It was a landmark year for the Carvana PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball,
according to a joint press release on Thursday.

Beginning with the merger between the two professional entities, the season saw pickleball's top athletes shine bright week after week, fans come out to pro events in record numbers and tune in across multiple platforms, and the business side of the United Pickleball Association thrive in the process.

Anna Leigh Waters continued her dominance in every discipline, ending the year ranked PPA World No. 1 in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles and earning MLP season MVP honors. For his part, Federico Staksrud became the first male athlete not named Ben Johns to finish a season with a PPA World No. 1 ranking in men’s singles.

For the love of the game

In terms of attendance, more than 320,000 fans passed through the turnstiles at PPA Tour and MLP events in 2024 - up 40% from 2023 - marking the first year in which revenue from ticket sales surpassed revenue from amateur registration. More than 27,000 players of all ages and skill levels competed in amateur tournaments at PPA Tour and select MLP events in 2024.

In the broadcast sphere, over 350 hours of national telecasts for MLP and the PPA Tour were showcased across FOX, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, Amazon Prime, Tennis Channel, FS1, FS2, CBS Sports Network, and more in 2024. Pickleballtv, the 24/7 pickleball streaming platform, saw more than 1 billion minutes watched by fans throughout the season. The PPA Mesa Arizona Cup FOX national broadcast saw 501,000 viewers tune in, the largest-ever pro pickleball TV audience, outdrawing the MLS Cup broadcast on FOX in December.

Fans also heavily engaged on social media. PPA and MLP followings across social media channels (Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok) increased by 40%, and YouTube video views were up 33% over 2023, with more than 50 million total views.

Earning a good living

This year, the percentage of pro qualifier registrations in PPA events nearly doubled - from 7% in 2023 to 16% in 2024 - which can definitely be attributed to compensation opportunities.

The roughly 130 pro pickleball players under contract with MLP and the PPA Tour earn more than $30 million collectively over the course of a season, more than many other professional leagues, including the WNBA, Premier Lacrosse League and NBA G League.

With equal pay and play for men and women, the female contracted athletes on the PPA Tour and MLP earned an average salary of $260,000. This is greater than the highest-paid WNBA player’s annual salary and more than double the average salary of NWSL athletes.

Faith in the product

The investments aren’t just being made into the talent pool of professional pickleball players, but also coming from partners and sponsors. With more than 50 total partners across both the PPA Tour and MLP brands, sponsorship revenue saw a collective 50% increase in 2024 over 2023.

PPA Tour and MLP partners leaned into both the professional and amateur touchpoints, going beyond traditional court signage and on-site activations. For example, PPA Tour title partner Carvana hosted the “Road to the PPA Finals,” and gifted a trip to the PPA Tour Finals in San Clemente as well as a Carvana car to two lucky fans.

Trending in the right direction

The future is bright for MLP and the PPA Tour since the highest number of pickleball participants across the country is in the 25-34 age range and more than 1 million children under the age of 18 joined the sport between 2022 and 2023 (Source: SFIA State of Pickleball Report).

The 2024 season saw the creation of the Junior PPA Tour, dedicated to fostering youth pickleball players through competition events, development opportunities, and social activity. The Junior PPA Tour saw more than 1,100 athletes between the ages of 8 and 16 compete in 17 events all over the country.

The 2025 season will look to build on the great success of this pinnacle campaign.