Cannabis and Professional Pickleball In First-Ever Sponsorship Deal

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. inks first cannabis sponsorship with professional pickleball leagues.

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (TCNNF) recently made history as the first official cannabis sponsor of professional pickleball. In August, the company announced an innovative agreement with United Pickleball Association (UPA), parent company of the Carvana Pro Pickleball Tour (PPA Tour) and Major League Pickleball by Margaritaville (MLP). Financial terms were not released, but the agreement gives Trulieve status as exclusive cannabis sponsor, and includes branding and digital integration.

The association is a timely one, as pickleball popularity continues to explode, while cannabis continues its evolution into a mainstream product. Components of the new collaboration include Trulieve sponsorship of 12 premier events across the PPA Tour and the MLP in Arizona, Florida, and Georgia, that began with the CIBC Atlanta Slam in September 2024, and will continue into 2025.

“We are focused on key markets where Trulieve has a significant retail presence,” said Gina Collins, Trulieve’s chief marketing officer. “As we learn more about the upcoming 2025 season and beyond, we are exploring sponsoring events in additional markets.”

The Trulieve sponsorship is based on promoting wellness benefits of cannabis to a large and diverse audience of athletes and spectators.

Explained Collins, “We are fostering a broader awareness of how cannabis can serve as a resource for professional and amateur athletes alike, as well as those simply looking for a more natural approach to wellness. Fun and engaging platforms like pickleball tournaments allow us to share knowledge and broaden perspectives around cannabis wellness.”

“It’s a strategic way to promote wellness,” said Jeffrey Watson, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the PPA Tour. “They (Trulieve) want to showcase the therapeutic benefits of cannabis with an active health conscious community, which our pickleball participants are. That can include adults who are interested in in pain management, joint recovery and possibly even anxiety relief.”

Not Just for Seniors Anymore

Since its invention in 1965 by former Washington state congressman and Lieutenant Governor Joel Pritchard and friends at his Bainbridge Island, WA home, pickleball has slowly gained momentum and transitioned from a casual family and senior-friendly sport, to one that attracts players and competitors of all ages. The “Father of Pickleball” would be amazed at the degree to which his new racquet sport has swept the nation.

According to the 2024 Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) Topline Participation Report pickleball is the fastest-growing sport for the third straight year with approximately 13.6 million players in the U.S. The report notes a 51.8% growth from 2022 to 2023, and an astonishing 223.5% growth over a three-year period.

The number of courts is also exploding, with over 12,000 pickleball locations and an estimated 44,094 courts in the United States.

Massive indoor/outdoor venues are opening on a daily basis, with more on the horizon to meet constant demand. PURE Pickleball and Padel, for example, is building what the founders call “the world’s largest pickleball facility” in Scottsdale, AZ. It will include 48 courts that can expand to 60, outdoor temporary courts and a 5,000 seat temporary stadium. The venue is scheduled to break ground in 2025.

Pro Circuit Develops

As pickleball has grown so, too, have numerous local and national organizations associated with the sport on the amateur and professional levels. Distinguishing between the various associations – APP, PPA, MLP, PWR, SPT, NPL, USOP – can be just alphabet soup to a novice.

However, the merger of the PPA Tour and MLP under the UPA umbrella has created an impressive powerhouse at the top of the pickleball universe. The leagues share the same roof but retain their individual competitive formats.

The PPA Tour, founded in 2019, is an individual competition league that attracts nearly 130 elite pro competitors who battle for ever-increasing purses. The 2024 season consists of 26 Tour stops, culminating in the season-ending Championship in San Clemente, CA, Dec. 4-8.

According to Watson, the most successful players earn more than $300,00 a year on average in prize money and payouts, not including individual sponsorship deals.

“We pay appearance fee salaries to our top players to make sure that we can sell a great product to our fans and our broadcasters. They want to know that all the best players in the world are coming and by doing this we can ensure that that you’ll have top players at all of these markets and on TV,” he said.

The dynamic growth has paid off and made professional pickleball a staple on broadcast television and streaming services. Like Law & Order, it has become ubiquitous, with matches seeming to air constantly on ESPN2, Tennis Channel, Pickleball TV, MLP YouTube, CBS, Fox, ABC or Prime Video.

A unique component of the PPA Tour format, and one that partners find particularly attractive, is the inclusion of amateur competitions. Watson estimates that PPA Tour events draw more than 1,000 amateurs competing across all ages and skill levels, expanding sponsorship reach from solely pro athletes and spectators to a large group of active players. Brackets even include a wheelchair division.

MLP, on the other hand, is a team-based league of 22 hometown, 4-person coed teams across two levels, Premier and Challenger. Teams feature celebrity ownership groups from the NFL, NBA, Olympics, WNBA, Tennis, MLB, entertainment and social media.

The current 11-game season culminates with quarterfinals in Dallas November 1-3, and semifinals/finals in Orlando, FL November 22-24. Similar to the English Football League system, Challenger teams have the opportunity for promotion into the Premier Level based on performance.

The entertaining format is comprised of women’s doubles, men’s doubles and finals with mixed doubles. MLP plans to introduce an amateur component in 2025, similar to the PPA Tour.

Presence in both leagues offers Trulieve the opportunity to leverage numerous distinct audiences to grow the brand. At the same time, the company is in the process of developing and launching a new line of wellness products called Momenta Active, geared toward anyone who engages in high-intensity activities like pickleball or other sports.

“Our team’s focus at each event is on positively engaging with pickleball fans to destigmatize cannabis by sharing knowledge and providing educational resources,” said Collins. “We also try to enhance the experience with branded gifts like paddles and shirts that fans can use for autographs or to play with at their local court.”

Reefer Madness…Not

Don’t expect free joints or product samples at events where Trulieve is present, at least for the time being.

Collins described their sponsorship as a custom agreement that conforms to the unique regulatory environment around cannabis. Trulieve will only activate in markets where the government has determined it legal.

Added Watson, “Thousands of amateurs and spectators come to our events and the fact is we have alcohol sponsors. It’s kind of the same. It’s regulated by the government, and we follow all state and local regulations to a tee to make sure that what we’re doing is right.”

As far as professional pickleball athletes and cannabis, Watson pointed out that major professional sports leagues no longer test for cannabis, adding that there are currently no plans to institute drug testing on the PPA Tour or MLP.

“It takes an immense amount of resources, both logistical and financial, to be able to get behind a legit drug testing program,” he explained. “And we’ve not seen any competitive advantages of PEDs in pickleball, or an issue of PEDs among our athletes.”

Paddles, not PEDs, are a more pressing concern for the regulating bodies. As technology advances, the problem of conforming equipment has become as thorny an issue as it continues to be in professional golf.

A Bert and Erne Partnership

Cannabis companies are increasingly positioning themselves around wellness and recovery as opposed to just recreational use. And professional pickleball tournaments offer unparalleled access to a highly desirable demographic of potential customers. It’s a win-win for both parties.

“Education is at the heart of Trulieve’s mission,” reiterated Collins, “but the most important aspect is reaching and educating consumers who may be new to cannabis or may not have considered it before.”

She added, “By providing insights on the benefits of cannabis and its potential to enhance wellness routines, any interaction is successful if someone walks away even just a little more canna-curious than they were before.”

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