Pickleballers now streaming on PickleballTV

MLP introduces key rule changes for 2026

January 15, 2026

 

Pickleballers, pickleball’s biggest podcast hosted by The Kitchen founder Jared Paul and PPA Tour pro Roscoe Bellamy, has officially been picked up by PickleballTV, the network announced Thursday.

That means you can now catch episodes of the show wherever you watch PickleballTV, whether that be on the app, on YouTube TV or on Amazon Prime.

The show, which was launched in the spring of 2025, has featured stars from all corners of the pickleball world, such as pro players Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns, PPA Tour Founder and CEO Connor Pardoe, and former NFL quarterback Drew Brees. Learn more below.

Also in this issue:

  • Win a new Franklin C45 paddle 💥

  • Pickleball’s first reality TV series 👀

  • Why 2026 could be Engage’s biggest year yet 📈

  • Pro pickleball is back at the PPA Masters 🙌

  • Major League Pickleball makes key rule changes 📋

  • Introducing Nos. 21-25 on the Pickleball Power 50 💪

Let’s get cookin’. 🧑‍🍳

NEW YEAR, NEW GEAR GIVEAWAY

Win a new Franklin C45 paddle

To celebrate the New Year we are partnering with Franklin to give away a brand new Franklin C45 Dynasty 16mm pickleball paddle.

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Giveaway ends on Friday, Jan. 16.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

The PPA Masters hits different

Pro pickleball is back this week at the PPA Tour Masters, and our team has been on-site all week watching the best players in the world compete in the year’s first Slam.

We’ve seen amazing points, a little bit of drama (the AJ Koller-Rafa Hewett rivalry lives on) and the vibes have been immaculate.

It should come as no surprise that Ben Johns was involved in one of the best points we’ve seen so far — showing that he’s still capable of taking over a point at any moment.

FEATURED STORY

Revamped ‘Engage 2.0’ building momentum, eying a big 2026

Robert Elliott has seen it all in the pickleball paddle manufacturing industry.

The founder and CEO of Engage Pickleball was one of the first to experiment with adding grit to the paddle face back in the mid-2010s, when he and his wife were among the top players in the U.S. and competing in tournaments throughout the country.

In the years since, Engage has remained one of the most trusted manufacturers in the sport, with a loyal customer base and a reputation for making quality paddles backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

But something happened over the past 2 years that Elliott admits left Engage struggling to keep up with modern paddle technology. As other companies took advantage of mass production capabilities and thermoforming tech available through Chinese manufacturers and factories throughout Asia, Elliott continued to make all of Engage’s paddles in the United States.

That meant better quality control and more direct oversight of the production process, but it also meant that he was trying to keep up while offering “Gen 1” paddles in a “Gen 3” world.

So Elliott made the decision in 2025 to shift Engage’s manufacturing overseas and soon after released the brand’s first “Gen 3” model (the Alpha Pro) as well as a 100% foam core option (the Profoam).

Elliott is now looking at the company as Engage 2.0, complete with a new sales and marketing team – which they never had before – and more of a focus on innovation moving forward.

“We’ve really transformed the company in the last 6-8 months,” Elliott said. “While we’ve maintained our place among the main brands in the sport, this new team and renewed focus on overseas R&D and technology puts us in position to work our way back into the top three to four brands globally in 2026.”

SUBSCRIBER-ONLY DISCOUNT: Use code “20 KITCHEN” to get 20% off site-wide at engagepickleball.com

PICKLEBALL POWER 50

Introducing Nos. 21-25 on our power list

In case you missed it last week, we recently launched our Pickleball Power 50 series, a ranking of the most influential people in pickleball. The list includes investors, CEOs, players, league executives, team owners, creators, podcasters, operators and more.

Today we dropped Nos. 21-25, which includes some big names that fans will recognize as well as behind-the-scenes operatives.

21. Richard Chaifetz – Owner of the St. Louis Shock, Richard brings institutional-scale leadership to Major League Pickleball. A prominent business leader and philanthropist, he applies long-term capital, professional operations, and civic credibility to franchise ownership, helping position the Shock as one of MLP’s most stable, ambitious, and well-run organizations.

22. Leigh Waters – Mom and coach of Anna Leigh Waters, she has been a central figure in developing the sport’s most dominant player. A former top-level competitor herself, Leigh has also coached other elite players and remains heavily involved in contract negotiations and brand partnerships, shaping how top pickleball talent is developed, represented, and managed at the highest level.

23. Ryan DeVos – Owner and General Manager of the Orlando Squeeze, Ryan oversees one of the most heavily invested franchises in Major League Pickleball. A private investor and entrepreneur, he brings institutional discipline and long-term capital to team ownership, positioning the Squeeze as a serious contender while raising operational standards across the league.

24. Bryce Morgan – President of the PPA Tour, he plays a central role in shaping the tour’s competitive calendar and selecting host sites for major events. Bryce is also involved in broader growth initiatives, including the introduction of regulated sports gambling, helping expand the commercial footprint, fan engagement, and long-term monetization of professional pickleball.

25. Mark Molthan – Owner of the Dallas Flash, he has been one of the earliest and most committed owners in Major League Pickleball. Mark has prioritized elite talent and continuity, helping the Flash remain a consistent title contender amid league expansion, roster turnover, and the evolving economics of professional pickleball. He also owns the underground pickleball club Fight Club in Dallas.

TRENDING

Pickleballers, pickleball’s biggest podcast hosted by The Kitchen founder Jared Paul and PPA Tour pro Roscoe Bellamy, has officially been picked up by PickleballTV and is now airing on the PickleballTV app, YouTube TV and Amazon Prime.

There have been 2 seasons and 26 episodes of the show so far, featuring many of the biggest names in the sport. Season 3 launches next week, with the first episode of the new season featuring tennis legend and pickleball enthusiast Andre Agassi.

"PickleballTV has provided pickleball fans the opportunity to watch pro players play, but now through this partnership they will get to learn more about the players and their lives on and off the court," Bellamy said. "We couldn't be more excited to kick off Season 3 with Andre Agassi and be in front of PickleballTV's audience moving forward."

THE PROS

Major League Pickleball announces rule changes, standings updates for 2026 season

Major League Pickleball on Wednesday released several new rules for the 2026 season, as well as the format for the upcoming free-agency draft.

The biggest changes involve allowing teams to use their full six-person lineup in the same match, a new regular-season event format that will crown a winner at all nine regular-season events and a new way of awarding standings points.

The free-agency draft will operate similarly to the 2025 version, with teams bidding for each selection slot. This gives teams the chance to utilize whatever bidding strategy they see fit in order to build the best full roster.

A key difference this year is the Premier Level free-agency draft will not be broken into two parts, so each team will draft their open roster spots until every team has a full roster of 6 players. In 2025, every team filled their four "starter" spots before any team could add a fifth or sixth player.

NEW SHOW

Pickleball Kingdom launches pickleball’s first reality TV series

Pickleball Kingdom has launched Season 1 of Pickleball Kingdom Paddle Battle, the first-ever pickleball competition reality TV series. Hosted by former Bachelor star Clayton Echard, the show features players competing for professional pickleball contracts and Pickleball Kingdom franchise ownership, with fan voting playing a direct role in the outcome.

Episodes 1 and 2 are now streaming on YouTube.

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