Dear Major League Pickleball Teams,

I regret to inform you of my sincere disappointment with your collective fashion choices. I have spent so much time and energy watching MLP, ranking Premier and Challenger merch, evaluating uniforms, and discovering which squads show up in style.

But, it’s time for me to be honest. You need better uniforms. 

Allow me to elaborate.

Major League Pickleball features 22 teams, and they basically all look the same uniform-wise when competing on the court.

Case in point, the recenty held MLP Las Vegas at Darling Tennis Center. Whenever I turned on Pickleballtv to catch the action, at first glance, I never knew which team I was watching. If it wasn't Anna Leigh Waters in a bright red, white, and blue skirt, or the Orlando Squeeze in their usual bright orange, I had no idea which squad was playing. That's not good. 

Every team regularly cycles through new uniforms with different colors. For example, the Columbus Sliders will throw in a bold red after the team wears a series of white and blue looks. That's as jarring as it is confusing for spectators and fans alike.

The Arizona Drive and New Jersey 5s will also wear red and white looks. And if you put them all in similar looks on the same court, how can you tell who's who? Their logos are so small, too, so it's really tricky to know the difference. 

Though orange isn't an easy color to work with, I appreciate that Squeeze are easy to spot. The Las Vegas Night Owls also get creative with their hot pink dip dye uniforms. 

Look, I know there are only so many colors to choose from, and the Squeeze has an obvious color to work with, but perhaps some creativity and boldness could come into play. Or, the teams could better commit to their specific color schemes and refrain from stepping out of it.

Black and white look good on everybody. That much we all can agree on. But, the teams need to pick a color and stick with it. For example, the Florida Smash loves that emerald green, so let’s go all-in on that green. Whether it’s monochromatic green looks or uniforms with green tops and black bottoms, we need something that’s different enough so that when viewers tune in, they know who they’re watching right away. 

There are a total of four teams who love hot pink (which, I also love), but maybe the Bay Area Breakers could opt for that electric blue that pops up in their looks? Or the Chicago Slice could incorporate yellow? Get as creative as you want, but choose something to make them stand out against the literal sea of black and white. 

There are simply too many uniforms that match. I can never tell if I’m watching the Frisco Pandas, SoCal Hard Eights, Brooklyn Aces, Atlanta Bouncers or any other team that regularly throws in a black and white uniform. Worse yet, put them against each other and everyone is wearing all black and I have no idea who’s who. 

Or if one color isn't enough to work with, take it from the NFL and have teams choose two colors. Burgundy and gold, black and lilac, navy blue and white – anything. The color combinations can be more creative and better represent the cities the teams hail from. 

Something needs to change. I want boldness, I want bright, fun colors on the court because pickleball is so enjoyable.

Let’s have more fun with the uniforms and establish some team colors. 

With deepest admiration and abundance of athleisure knowledge,

Victoria Radnothy