MLP Cancels First Challenger Event? Merger Delays Continue...
The MLP & PPA Merger was suppose to be completed in December 2023, then it was pushed back to mid January, and has been delayed once again. MLP's first challenger event was going to take place Feburary 7th - 10th at the Sherwood Country Club located in Thousand Oaks California. It has been rumored [as of 1/23/23] that this event will be cancelled due to complicated merger details. The merger fiasco has been going on for quite some time, two different organizations, with different management styles, trying to meet in the middle for the greater good of pickleball.
The merger almost fell apart just a month ago in December, but has since been back on the table. The wealthy investors backing pickleball have moved from their passive positions and became more hands on to try and get this deal done. Tens of millions of dollars (possibly over 9 figures at this point) has been pumped into these professional teams, and if something can't be worked out, investors may never get their money back. Even with all the back and forth going on, it seems as of recently that the two organizations have come to some sort of agreement to get this merger solidified. Without a merger, there will be more cancellations to start off the new season and that is not a professional look for the sport. MLP only has 15 events during the year plus the playoffs, meaning every event is important from a viewer AND investor standpoint.
To add fuel to the fire, the HUGE 2-3 year contracts pro pickleball athletes were awarded last year were in the $200k-600k range which was very high considering most pro players were making less than $50k a year if they were lucky. Not ONE player has been paid any money from MLP yet, many of these players have full time jobs that they quit, and now their livelihood is on the line. Some players are trying to breach their contract and switch from MLP to PPA since their management style has shown to be much more professional.
The MLP has not officially made a statement about the first challenger event being cancelled, but if it isn't announced by the end of this week, there is almost zero possibility of making it happen. Pickleball has surged in popularity since covid, some would say that it is growing faster than management can keep up with, but we all hope as fans that we can put this merger behind us and continue to enjoy great Pickleball events. But for now, confusion is in the air.
