Pickleball Behind Bars: Inmates Are Getting DUPR Ratings

Good evening, picklers.

Here’s what’s on the docket today:

• Pickle Talk: Pickleball Behind Bars: Inmates Are Getting DUPR Ratings

• Bite-sized: The Art of the Timeout & MLP Wants That Profit Bag—And More Teams

• Golden Pickle: Dr Phil Gits the Courts, NY Hustler Trade Alert, UPA Adds 2 Aussies

PICKLE TALK

Pickleball Behind Bars: Inmates Are Getting DUPR Ratings

Pickleball is popping up everywhere—community centers, movie theaters , even Sonic parking lots. But now?

According to DUPR, it’s making moves behind bars.

Yup. Prisons are getting in on the fastest-growing sport in America, and inmates are stacking up DUPR ratings like they’re collecting ramen packets.

A DUPR Rating… for an Inmate?

At a maximum-security prison in Connecticut, 17 inmates just played in the first-ever official DUPR event behind bars.

✅ 36 matches in 2.5 hours

✅ Taped-down basketball courts turned into makeshift pickleball battlegrounds

✅ Anonymized rankings (because, you know… privacy.)

It’s all part of a growing movement to use pickleball for rehabilitation, helping inmates build skills, find community, and (hopefully) stay out of trouble when they get out.

The Man Behind It

Meet Angelo Rossetti, the founder of Pickleball for Incarcerated Communities League (PICL).

His mission? Give inmates a second chance through pickleball.

He’s teaching sportsmanship, discipline, and self-control—skills that translate to life outside. And according to Rossetti, the inmates were more respectful than most rec players. (Tough look for your local open play crew.)

Why It Matters

And the kicker?

Some of these guys might walk out already better than you.

BITE-SIZED PICKLES to watch out for this week 👀

1/ The Art of the Timeout

Timeouts aren’t just breathers—they’re momentum killers, rhythm wreckers, and sometimes, the difference between winning and walking off salty. In pickleball, knowing when to call one is just as important as how you play after.

Scenario #1: When Your Opponents Are Cookin’ 🔥

They just rattled off a few points. Now they’re strutting around like they own the court. Maybe even throwing in a little extra paddle spin between points. You know what to do.

Call timeout. Boom. Momentum? Gone.

Now they’re standing there, cooling off, maybe overthinking what’s been working. Best case? They come back stiff and second-guessing. Worst case? At least you stopped the bleeding.

Scenario #2: When You’re the One in the Blender 🤦‍♂️

Net. Out. Net. Out. You’re spiraling. You can feel it.

Hit the brakes.

Take a timeout. Reset. Breathe. Crack a joke. Anything to get out of your own head. You don’t lose until the last point is played. A 60-second mental reboot could be all you need to flip the script.

Bonus: The Sneaky Offensive Timeout 🧠

Most people use timeouts on defense, but the real pros? They’re calling them when they’re serving.

Picture this: You’re at match point, but for some reason, that last point is feeling impossible to close. You’re tight. They’re locked in.

Call a timeout. Let them marinate in their own nerves for a minute. Overthink it. You come back loose, they come back stiff. Game, set, match.

Master the pause, control the game.

2/ MLP Wants That Profit Bag—And More Teams

According to CNBC, Major League Pickleball is this close to profitability, and now it’s thinking bigger. Like, two new franchises bigger.

But here’s where it gets spicy—MLP is opening the doors for expansion for the first time in two years. If you’ve got $15M burning a hole in your pocket, congrats, you might just own a team.

And if you’re wondering whether it’s worth it… the AZ Drive just sold a controlling stake at a $10M+ valuation. Do the math. Prices are only going up.

👀 Investors are already lining up—nearly two dozen interested buyers in the past two weeks alone. If this happens, MLP jumps from 22 to 24 teams by 2026.

But let’s talk cash flow drama real quick.

• MLP needed a $10M bridge loan earlier this year

• Player contracts are front-loaded, so cash gets tight in the offseason

• But hey, women in PPA & MLP are making an average of $260K—more than WNBA and NWSL players

Not bad for a sport that had, like, 12 players and a folding table just a few years ago.

Of course, the A-list money is already here—LeBron, KD, Mahomes, Heidi Klum (???)—but now the question is: Which city is getting the next franchise?

GOLDEN PICKLE: Your must-clicks of the week

Just a few crumbs before you go…😉

1. DR. PHIL to the courts, please: Dr. Phil was seen playing pickleball with the Dallas Flash co-owner Mark Molthan and looking mighty fit at the age of 74 years old.

2. Super Bowl ALERT: Pickleball is the feature sport this year in Michelob Ultra’s newest Super Bowl commercial. And if you are a fan of Spider Man or Schitt’s Creek, it features actors Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara.
   

3. Spill it: 12-year-old Martin Yi interviews Mr Ben Johns and asks him: Ben, Why did Collin Dump You?”
   

4. Down Under: Starting Thursday, the PPA Australia Pickleball Open kicks off, featuring big players like Tyson McGuffin, Hurricane Tyra Black, and Collin Johns. You can watch the action on PickleballTV.

5. More Down Under: Speaking of Australia, The UPA spreads their wings and adds their first 2 Australian Pros this week. Introducing Tom Evans and Helena Spiridis, you will be able to see their talents on the PPA and MLP circuit starting June 2025.

6. Trade alert! 🚨 The NY Hustlers are making moves:

   • Shipped Jackie Kawamoto to DC for Vivian Glozman + some cash 💰

   • Sent CJ Klinger to Columbus, got Riley Newman + more $$$ in return

   Big shakeups. Let’s see how it plays out. 👀

7. Miss the last Pickle Talk? 👉🏻  2025 MLP: The Big Questions HOPEFULLY Getting Answered This Week, Federico Staksrud x adidas: Pickleball’s Power Duo, DUPR Joins the 1M Club