The Major League Pickleball (MLP) racket sport property has brought in Julio DePietro as chief executive and Bruce Popko as chief operating officer.
MLP, which launched in 2021, has said the new hires will “leverage their experience in finance, media, and sports business to grow new revenue streams, help MLP appeal to new audiences, and shepherd the sport into a new era.”
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They will work closely with Anne Worcester, current MLP strategic advisor, to strengthen the leadership team of the 24-team league. Brian Levine, interim chief executive, will transition into an advisory role for the organization.
Steve Kuhn, MLP’s founder, said: “[DePietro and Popko] both bring an incredible pedigree, leadership ability, and valued perspective to MLP and the sport of pickleball. I know that their collective insights and experience will help us rapidly accelerate MLP’s continued growth and the overall popularization of the sport.”
DePietro began in the finance sector, before becoming a partner at Citadel Investment Group (working alongside Kuhn there). He then transitioned into the independent film industry.
He is also part-owner of the Florida Smash MLP team, where he introduced “a geographical connection for his team," a concept that the wider league has since taken up. This new role will see him soon divesting that stake in the Smash.
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By GlobalDataPopko, meanwhile, has over 30 years of experience in the sports industry, most recently as the chief operating officer at the Buffalo Bills American football outfit.
He has worked, in addition, for the NFL’s New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, and Cleveland Browns.
Previous roles also include time spent as a senior vice president at sports and entertainment heavyweight IMG.
MLP has said his experience in “revenue generation, merchandise and licensing, media rights, and marketing integration” will be invaluable and that he will work with the 24 franchises to “establish best practices and additional business development at the team level.”
Pickleball, which combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, can involve either two or four players, and can take place indoors or outdoors, is growing rapidly in popularity in the US.
A report by the Association of Pickleball Professionals in January found that between August 2021 and August 2022 over 36.5 million people played the sport.
Investors and owners in the US' MLP so far include American football icons Tom Brady and Drew Brees, and NBA stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
DePietro has been quoted by CNBC as saying the league is in “advanced conversations with an A-plus-type broadcast partner” for the 2024 season.
MLP tournaments are currently spread across a range of broadcast partners, including YouTube, ESPN, and the Tennis Channel.
In May, Amazon Prime Video announced a multi-year streaming deal with the Professional Pickleball Association, the organizer of the US’ professional PPA Tour.
