Senior Pickleball Report
Major League Pickleball Is The Future of the Professional Game
The professional game of pickleball was officially born this past week. Major League Pickleball (MLP) is the most intense, high quality form of professional pickleball in the game.
What is MLP? It is a team based league made up of two men and two women. They play a best of five format that includes a men’s, women’s and two mixed doubles games. If the match remains tied at two games each then both teams enter what is called the Dreambreaker to decide the match. The Dreambreaker is played in a singles format, each player faces their opponent for four points when another set of players will enter and play. This four point rotation continues until one team reaches 21 and wins by two points.
The entire competition is contested by rally scoring, which creates a game where every interaction results in a point. In other words, teams can score even when they are not serving, like in traditional side out. Rally scoring moves the game along quickly which just adds to the energy Major League Pickleball provides.
We, the Senior Pickleball Report, had the opportunity to attend Major League Pickleball’s 2023 inaugural event that was held in Mesa, Arizona at Bell Bank Park. Championship Sunday was electrifying with teams competing for not only a championship title and cup, but also the opportunity to collect part of an ever increasing amount of money that is flowing into the sport.
With billionaires and celebrities investing in this exciting new league, the sky seems to be the limit. The only question remaining is potential television viewership. Will people watch professional pickleball enough to make it lucrative for those who are investing and for those who are playing the fastest growing sport in the country if not the world? The next few years will determine where professional pickleball stands in the public eye.
At this point it seems clear to me that the most entertaining way to consume this game is via Major League Pickleball. Traditional bracket tournaments don’t hold a candle to the raw enthusiasm MLP generates. I have seen he future and it is Major League Pickleball!
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