PicklePod: How America Gave the World Pickleball Fever

Tom Webb, CMO of the APP Tour, joined Zane and Thomas this week on the PicklePod to discuss global pickleball, how pickleball viewership can grow, and why the APP doesn’t believe it’s competing with anyone.

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In case you’re unfamiliar with Tom, he has quite the background. 

He has worked with the MLP, Manchester United, Red Bull, F1 Racing, Austin FC, the US Olympic Ski Team, and other notable employers. He entered the pickleball world when he got introduced to Steve Kuhn, the former head of the MLP. Now, he’s the CMO of the APP, and he’s trying his best to grow pickleball worldwide. 

If you’re not a major fan of the APP after this episode, we’ll eat Zane’s new hat. 

America giving the world PB fever 

“When America sneezes, the world catches a cold.”

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While Tom didn’t come up with this quote (or did he?), it’s meant to dramatize the impact America can have on the world and why pickleball is (finally) catching on worldwide.

Merger updates from an APP exec

When asked about the MLP/PPA merger and signing talent to exclusive contracts, Tom said, “We don’t really spend any time worrying about what’s going on in other parts of this industry.” He then added, “We have a very very strong belief in inclusivity over exclusivity.”

Hot takes by Tom. We love it. 

Check out the full episode below and be sure to subscribe to our channel on YouTube!