The Pickleball Slam, featuring tennis legends Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, John McEnroe and Michael Chang playing the new fast-growing racquet sport, drew nearly 670,000 viewers on ESPN on Sunday.
Viewing peaked with 796,000 viewers during the doubles match that secured the $1 million purse for Agassi and Roddick.
Agassi and Roddick beat McEnroe and Chang in three sets, 21-15, 21-32, 12-10. Earlier in singles, McEnroe beat Agassi 15-13, 16-14 and Roddick defeated Chang 15-10, 15-10.
The Inaugural Pickleball Slam was put together by Horizon Sports & Experiences, the new agency formed by former Turner president David Levy, working with InsideOut Sports & Entertainment.
Sandwich chain Subway was the presenting sponsor of the Pickleball Slam and K-Swiss signed on as the official shoe of the event.
The producers of the event pointed out that the Pickleball Slam’s total audience on ESPN was 27% higher than its lead in and 33% higher than the XFL game that followed.
The Pickleball Slam also drew more viewers than The Miami Open Men’s Final on The Tennis Channel, the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Newcastle on USA Network and the New York Rangers-Washington Capitals game on TNT.
The Pickleball Slam was broadcast live Sunday on ESPN before a sold-out crowd from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The record-breaking crowd was the largest to view a live pickleball event.
