Pickleball players unite in opposition to chaos, merger, and pay cuts in the sport.

• A group of professional pickleball players have come together to express their worries about the sport's future.
• All Major League Pickleball stakeholders received a letter from the collective addressing their concerns.
• MLP and the Professional Pickleball Association Tour are trying to finalize a merger.

A group of professional pickleball players has banded together to express their worries about recent salary reductions and the sport's future direction.

The Major League Pickleball and Pro Pickleball Association Tour have been criticized by the collective for their treatment.

The MLP and the PPA Tour are currently discussing a potential merger, with the MLP asking players to accept a 40% pay cut in exchange for reduced work obligations to help the league achieve long-term financial stability.

The letter states that while we acknowledge the economic reality of pay-cuts, lies, threats, deceitfulness, false deadlines, and the refusal to honor written addendums and agreements are unacceptable in the league we cherish. We require honest answers to honest questions when collaborating on contract modifications, but have not received them.

Multiple players have expressed their dissatisfaction with the proposed pay cuts, stating that they feel unfairly treated and have received threats for not agreeing to them. Despite not being entirely against the cuts, they are concerned about the lack of transparency and the way the leagues have handled the situation. All players spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution.

Major League Pickleball has experienced a surge in popularity, leading to the attraction of high-profile ownership groups, including superstars such as LeBron James, Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, and Patrick Mahomes. Julio DePietro, who purchased a stake in the Florida Smash MLP team in 2022 and served as CEO, revealed in July 2022 that MLP team valuations had skyrocketed to $10 million after being acquired for as little as $100,000 since the league's inception in 2021.

Recently, the league has experienced significant leadership changes, with the departure of Steve Kuhn and Commissioner Brooks Wiley, as well as the resignation of CEO DePietro in July.

Although the merger between the PPA Tour and MLP is still pending, the players claim that PPA Tour CEO Connor Pardoe was the primary negotiator for their contracts, which they found surprising. Many players had opted for MLP over the PPA Tour to avoid dealing with Pardoe, and now they are being forced to negotiate with him.

The player was threatened with a 60% pay cut if they did not accept a 40% reduction by the next day. However, the league did not provide the player with additional information or a written proposal.

According to an anonymous owner who spoke to CNBC, MLP pay ranges from $30,000 to $2 million a year.

MLP and PPA Tour leadership threatened other players that if they didn't accept the cuts, they may be assigned to work in their developmental program coaching clinics or camps on their children's birthdays.

Another player stated that the formation of the collective was a result of the immoral, unethical, and arguably illegal negotiation tactics being employed.

According to Jillian Braverman, a former MLP Challenger champion and MVP who leads the collective, the group represents the interests of the majority of MLP's approximately 100 players. The collective began as a WhatsApp chat and has since evolved into a forum where players can share their experiences. Braverman stated that the group has received funding from an angel investor and has hired both an employment attorney and an antitrust attorney.

The players and the PPA Tour have collaborated extensively and have mostly comprehended the need to make adjustments to establish a sustainable professional pickleball industry that benefits all stakeholders.

One owner expressed hope that the collective is a warning to other owners about the proposed merger and the dire situation.

The owner, who declined to be named, stated that it's not all rainbows and butterflies for players, who are not happy. He added that things are not going well and they feel rightfully aggrieved.

Ritchie Tuazon, owner of MLP's California BLQK Bears, emphasized the importance of the collective, particularly for players who lack agent representation.

"A unified player voice is beneficial for pickleball," he stated.

The survey results of roughly 65 players were included in the collective's letter to MLP stakeholders, which comprised all owners.

The majority (92%) of respondents said that MLP leadership has failed to answer the majority of their questions during the pay cut negotiation process, while only 89% said they felt they were treated fairly.

The poll results regarding the PPA Tour were even more damaging, with 75% saying Connor Pardoe and the PPA Tour leadership team are not of high moral character and integrity. Additionally, 57% said they have felt victimized, harassed or bullied by the rival league.

The letter states that we believe that MLP has strayed from the values we cherish and has adopted the very ethos we rejected when we entered into long-term agreements with Major League Pickleball in August.

MLP leaders have not yet responded to Sunday's letter, and the group sent a follow-up note on Thursday to inform them that they have retained counsel.

The league sent a letter to players on Thursday, titled "Where We Stand," stating that over 85% of all 2023 Premiere Level Players have accepted reductions and new agreements with the merged MLP and PPA Tour.

The MLP stated that they are currently at capacity and will not be making any additional reductions. However, if players who have accepted a reduction wish to revert to their original deals, the MLP would be open to considering it.

The Pickleball Union, a news website, and a collective of players and agents disputed the claims made about the number of people who accepted the cuts. After conducting research, they found that the actual percentage of people who accepted the cuts was between 25% and 30%.

The league highlights in its Thursday letter that MLP owners have committed to an additional $10 million annually to fund operations and will receive another $50 million on January 1. After amended player agreements, there will be a 300% increase in total player salaries in 2024 compared to 2023, the league states.

The league ended the letter with a warning, though.

The letter states that if the merger is not completed by Jan. 31, 2024, the new agreements will be invalid, and deals will revert to the contracts signed with MLP or PPA, which will put the future viability and sustainability of MLP in doubt.