Can sports like pickleball and padel build sustainable professional leagues, or are they mainly participation booms?
Yes
They have two ingredients most “new pro sports” lack: mass participation + social play. Pickleball’s rapid grassroots growth creates a huge base of casual players who are naturally interested in watching the best players (the same flywheel that helped tennis clubs and golf). Leagues like the PPA/MLP ecosystem show that a commercial structure is already forming (teams, events, broadcast/streaming packages, sponsorships).
Padel has a particularly strong global runway: it’s already embedded in parts of Europe and Latin America, and its club model supports recurring revenue, coaching ecosystems, and local tournaments that feed a pro pipeline.
No
Participation doesn’t automatically convert into viewership. Lots of people play five-a-side football but don’t watch lower-tier futsal leagues. For long-term pro stability, you need media rights that scale, stars with crossover appeal, and formats that work on TV.
There’s also a risk of oversupply: too many events, too many tours, fragmented governance, and unclear “major” tournaments can cap prestige. These sports may end up like bowling or darts in many markets: sustainable as niche pro products, not mass-market ones.
