: Ben vs. Alshon, Loong vs. McGuffin, Collin vs. Julian, Collin vs. The Ball, Collin vs. The Net, Anna/Rachel vs. AL/Catherine.
- As Dave Fleming put it, "We have the most dominant female athlete in sports and she’s just 17. Have you not seen Anna Leigh Waters play?"
- The game is fast. Come for the unique pickle shots like Ernes and ATPs and stay for the epic high speed hands battles we call firefights.
Pickleball isn’t just physical—it's chess on a court, which for many makes it all the more exciting on top of the crazy ATPs and other stunts.
The 'upside' of MLP's format
I think Major League Pickleball's team-based format can and should be an international force for pickleball expansion
Just like pickleball encouraged me to broaden my sports horizons, so too did media encourage me to find at least a little interest in another sport: soccer.
But you don't have to be a Ted Lasso or Welcome to Wrexham fan to know why the pro soccer format could help lend MLP an even more exciting presence in American and Worldwide sports.
I think MLP should take their Premier/Challenger levels to a new, streamlined level; one where each season, the lowest ranking teams in Premier and the highest ranking teams in Challenger automatically switch.
Get the teams' host cities to buy-in to the risk of relegation like cities in pro soccer, and I truly believe we'll see interest in the format grow, especially considering MLP’s thrill-inducing singles tie-breaker matches called "Dreambreakers."
Where to watch pro pickleball
Pickleball TV is the premier platform for consistent coverage of pro pickleball, covering both PPA Tour & Major League Pickleball.
But both leagues have their own YouTube channels (PPA & MLP), which broadcast action on grandstand and other courts.
Ultimately, attending live events or even engaging with pro pickleball online connects you with a passionate, growing community.
At tournaments, fans, players, and influencers gather to share their love for the sport. The camaraderie at events, both live and virtual, fosters a sense of belonging; the type that drew many to pickleball in the first place.
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