Pickleball Slam beats MLB, NBA and NHL in TV ratings

The recent Pickleball Slam has surpassed some of the most popular sporting events in terms of TV ratings, outperforming the likes of MLB, NBA, and NHL.

Pickleball is a unique paddle sport that incorporates elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. Tennis legends John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Michael Change participated in the tournament.

The Slam, comprising both singles and doubles matches, was held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The event boasted an impressive $1 million purse and was broadcast live on ESPN US, just before the March Madness women's championship game.

According to Yahoo News, ESPN's coverage of the Slam garnered an impressive viewership of 237,000 adults under the age of 50. It outperformed 13 nationally televised MLB games, seven NBA matchups, and five NHL games.

It even surpassed several international soccer matches, including those from the Premier League, Liga MX, Bundesliga, and MLS.

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Tennis needs to figure a way to work with pickleball, says leading journalist

John McEnroe at the slam

The increasing popularity of pickleball, particularly in the United States, has left a significant portion of tennis fans feeling frustrated. In response, esteemed journalist Jon Wertheim emphasized the importance of finding a way for both racket sports to coexist harmoniously.

On Sunday, April 2, the highly anticipated 2023 Miami Open final between Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner was held at the Hard Rock Stadium. Meanwhile, in a different part of Florida, tennis legends Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, and John McEnroe participated in the pickleball event.

Numerous fans expressed their dissatisfaction with the emergence of the new sport, with some even expressing fear that it may displace tennis. One fan went as far as to suggest that something seemed amiss, citing the endorsement of the sport by tennis legends during the Floridian ATP Masters 1000 tournament final.

"on one channel I have Miami finals and on the other channel 4 tennis legends are playing pickleball in Miami at the same time (and are not watching the final), something seems off…," the fan wrote on Twitter.

Reacting to the tweet, Wertheim opined that the best solution to the debate will be advocating for a mutual co-existence between the two sports.

"Tennis needs to figure out a way to work with pickleball and not against it. Ride the wave. Use it to accentuate Sinner/Medvedev not cannibalize it….This is a popular podcast that advertisers love right now. Tennis should be (or should’ve been) Spotify," his tweet read.