Major League Pickleball comes to Columbus, Ohio on October 14-16 at Pickle & Chill. 

The three-day event puts 12 Majors League Pickleball teams (four players per team) in a winner takes all battle for the title of champion and the largest purse ($100,000) in professional pickleball. Team matches are composed of four games (women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and two mixed doubles), with a unique Dreambreaker™ singles tiebreaker.

Tom Brady and Kim Clijsters just bought a team. LeBron and other NBA stars are also going all in. NBC News was just in Columbus for a story about the sport's rising popularity.

But what is Major League Pickleball? We're glad you asked. Let's get into it.

 

Getting Started

 

Got it? Now here's how the Columbus MLP draw works. 

 

The Columbus MLP Draw

 

Hang around the court and you'll hear about the kitchen. It's the 14-foot wide area in the middle of the court you're not allowed to go in to hit a shot - unless the ball has bounced. Learn more:

 

The Kitchen

 

The Future of Pickleball in Columbus

The sport is growing incredibly fast and Columbus is at the forefront. Beyond hosting this event, Pickle & Chill is opening to the public in November 2022. On the north side of town, Pickle Shack opened earlier this summer. Columbus Rec & Parks offers pick-up, instruction and court rentals on 118 courts(!) on their website.

Want to see it played at a high level October 14-16? Register for your free tickets here.