You will be forgiven for what you don't know about Genius Sports' latest collaboration However, with over three million players in the United States alone, pickleball is experiencing explosive growth.
The sport was invented in 1965 in Bainbridge, Washington as a backyard game and is defined as a combination of tennis, badminton and ping pong.
This success was confirmed by unique data, technologies and a commercial agreement between Professional Pickleball Association (PPA), an organization representing one of the "fastest growing sports in the world" and Genius Sports.
Under the terms of the agreement, Genius Sports has acquired exclusive rights to collect and distribute live data and video feeds from over 1,200 PPA matches per year with a global network of over 150 sportsbook partners.
“This is an important milestone for the global development of pickleball and the PPA Tour,” explained the PPA Commissioner. Connor Pardo.
“By agreement with Genius Sports, pickleball and PPA Tour events will be watched by more people than ever before. This will contribute to the massive global growth of pickleball, not only in terms of participation, but more importantly, by making pickleball a conscientious and fun spectator sport.”
Each PPA event will feature eight live venues per day, offering unparalleled pickleball coverage. GeniusLive will also be rolled out as part of the partnership to broadcast this booming sport to new audiences around the world.
“For over 20 years, Genius Sports has established an incredible track record of advancing sports at all levels by providing data-driven technology that connects them with fans around the world,” added Sean Conroy , commercial director of Genius Sports.
“Our long-term partnership with PPA will bring together our leading live, production and managed rates capabilities to accelerate their growth and expand their global reach.”
PPA Tour will include 16 events across the US in 2021 offering over $1.5 million in prize money, expanding to at least 20 events in 2022 and over $2.2 million in prize money.
Starting in 2022, the PPA Tour will host major events at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, the Aviva Center in Toronto and many other venues that have traditionally hosted the biggest professional tennis events. The PPA Tour includes four event levels: 250, 500, 1000 and Majors, as well as a full schedule of events for amateurs and juniors.
A deal with Genius Sports meant to "spur the massive global growth" of pickleball first appeared on GamblingTV.com.
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