Carvana PPA Tour and MLP presented by DoorDash Generate Exceptional Year-Over-Year Business Growth in All Areas in 2025

The Carvana PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball (MLP presented by DoorDash) today announced significant year-over-year growth for the 2025 calendar year across all business areas including revenue, attendance, viewership, fan engagement, and media coverage.

2025 UPA: Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships (inclusive of the MLP Cup)

• Revenue: Over $1.1 million in combined ticket and hospitality revenue
• Attendance: New record of over 60,000 total attendance
• Viewership: Over 70M total minutes viewed on Pickleballtv (record 53.2M for Worlds and 17.4M for MLP Cup)
• Fan Engagement: A total of over 54 million social impressions on official PPA and MLP handle

2025 PPA Tour

• Fan Engagement: Social media impressions nearly doubled per event
• Viewership: Pickleballtv generated a 95% lift in minutes viewed per event
• Revenue: Ticket revenue saw a 33% increase per domestic event
• Attendance: Total attendance grew by 16% per domestic event

2025 MLP: Regular Season, Mid-Season Tournament, 2025 Playoffs, and MLP Cup

• Franchise Valuations: MLP set new all-time league highs for multiple team valuations in 2025:
  • The LA Mad Drops’ $13 million valuation set a new record for an MLP majority stake sale
  • The Palm Beach Royals’ $16 million valuation set a new record for an MLP expansion franchise
• Revenue: Sponsor revenue more than doubled 2024’s total & ticket revenue jumped 94%
• Attendance: Total attendance grew by 52%
• Viewership: Linear distribution hours more than doubled & Pickleballtv saw a 141% jump in minutes viewed
• Fan Engagement: YouTube views increased 230% & social media impressions showed 407% growth

2025 MLP Playoffs 

• Viewership: CBS’s exclusive broadcast of the 2025 MLP Finals Match 1 between the New Jersey 5s and Columbus Sliders on Saturday, Aug. 23, was MLP’s most-watched match ever and pickleball’s most-watched match since the Feb. 2024 MLP-PPA merger, averaging 499,000 viewers (Nielsen Big Data) 
• Revenue & Attendance: The 2025 MLP Playoffs generated 122% growth in ticket revenue and a 57% increase in total attendance compared to the same number of playoffs dates in 2024 

2025 UPA Top Media Clips (chronological)

• CNBC: Major League Pickleball looks to add teams, reach profitability this year (Jan. 28)
• KVOA Tucson: World’s best pickleball players to compete in PPA’s Tucson Open (Jan. 29)
• AP: Eugenie Bouchard crosses over to the pro pickleball circuit, tennis still remains in her plans (Feb. 14)
• ABC 11 Raleigh: Thousands expected at Cary pickleball tournament Veolia North Carolina Open (Apr. 2)
• FOX 8 Raleigh Mornings: PPA Tour’s Veolia North Carolina Open pickleball tournament (Apr. 2)
• Sportico: Major League Pickleball Rebrands With DoorDash Sponsorship (Apr. 3)
• @Sportsball: Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. (Apr. 14)
• Marketing Brew: Pro pickleball is ‘open for business’ and hoping to meet brands on the court (Apr. 16)
• Bloomberg: Business of Sports Podcast – MLP Commissioner Samin Odhwani (May 2)
• FOX 5 Atlanta – Pickleball’s best compete in Atlanta event this week (May 14)
• Forbes: Waters Continues Triple Crown Dominance At Pro Pickleball Association Orange County Cup (Jun. 23)
• CNN: Ben Johns, Rising Star of Pickleball, Joins CNN News Central (Jul. 4)
• SI Swimsuit: Tyra Black Is the Professional Pickleball Player to Watch (Jul. 8)
• ESPN SportsCenter: No. 1 ranked women’s player Anna Leigh Waters on the rise of pickleball (Jul. 10)
• Barstool Sports: You’d Have To Be An All-Time Silly Goose To Not Think That Pickleball Rules (Jul.  11)
• Good Morning America: Anna Leigh Waters on the ESPY’s Red Carpet (Jul. 16)
• OK Magazine: No. 1 Ranked Pickleball Player Anna Leigh Waters Reveals Dream Celebrity Partner (Jul. 18)
• The Gist: Anna Leigh Waters is the world’s best pickleballer — and she’s spilling tea (Jul. 31)
• Fox News: MLP & Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson celebrate National Pickleball Day (Aug. 8)
• Bleacher Report: Major League Pickleball’s LA Team Sells Majority Stake at $13M Valuation (Aug. 20)
• Front Office Sports: Los Angeles Mad Drops of MLP are being sold at a $13 million valuation (Aug. 21)
• CNN WorldSport: Young phenom Anna Leigh Waters continues to grow pickleball (Aug. 22)
• MSN: PPA Tour’s Vintage Wooden Paddle Open Set To Celebrate 60 Years Of Pickleball (Aug. 22)
• Hypebae: Anna Leigh Waters Talks Pickleball Ahead of the MLP Finals (Aug. 25)
• SBJ: New Major League Pickleball team owners share details about expansion franchise (Sep. 9)
• Fox 19 Cincinnati: Pro pickleball tournament underway in Mason (Sep. 10)
• Huddle Up: Pickleball’s Billion-Dollar Potential: Inside The Deals Powering Its Growth (Nov. 5)
• Wall Street Journal: The Last Person You Want to Meet on the Pickleball Court (Nov. 7)
• Reuters: Owl AI to bring electronic line-calling to pro pickleball, eyes wider sporting impact (Dec. 4)
• People: Guy Fieri’s Son Celebrates Wife’s Birthday As They Join MLP’s Brooklyn Pickleball Team (Dec. 8)
• Front Office Sports: How Pickleball Became One Massive Private-Equity Rollup (Dec. 14)
• Yahoo News: Anna Leigh Waters, Johnsons among Daytona PPA Tour champs (Dec. 22)

The 2026 PPA calendar gets underway with The Carvana Masters Powered by Invited in Rancho Mirage, Cali., January 12-18. The season-concluding PPA Finals in San Clemente, Cali. will take place May 4-10. MLP’s 2026 season will begin in Dallas, Tex., May 22-26, and feature nine regular season events, the Mid-Season Tournament, and three weeks of the 2026 MLP Playoffs.

About Carvana PPA Tour

Founded in 2019, the Carvana PPA Tour is where pickleball’s top athletes go head-to-head to determine the best male and female players in the world. The Carvana PPA Tour organizes and conducts tournaments at world-class facilities across the country, establishes player rankings, and showcases the world’s best pickleball week in and week out. Inviting amateur players to also compete and “play where the pros play,” the Carvana PPA Tour offers divisions for every age group and skill level. Characterized by a uniquely festive and fun atmosphere, Carvana PPA Tour events deliver unparalleled experiences for fans on-site, including pro player meet-and-greets, clinics, food, beverages, live entertainment, giveaways, games, shopping, and VIP upgrades. For more information, go to www.ppatour.com, and follow us on social: Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn.

About Major League Pickleball (MLP presented by DoorDash)Founded in 2021, Major League Pickleball (MLP presented by DoorDash) is the preeminent, coed, team-based professional pickleball league, featuring over 100 of the best athletes across 23 teams, iconic team owners, and the most electric live events and fan experience in the sport. In 2024, MLP and the PPA Tour merged under the newly-formed United Pickleball Association (UPA), bringing together the leading pro pickleball organizations under a single entity. Visit the official website and follow MLP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for more.