Pickleball’s Million-Dollar Gamble: Professional pickleball experienced a significant shift as the United Pickleball Association (UPA) pushed players to sign new contracts by August 15, 2025. The extensions moved many stars from guaranteed salaries to incentive-based prize money, potentially reshaping the sport’s financial landscape.
Contract Renegotiations and Flashbacks to 2023
Players were in the midst of contract talks, and several announced their signings on social media. Top names that had signed included Anna Bright, Tyra Black, Federico Staksrud, and Hayden Patriquin. However, major stars such as Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters had not yet signed.
This period drew comparisons to the “Tour Wars” of 2023. At that time, Major League Pickleball (MLP) and the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) had been set to merge. Instead, MLP began signing players to multi-year deals, prompting a reaction from PPA and creating widespread disruption. Eventually, the two organizations merged to form the UPA.
From Guaranteed Contracts to Incentive-Based Deals
The UPA moved away from large guaranteed deals. Under the new structure, a player with a $150,000 deal in 2026 would have it split across three years, earning $50,000 per year. The larger incentive came from prize money, as PPA and MLP events had begun offering substantially bigger payouts, including a $1,000,000 prize for the MLP championship team.
Deadlines and Prize Money Grids
The UPA imposed strict deadlines for Tour Wars signees. Players who signed by August 15 gained access to the “Gold” prize grid, where winning a slam could earn $45,000 each. Signing by September 23 reduced that amount to $12,000 per player. Players who did not sign remained on old deals but faced much smaller potential earnings.
Recent Signings
With one day remaining before the August 15 deadline, reporter Jimmy Miller shared on X that several notable players had already signed. These included:
Tyra Black (4 years)
Federico Staksrud (4 years)
Catherine Parenteau (5 years)
Tyson McGuffin (2 years)
Hayden Patriquin
Anna Bright
Despite this, key stars such as Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters, and the Johnson family had yet to sign.
Avoiding Contract Problems
The UPA sought to prevent an uneven system in which some stars retained massive guarantees while others moved to prize money. For instance, if John Bens refused to sign a new deal worth $1,000,000 per year while Banana Wright signed, the UPA risked facing both large guarantees and substantial prize payouts simultaneously.
Future Unknowns
It remained unclear how many players needed to sign for the prize money model to take effect. Observers expected that most top players would eventually sign extensions. Meanwhile, attention shifted to the World Pickleball Players Association (WPPA), led by Tina Pisnik, Collin Johns, Dekel Bar, Jessie Irvine, Jay Devilliers, and Gabe Tardio. Their role in the negotiations remained uncertain.
The UPA also announced two additional signings: Chris Haworth, the No. 1 singles player on the APP Tour, and Armaan Bhatia, the top Indian player and multiple-time APP event winner.
Why It Mattered
The outcome of these negotiations had the potential to reshape professional pickleball for years. If enough stars signed, prize money could become the primary driver of player earnings. If not, the sport risked facing another divide reminiscent of the 2023 Tour Wars.
News in Brief: Pickleball’s Million-Dollar Gamble
The UPA had pushed players to sign new contracts moving them from guaranteed money to prize-based earnings. Deadlines of August 15 and September 23 determined prize levels. Many stars, including Anna Bright, Tyra Black, and Federico Staksrud, signed, while Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters remained unsigned.