UPDATE November 9, 2022: PPA's Tom Dundon and MLP's Steve Kuhn agreed to operate a joint league under the MLP brand name and format, merging VIBE and MLP into one league. More details here.
The Vibe Pickleball League has started announcing players that have entered their upcoming 2023 draft. From the looks of the players mentioned, Ben Johns being number 1, it appears the Vibe Pickleball League is the PPA Tour's response to MLP.
The PPA will dabble into the team pickleball concept at the Bubbly Team Championships in December. But it looks like bigger plans are already in the works for 2023.
An announcement is scheduled for November 3 where we expect to learn more of the details about the league. For now, it is all speculation.
That does not stop pickleball fanatics from deep diving into the new league. A closer look at the IG suggests some names that are likely involved in the league.
Re: #pickleball #TOURWARS
— Johnny5pointOH (@Johnny5pointOH) October 29, 2022
Only 7 pros announced for @PPAtour ‘s @vibepbleague so far: @BenJohns_pb @tylerloong @CP_Pickleball @Calliesmithpb @LucyKovalova @jaydevilliers & Riley Newman.
No @AnnaLeighWaters & @TysonMcMulletPB yet
Glaring Follow on insta for VPB is @mcuban 👀 💰 pic.twitter.com/mEL8uhuopb
You could see Cuban's desire to get involved in pickleball after hearing about Lebron and Draymond buying in. His Dallas allegiance and suspected connections with Tom Dundon line up with a venture into the PPA. Seeing as how he is one of the few followed by the league, it's assumed that he will have some level of involvement.
Tour Wars
It was rumored that the Tour Wars might be coming to an end but this news show that they are alive and well. With a new league comes an all new opportunity for investment and innovation. MLP's new format will have larger payouts and earning potential for players, let's see how Vibe keeps pace.
