TIME's '100 Most Influential' Sports List: Anna Leigh Waters

"As pickleball popularity has soared since the COVID pandemic... one player has set a standard of excellence."

TIME Magazine just published its inaugural list of the 100 most influential people in sports.

The TIME100, as it's called, appears in the June 22 issue of the magazine, which hits newsstands on July 12.

It's mission is simple but ambitious:

From athletes and coaches to advocates and investors, these are the people shaping sports today

The list is a who's who of venerable figures in sports, from athletes to coaches to executives, and more.

Broken into four categories – Icons, Titans, Innovators, and Leaders – it honors such figures as LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Caitlin Clark, Lindsey Vonn, IShow Speed, and Alex Honnold.

"In our increasingly fragmented media environment, sports remains one of the last realms in which massive global audiences gather together in real time," explains TIME Editor in Chief Sam Jacobs of the list's creation.

"As a result, many industries have drawn closer to live sports, and athletes have continued to seize larger and larger platforms."

Pickleball's Moment in the Spotlight

In the "Leaders" category is a name unfamiliar to many TIME readers, we suspect, but sacred to us: Anna Leigh Waters.

Here is her description in full:

As pickleball popularity has soared since the COVID pandemic, and the sport has become a ubiquitous presence in communities across the United States, one player has set a standard of excellence.

Anna Leigh Waters, 19, the top-ranked player in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles on the PPA (Pro Pickleball Association) Tour, is not just the best; she’s nearly unbeatable. Waters, who lives in Boynton Beach, Fla., discovered pickleball in 2017 when her grandfather introduced her to the game in Pennsylvania–her family had evacuated up north during Hurricane Irma–and she and her mother started playing at a local club back in Florida.

Waters turned pro at 12, making her the youngest professional pickleball player ever, and climbed to the top of the rankings at 15. In January, Nike signed her as its first pickleball athlete, which has only raised her profile. During Super Bowl week in February she appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and snapped a photo with Joe Montana.

We're thrilled to see pickleball land a well-deserved place on this list. And not at all surprised that it's Waters who received the honors. Accolades, medals, and winning streaks aside, she is, without a doubt, the heart and soul of pro pickleball's evolving global brand.

Congrats, Anna Leigh.