If you watch tournaments and wonder, “How much do pro pickleball players make anyways?” to yourself, you aren’t alone. There’s a lot of mystery around the sport and what it looks like to make a living from playing pickleball. Maybe that’s because the sport is new, or maybe it’s because people go from amateurs to pros in no time.
Regardless of why you want to know what pickleball players make, we’re right there with you! Take a look at how players make money and what they earn, and view the net worth of your favorite players.
Potential Earnings of a Professional Pickleball Player
So many variables go into answering the question “How much do pro pickleball players make” that it’s hard to give a concrete answer. In fact, it’s impossible! Professional pickleball players make, on average, between $50,000 and $200,000 per year. Yes, we know, that’s a huge range!
In general, pro pickleball players who have sponsorships from well-known brands earn the most. Players who are part of the Professional Pickleball Association Tour tend to earn more because there are more chances to win money, and sponsors are more likely to be interested in signing a sponsorship deal with those players.
How Do Pickleball Players Make Money?
Pickleball professionals have to do a lot more than just play pickleball if they want to make good money. There are multiple ways for pickleball pros to earn, and their total yearly income is a combination of the earnings from all of those sources.
Let’s break down how professional players can earn money from the sport.
Tournament Money
There’s a common misconception that people who are playing pickleball professionally are cashing out with tournament prize money. While prize money is nice, it’s usually not the main source of income for a professional pickleball player. The reason is simple; there’s just not enough prize money up for grabs.
For example, the USAPA National Championship could have $80k of prize money available to win, but that won’t all be to one player. It gets spread around with the champions of each category, sometimes walking away with as little as $2,500 per category.
The number of tournaments in the USA with prize money of $20,000 or more is extremely limited too. Some players make more by traveling to other countries to play, while others just focus on other ways of earning from the sport.
A pickleball player’s earnings from winning tournaments are significantly less than those of a professional tennis player who wins professional tournaments. We’d love to see the earnings opportunities for pickleball matches and tournaments increase as the sport grows.
Sponsors
Sponsors are one of the best ways for professional pickleball players to make a living playing pickleball. More brands are looking to sponsor professional pickleball players each year as the sport grows, so the earning opportunities are growing too!
The most common type of pickleball sponsorship is from a brand that makes pickleball apparel or gear. Selkirk sponsors several players who are part of “Team Selkirk” and always use Selkirk paddles on the court. FILA and PaddleTek are also big sponsors of the sport, with multiple players holding contracts with the companies.
Some brands even allow players to design a custom pickleball paddle the brand will sell, but only the biggest players will receive that offer.
The hope is that professional pickleball players can someday make as much from their sponsorships as professional athletes in other sports do! If that happened, pickleball pros wouldn’t need to have as many income sources, and they could spend more time perfecting their craft.
Teaching
Many professional pickleball players earn money by sharing their tips and trick for mastering the pickleball court. When a professional athlete isn’t training for tournament play, coaching is a reliable way to earn.
There are a few ways players can make a living by teaching. Many players get hired at a country club or training camp as pickleball coaches, while others prefer to start their own coaching clinic.
Pickleball coaching can be done from one location that’s local for the player, or they can offer traveling clinics around the country.
Teaching around the country allows players to charge a bit more and makes reaching more players easier, which is always the goal.
Social Media
Once a player has won some prize money and made a name for themselves, social media can be a powerful way to catapult their income. Consider this; some people do social media as their sole income source, and they aren’t professional athletes. If those people can do it, pickleball players with loyal fans certainly can too!
Social media as a form of income is more popular with younger pickleball players who are newer to the sport. Parris Todd, Shea Underwood, and Tyson McGuffin are some of the players who have a large social media following.
Simone Jardim has a huge social media presence on YouTube with short training videos that share pickleball tips and skill drills for players looking to improve. Having a large social media following can also entice potential sponsors to work with you, so utilizing social media is necessary for anyone who dreams of becoming a pro-pickleball player.
Net Worth of Some Professional Pickleball Players
We’ve already established there’s a big range of income potential for pro pickleball players, but there’s no better way to see what the sport can pay than by looking at some of the biggest players in the game right now.
Ben Johns
Ben Johns is arguably one of the most successful pickleball pros ever. He created the blueprint for other players to learn how to make real money playing the sport. It’s estimated that Ben Johns has a net worth of 1.5 million dollars, so it’s safe to say he’s been successful.
He has earned more than $145,000 from prize money with more than 50 gold medals. Franklin Sports endorsed Johns in 2019, and while the exact details aren’t public, it’s clear the sponsorship has been wildly beneficial for both parties.
Simone Jardim
Simone Jardim is one of the best examples of turning pickleball skills into an incredibly lucrative career. Despite announcing her retirement from tournaments at the end of 22, Jardim has an estimated net worth of 2 million dollars.
She won some prize money, but that’s not where the majority comes from. Simone co-founded the Peak Performance Pickleball Academy, which has seen great success. She also has had sponsorships with Nike, JOOLA, and Jigsaw Health.
When Simone isn’t playing or coaching, she maintains a profitable social media presence and invests in real estate as an additional income source.
Tyson McGuffin
Tyson McGuffin is another pro player with a net worth of around 2 million dollars. Tyson has had great success in tournament play, but most of his income doesn’t come from prize money. McGuffin hosts pickleball camps around the country, which is an excellent income source.
He also has sponsors, like, a lot of sponsors! His current sponsorships include Skechers, Tourna Pickleball, Asea, Selkirk Sport, Chicken N Pickle, Pickle Play, Salt Stick, Hekate, and Bemer Group.
FAQ
How much does the average pro pickleball player make?
It’s almost impossible to say the average earnings for a pro pickleball player because it varies so much! Most pros bring home between $50k and $200k per year.
What is the prize money for pro pickleball?
Some tournaments, including those on the Pro Pickleball Association Tour, have prize money up for grabs. If a tournament advertises $80,000 of prize money, don’t think that all goes to one player!
Prize money is given to the champion of each event category, and the amounts are typically less than $5,000 per player.
How much does Ben Johns make in pickleball?
Ben Johns has a net worth of around 1.5 million and is often called the highest-paid pickleball player.
Key Takeaways
- Most pickleball pros aren’t living off their tournament winnings. Instead, they use coaching, sponsorships, and the internet to make more money off their pickleball court skills.
- Pickleball pros get paid significantly less than pros in other sports, but hopefully, that will change in the future.
- If you want to play pickleball for the money, you should pick a different sport! Pickleball players have to work to gain sponsorships and a fan base before the career is really lucrative.
- All the highest-paid professional players have multiple ways of making money, including some that may not directly relate to the sport.