Pro Pickleball Teams Are Now Worth Way More Than You'd Think A Pickleball Team Is Worth

The sport of pickleball continues to rake in more money than it has any business making. Now, pro pickleball clubs have reportedly reached 8-figure values.

Not bad for a sport that, until recently, I thought my high school gym teacher had made up.

Major League Pickleball is quickly becoming a hot commodity for athletes and celebrities looking to diversify their ownership portfolio. However, those buying in now, probably wish they had picked up on the craze sooner. That's because some teams are being valued at $10 million according to Front Office Sports.

That's a long way off from any major professional franchise's price tag, but considering how quickly pickleball teams shot up in value, don't expect the $110 million mark to be the ceiling.

One team, the Texas Ranchers, announced their new owners. They include NFLers Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Bijan Robinson, and C.J. Stroud as well as golfer Scottie Scheffler and tennis player Taylor Fritz.

They join the ranks of athletes and celebrities like Tom Brady, LeBron James, Zach Bryan, and Naomi Osaka who have helped make pickleball an attractive investment.

There Is Some Serious Demand For Pickleball

It makes sense that a lot of people want in on team ownership. Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports out there, with a reported 36 million people taking part in the sport that is like a bastard child of tennis, badminton, paddleball, and wiffle ball.

Hell, it's is getting so popular these days, CBS preempted a championship Formula E race a few weeks ago to show some regular season MLP action (what an affront to the world of electric single-seater racing. Disgraceful. I'm still not over it).

But they wouldn't have done that if there weren't legions of pickleball fiends champing at the bit to see some action.

And there are clearly a lot of folks hungry for some pickleball these days.

Follow on X: @Matt_Reigle