Nearly 4.2 million Americans play pickleball, but here’s why that number could soon grow higher

Pickleball just keeps courting celebrity investors. Is it poised to become the new national pastime?

Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and International Tennis Hall of Famer Kim Clijsters are the latest all-star athletes getting in on the pickleball craze.  They are part of an ownership group led by Knighthead Capital Management that has purchased an expansion team for the 2023 Major League Pickleball (MLP) season.

(Yes, there’s a professional pickleball league, founded in 2021).

“Of course, I’m excited at the investment opportunity,” said Clijsters in a statement. “But what excites me the most about becoming an MLP owner is that I get to help shape the future of pickleball, a sport I have come to love, with great people — who also happen to be some of my best friends.”