Carolina Hurricanes, Carvana, and Top Golf Investor, Tom Dundon Acquires Majority Ownership of PPA, Pickleball Central, and PickleballTournaments.com
The voice of pickleball, Dink Pickleball as well as NML Pickleball blogs broke the story early yesterday (Sunday, 1/2/2022) that Dundon Capital Partners is a Dallas-based private investment firm founded in 2015 by Tom Dundon, acquired the PPA Professional Pickleball Association. The PPA is the premier federation in Professional Pickleball, as noted in their motto “Play Where The Pro’s Play”.
Neither group has put out an official press release however the news was verified via the Pickleball Forum Facebook Group where the PPA founder Connor Pardoe acknowledged the transaction in the comments.
This story follows the December 27th official press release that Dundon Capital Partners acquired Pickleball Central, the self proclaimed largest company in the world of pickleball, Pickleball central sells pickleball related merch and provides match level data to various professional pickleball events via PickleballTournaments.com
In June of 2021 the PPA announced along with Genius Sport that the two companies entered into a long term data and streaming rights agreement to bring Professional Pickleball to betting markets worldwide. Legal betting on PPA Pro Pickleball is expecting to begin in the 2022 PPA Tour Season.
Want to learn more about the inside world of professional pickleball? Listen to “The Voice Of Pickleball”, the #1 Pickleball Podcast “PicklePod” from Dink Pickleball featuring hosts Thomas Shields and Tyson Apostle. Listen & subscribe from the official show page.
About Dundon Capital Partners
Dundon Capital Partners is a Dallas-based private investment firm founded in 2015 by Tom Dundon, chairman and managing Partner, who brings more than 25 years of experience as an operator and investor across numerous industries, including financial services, sports & entertainment, hospitality and real estate.
About PPA Professional Pickleball Association
The Professional Pickleball Association is the professional tour for the sport of pickleball, organizing events and rankings for the top male and female pickleball players in the world and awarding over $2.5 million in annual prize money. With more than 20 events in 2022 at world-class facilities like the Linder Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati and the Aviva Center in Toronto, the PPA Tour is the premier provider of professional and amateur events. The league expects to welcome more than a quarter-million fans on-site, as well as garner over half a million in total viewership for each event, thanks to partnerships with broadcasting powerhouses such as FOX Sports, Tennis Channel, CBS Sports, and ESPN+. Founded in 2018 and based in Salt Lake City, Utah, the PPA Tour provides an unparalleled experience for all, inviting players to compete and “play where the pros play,” as well as offering unrivaled venues, food/beverages, live DJ entertainment, VIP experiences, giveaways and games, pro player meet-and-greets, shopping, vendors, and more. For more information, go to www.ppatour.com.
Good afternoon,
My name is Valerie Coleman. I watched the PPA Built Red Rock Open on Friday, April 8, 2022. Morgan Evans was the commentator along with Lucy Kovalova. The following occurred:
T. McGuffin/L.Stratman 10 video counter 5:55:56
C. Johns /L. Jansen 6
Morgan Evans made the following statement and I quote:
“Possibly getting a little anger out on that one, slapping it like Chris Rock.”
I was absolutely appalled at his comment. The Chris Rock situation was/is devastating, unhealthy and unpleasant for a lot of people around the globe.
To relate a physically abusive situation to anything Pickleball is in extremely poor taste and definitely out of place for the integrity that the game has been built and stands upon.
As I re-watched the tournament to get the particulars of when he said what he said, following are other negative/abusive comments he made.
J. Irvine/J. Devilliers 4 video counter 5:11:18
C. Smith/A. J. Koller 1
(Callie Smith made an incorrect call and quickly changed it).
Morgan Evans said and again I quote:
“Callie has quickly overruled herself just to avoid a fist fight,” and
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
These negative connotations were out of order – there was no fist fight about to take place
and no woman was scorned.
MORGAN EVANS SHOULD BE MADE TO APOLOGIZE!!!!!!!!
Physical and/or any other abusive verbiage has no place in Pickleball.
2022 Pickleball Rules states:
3.A.44. Profanity – Words, phrases or hand gestures, common or uncommon, which are normally considered inappropriate in “polite company” or around children. Typically included are four letter words used as expletives or verbal intensifiers.
What Morgan Evans said each time was ‘considered inappropriate in “polite company” or around children’. Though it’s a Pickleball rule, commentators should be held to the same standard.
This situation should be rectified immediately and a protocol put in place moving forward that the commentators never mention any sort of abusive and/or negative event(s) or verbiage and relate it to Pickleball in no shape, form or fashion.
*NOTE* None of the other multitude of commentators has ever said anything along these lines.