Electric Atmosphere and Top-Tier Talent at the MLP Dallas Pickleball Tournament
Thousands gathered at the Brookhaven Country Club, in balmy Farmer’s Branch, Texas, to watch the four-day MLP Dallas by Margaritaville pickleball tournament featuring up-and-coming players alongside the most renowned athletes in the game. Energy ran high, as would be expected from such a wild spectacle; from the bleachers fans poured out to their favorite players words of support, praise, and encouragement, courtside microphones picking up the action.
The MLP live stream showed just about everything going on before and during matches. Showcased in Dallas were mixed doubles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and singles, every match intense and competitive. A commentator mentioned that only one coach or general manager per game was allowed on court, but that couldn’t curtail the flow of strategies and tips and good vibes coming from fellow players and spectators. The atmosphere was charged.
Of the many benefits of watching professional pickleball, high on the list would be seeing players of the first rank warm up and volley back and forth, an element of the game to be appreciated and remembered. Besides the sheer thrill of observing, much can be learned and adapted to your own game. If you go back and view the footage, what a treat it will be to watch the players loosen up and try different things. Speaking of treats, MLP, the PPA, and the Tennis Channel have created a twenty-four hour pickleball network, pickleballtv!
A little humor found its way into the festivities. At times, on all four days, shadows covered parts of the courts, almost swallowing them whole now and again. One might be curious to know how those shadows affected the games, if at all. Occasional misreads may have occurred because of the dark areas, but only the players themselves could say for sure whether or not it was harder to do battle. The sun, too, may have played tricks at times, interfering with side lines. From the viewers’ point of view, a few moments provided a laugh or two. Check out the matches and see for yourself the challenges from court to court. Regardless of which court you watched, though, the athletes were in superb form, giving the audience their best. Imagine the highlight reel!
Audience participation soared for Dreambreakers—fast-paced singles matches played by the all-stars of pro pickleball. The players, not all of them regular singles players, scrambled under pressure and had mere moments to display their skills and gain advantage. Also fun was seeing top players grouped together, some of whom might not have played as teammates in previous tournaments.
One important detail about the tournament, the theme running through the event: celebration—a celebration of the sport, of the athletes, of the audience, of everything that pickleball represents to those who play as professionals or just for recreation, as well as those who watch online and on TV and attend matches. And although tempers got hot a few times, everybody seemed to be having fun, the players smiling, showing sportsmanship, high-fiving, fist-pumping, chest-bumping, hugging. As promised, fans were rewarded with four days of dazzling pickleball. According to Mike Branon’s article, “How To Play Happier Pickleball,” that is pickleball’s purpose—to be happy. For the most part, that’s what happened at the MLP Dallas by Margaritaville tournament.
For information, match results, or to see footage, visit here.
I can feel the tone of the game as you describe it. Trying to step up my game! Glad there is good sportsmanship at the professional level
I never knew about the twenty-four hour pickleball network, pickleballtv!
Mike, thank you for reading and for the kind words. That was a fun tournament to watch and if you’re interested you can probably find the footage somewhere and see for yourself all the action. Watching the best players at work will help your game! Keep playing!