Four years after it was established in 2021, Major League Pickleball (CNBC) is about to become profitable. That’s according to a report by US-based media outlet CNBC, citing a source from within the league who requested to remain anonymous.
According to said source, the MLP is looking to become profitable as a league by the fourth quarter of 2025. Already, two of the MLP’s 22 teams are said to be profitable, said the report, with one of them reaching breakeven. Moving forward, the league is looking at making every team profitable by 2027.
United Pickleball (UPA) is the parent company of the MLP and the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA). It was formed in February 2024 with the merger of the once-rival leagues. To date, the UPA runs 36 PPA and MLP events in three continents and is the only pro sports league in the US that offers live events year-round.
Attendance, sponsorship, and player salaries have grown since the merger, but CNBC reported cash flow issues that prompted the UPA to request a USD $10 million bridge loan to “maintain their growth trajectory while managing short term cash needs.” This is despite the MLP attracting several celebrities—notably the NBA LeBron James and Kevin Durant, the NFL’s Patrick Mahomes, and model Heidi Klum—as investors.
Now, it appears those investments are about to pay off big time.
Expansion in the Works
With the MLP on track to becoming profitable, CNBC has also reported that expansion is now in the works, with the league offering investors the chance to get in on pickleball through the sale of at least two expansion franchises.
According to the same source, an initial asking price of some USD $15 million per franchise is on the table but is not final just yet. This estimate shouldn’t come as a surprise as Arizona Drive recently sold its controlling shares at a USD $10 million valuation to a Proton-led group.
Should expansion happen, possibly by 2026, the new franchise owners will get to determine the team’s location and grow the league from 22 teams to at least 24. They will also get a share of the pickleball pie, which has grown to 223% in the last three years, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. The will also have the opportunity in what the MLP touts in a presentation as a sport with double-digit annual growth
“This is a once in a generation moment to get involved early with a sport that is bound for success,” the presentation said, according to CNBC.
Indeed, pickleball is growing and the MLP is certainly going along for the ride.
