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The problem with pro pickleball

@maggizine

22.6K followers · usually 1.1K views a post

Views

39.9K

Likes

1.6K

Comments

Why it worked

The video uses a relatable, high-stakes 'cringe' story involving a famous athlete to hook viewers, then pivots to a thoughtful, industry-specific analysis that feels authentic and insightful.

Summary

The creator shares a story about a woman who didn't recognize the world's top pickleball player, using it to illustrate the disconnect between casual players and the professional sport. She argues that this lack of engagement leads to lower viewership and financial challenges for professional pickleball.

Structure

1Introduce the problem with pro pickleball
2Share a personal story about a fan not recognizing Ben Johns
3Explain the disconnect between casual players and pro fans
4Discuss the financial implications of low viewership
5Conclude with a comparison to established sports

On-screen text

The problem with pro pickleball (Ben Johns storytime)

Transcript

The problem with pro pickleball is that most people who play pickleball don't actually care about it. I was just chatting with a friend and I was reminded of this thing that happened that is a perfect example of the problem with pro pickleball. Last year I was at the PPA in San Clemente in the VIP section and I was there on behalf of Travel Seattle, the Seattle tourism board, because pickleball started in Seattle. The lady who was running the program wanted to take a photo of us together, so she asked this guy who was also in the VIP and the guy thought that she wanted a photo with him and she was like, no, no, no, can you take a photo of us? And I looked at who she was talking to and she had asked Ben Johns to take our photo. The literal No. 1 player in the world. She had no idea who he was. And that's the problem, because so many people play pickleball, but there's a huge gap between people who play pickleball casually and people who watch, play, participate in pro pickleball. It's not like the US Open where people who play tennis, people who don't play tennis, they all tune in to watch. Very few people are watching pro pickleball if you're not in it. And with low viewership then there's no money, there's no brand deals, there's no sponsorships and there's very little money for the actual players. This will get better as the sport continues to grow, but I don't think it will ever get to the viewership levels that tennis and basketball have just because those are sports that are just so much more physical.