Pickleball Tournaments Draw Record Crowds as the Sport Goes Mainstream
Pickleball - once a backyard pastime, is now attracting massive audiences and solidifying its status as a mainstream powerhouse. Major tournaments are drawing record crowds, booming participation, and significant media attention. The 2025 Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships exemplified this meteoric rise, setting new benchmarks for attendance and fan engagement in professional pickleball.
The PPA Tour’s 2025 World Championships, held at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas, shattered expectations. Over the course of the event, more than 60,000 fans packed the venue, generating upwards of $1.1 million in ticket and hospitality revenue - a testament to the sport’s growing spectator appeal. The event combined world-class competition with festival-style energy, featuring concerts, celebrity exhibitions, and vibrant fan zones that created an atmosphere on par with major professional sports.
Source : PPA Tour
Record-Breaking Participation
On the courts, pickleball’s popularity was equally evident. A staggering 4,400 competitors from nearly all 50 U.S. states and 38 countries took part, competing in more than 6,000 matches over the two-week event - making it one of the largest gatherings of pickleball players in history. Amateur athletes competed alongside professionals, highlighting the sport’s broad and inclusive appeal.
Rising Fan Engagement and Media Reach
Pickleball’s mainstream breakthrough isn't limited to live spectatorship. Digital platforms saw tremendous engagement: Pickleballtv logged 70 million minutes watched, social media channels amassed 54 million impressions, and earned media coverage reached 1.2 billion potential viewers - a significant increase over previous years. These figures illustrate not only the dedicated fanbase pickleball has cultivated but also its expanding reach into the broader sports media ecosystem.
Stars and Storylines
Young phenoms like 18-year-old Anna Leigh Waters captivated audiences with historic performances. Waters achieved a dominant Triple Crown to become the winningest player in PPA Tour history. Celebrity involvement further boosted visibility, with icons like Dirk Nowitzki and J.D. Martinez appearing in exhibition matches, helping to attract non-traditional sports fans to the stands.
A Festival, Not Just a Tournament
Organizers and fans described the World Championships as more than a competition - it was a celebratory showcase of pickleball culture. With events ranging from collegiate championships to celebrity showdowns, the tournament demonstrated how pickleball has evolved into an entertainment spectacle capable of drawing widespread interest.
The Bigger Picture
The remarkable turnout and enthusiasm mirror broader trends in the sport’s growth. Events globally are attracting large numbers of participants and spectators, from record-setting crowds in Asia to expansive amateur championships in the U.S., signaling pickleball’s transition from a niche activity to a global sporting phenomenon.
As pickleball continues to expand its footprint, organizers, players, and fans are witnessing an unprecedented era of growth - one where packed arenas and buzzing online conversations are now the norm rather than the exception.