MLP Challenger Level Merchandise: With MLP Washington D.C. in full swing, now is the ideal time to review the merchandise offerings from the Challenger Level teams. While some teams have impressed with exceptional designs and effective branding, others still have opportunities for enhancement.
Miami Pickleball Club
Team Members: Rianna Valdes, Eric Oncins, Milan Rane, Roscoe Bellamy
The Sunshine State would lead the way in merchandise at both Premier and Challenger levels. The Miami Pickleball Club’s vibrant hot pink and black color scheme is truly eye-catching. Their beach club style brings to mind retro coastal living, making their merchandise both appealing and nostalgic.
Miami’s offerings are diverse, featuring T-shirts, hats, snapbacks, bucket hats, cropped hoodies, and tote bags. The variety in designs and fonts caters to a broad audience, ensuring there’s something for everyone. It’s a winning combination that showcases the club’s creative edge.
Bay Area Breakers
Team Members: Rachel Rettger, Patrick Kawka, Collin Shick, Vivian Glozman
Partnering with Stack Athletics, the Bay Area Breakers have produced merchandise that’s both aesthetically pleasing and high-quality. Their innovative wave logo, cleverly designed to resemble a pickleball, stands out. The bold color scheme of baby blue, electric pink, and black is flattering and visually striking.
The Breakers’ merchandise lineup features a variety of stylish hats, T-shirts, tank tops, and even a sleek pickleball paddle. The collaboration between the team and Stack Athletics is clear in every item, enhancing the appeal and desirability of their merchandise.
Atlanta Bouncers
Team Members: Genie Erokhina, Todd Fought, Jaume Martinez Vich, Angie Walker
The Atlanta Bouncers have forged an innovative partnership with Michelob Ultra to create gear that is both fun and distinctive. Their designs, reminiscent of artistic beer cans, add a playful twist to pickleball merchandise.
A standout piece is the “Dinks on the house” shirt, which, combined with their logo—a pickleball that looks like a peach—adds a fun, regional touch. The Bouncers’ merchandise captures the spirit of Atlanta with creativity and flair.
SoCal Hard Eights
Team Members: Max Manthou, Irina Tereschenko, Christine Maddox, Erik Lange
The SoCal Hard Eights have chosen bright colors that make their logo noticeable. The design combines dice with a pickleball paddle, reflecting the founders’ love of craps. This creates a clever and visually attractive logo.
Their merchandise range includes T-shirts, hats, and full sweat suits, along with a branded pickleball paddle. The Hard Eights’ playful design and bold colors make their merch a standout in the Challenger Level.
Chicago Slice
Team Members: Allison Harris, Kelsey Grambeau, Brendon Long, Jack Munro
The Chicago Slice boasts one of the most delightful logos in MLP—a ferocious dinking pizza slice. This playful design is sure to bring a smile to any pickleball fan’s face.
While their current merchandise selection is limited to a T-shirt, hoodie, and hat, the Slice gets major bonus points for offering a player bag—the only team to do so. With more styles and options, their merch could climb even higher in the rankings.
California Black Bears
Team Members: Rafa Hewett, Amanda Hendry, Emily Cederquist, DJ Young
Working with Stack Athletics, the California Black Bears offer a strong collection featuring a black and pink color scheme. Their standout piece is the bear paw hat, with a design that cleverly incorporates a pickleball into the paw print.
However, the Black Bears’ logo on their T-shirts is a straightforward bear image, which could be enhanced with more pickleball-specific elements. Adding a pickleball paddle into the bear’s mouth could enhance the design.
Brooklyn Aces
Team Members: Lina Padegimaite, Daniel De La Rosa, Martin Emmrich, Layne Sleeth
The Brooklyn Aces feature a clever logo that incorporates the iconic Brooklyn Bridge with a pickleball twist. The black and blue color scheme is sleek, but their merchandise offerings are currently limited to hats, short-sleeve, and long-sleeve shirts.
With Lotto Sport now a co-owner, there’s hope for an expanded and exciting merch lineup in the future. There is the potential for the Aces to significantly enhance their merchandising game.
Las Vegas Night Owls
Team Members: Anderson Scarpa, Judit Castillo, Chao (Zoey) Yi Wang, Mota Alhouni
The Las Vegas Night Owls have a sleek logo featuring a V-design with owl wings and a sharp font. While it’s effortlessly cool, it lacks a direct pickleball reference.
Their minimalist black and white color scheme is stylish, but given the dynamic nature of Las Vegas, there is a potential for more exciting and vibrant merchandise that captures the city’s essence.
Frisco Pandas
Team Members: Ewa Radzikowska, Alli Phillips, John Cincola, Stefan Auvergne
The Frisco Pandas’ black and white color scheme makes perfect sense for their panda theme. However, like the Night Owls, their logo could benefit from incorporating more pickleball elements—perhaps making the panda’s eyes pickleball or having the panda hold a paddle.
The Pandas earn extra points for offering a rope hat, which adds a touch of style to their collection. There’s room for growth, but the foundation is strong.
Florida Smash
Team Members: Travis Rettenmaier, Patrick Smith, Tammy Emmrich, Martina Frantova
Rounding off the rankings, the Florida Smash offers a bright green and white color scheme. While visually appealing, their merchandise primarily features the word “Smash,” which lacks excitement.
Given their St. Petersburg base, incorporating local landmarks or more pickleball elements into their designs could make their merchandise more engaging and distinctive. There’s potential here, but it’s not fully realized yet.
News in Brief: MLP Challenger Level Merchandise
The merchandise offerings at Major League Pickleball’s Challenger Level teams vary widely in creativity and appeal. Leading the pack is the Miami Pickleball Club with its vibrant, retro-inspired designs and extensive range, from T-shirts to bucket hats. Bay Area Breakers impress with a clever wave logo and stylish collaboration with Stack Athletics, while Atlanta Bouncers stand out with their playful, regional-themed designs in partnership with Michelob Ultra.
SoCal Hard Eights and Chicago Slice showcase distinctive logos, though the latter could expand its range. California Black Bears and Brooklyn Aces offer solid foundations with room for enhancement, while Las Vegas Night Owls and Frisco Pandas could benefit from more pickleball-centric designs. Florida Smash rounds off with a visually appealing but somewhat generic lineup. Overall, there’s potential for each team to strengthen their brand identity through innovative design and fan-centric offerings.
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