Bryce Morgan: The Future of the PPA Tour

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Like many elements of the incredibly fast-growing sport of pickleball, the PPA Tour does not yet have a long history, having been founded in 2018. But its growth has also been very much on the upswing. Today the tour offers 24 events nationwide and a prize purse exceeding $5 million. Carvana is on as a title sponsor and interest on all levels in the tour continues to rise. Recent months have also seen the signing of a slate of professional players, many of who are former tennis stars like Sam Querry, Jack Sock and Genie Bouchard to name a few. The recently announced merger with Major League Pickleball, an entity that has taken more of a team approach, also promises to grow the pie. And the PPA Tour recently became the first league to allow gambling on matches, opening the sport to a new audience of potential bettors on the action.

In this conversation, we chat with tour’s president, Bryce Morgan, about where the tour has been, where it’s headed and trends the PPA is watching by way of venue development, site selection, participation rates and more. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Origins of the PPA Tour (2:56)
• The upcoming merger with Major League Pickleball (3:49)
• Recent signings of professional players (5:06)
• Trends the PPA Tour is seeing in spectator numbers (6:14)
• What venues the tour is holding events in today (7:38)
• What the structure of events looks like over a weekend (9:01)
• Pickleball as a sport for all ages (10:34)
• What the PPA Tour looks for in a potential host site or venue (11:18)
• Evolution of CVBs and sports commissions partnering on events (13:02)
• Partnerships with USA Pickleball on events (14:18)
• The future of pickleball-specific venues (15:30)
• Does the PPA Tour believe participation growth can continue at similar pace (17:11)
• What sponsorship conversations are like for the tour (18:44)
• The future of sports betting on the PPA Tour (19:35)
• The potential for international growth in pickleball (20:30)
• Potential opportunities in the months to come (21:23)

This episode is sponsored by: