Franklin Sports Partners with Professional Pickleball Association
April 2, 2021
Stoughton, Mass. (April 1, 2021) – Franklin Sports and the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) announced a collaborative partnership that will recognize the professional tour’s top players in a new and exciting way.
Anchoring the partnership is the newly launched Franklin Cup, an award that will go to the top players across each PPA division on the men’s and women’s sides. Similar to the points-based ranking systems in other professional sports, such as golf, the Franklin Cup will go to the player in each division who has accumulated the most points in tour events throughout the calendar year. Each champion will hoist the Franklin Cup at the end of the season, and will have their name engraved on the trophy.
Additionally, Franklin Sports now has the naming rights on the PPA’s player ranking system, which highlights the top players across all of the men’s and women’s professional divisions. The Franklin PPA Player Rankings will be updated after every tour event to reflect player performance throughout the season, and the system will be published across all PPA web, social, and broadcast channels.
“The PPA Tour is home to a group of incredibly talented athletes who deserve recognition, so Franklin is proud to be involved in any initiatives that highlight the work that these players put into their craft,” said Adam Franklin, president of Franklin Sports. “We’re very much looking forward to watching the pro players climb the Franklin PPA Player Rankings in pursuit of the Franklin Cup, a first-of-its-kind trophy in the pickleball world. The competitive spirit on tour, along with the general growth of the sport, is really exciting to see, and we’re just happy to be a part of the movement.”
The collaborative partnership with the PPA builds on Franklin Sports’ strong presence within the sport. The Stoughton, Massachusetts-based company started designing its first pickleball product, the flagship X-40 Ball, in 2016. The brand has since partnered with five professional pickleball athletes, including the top-ranked men’s player in the sport, Ben Johns, and has launched an expansive collection of pickleball paddles, nets, balls, and other products.
“Franklin Sports is a big player in the pickleball industry, and we’re confident that our new partnership will bring additional attention and prestige to the PPA Tour as we move through 2021,” said PPA Commissioner Connor Pardoe. “We’re thrilled to do something that celebrates the success of our pro players on a cumulative basis and helps generate more excitement than ever before.”
The battle for the Franklin Cup kicks off this weekend (April 2-5) at the Newport Beach Doubles Shootout in Newport Beach, Calif. More information on the tournament can be found at www.ppatour.com. To learn more about Franklin Sports or to shop the brand’s pickleball collection, please visit www.franklinsports.com.