PICKLEBALL IS NOW AN “AVIATIONAL” SPORT

IT’S OFFICIAL: PICKLEBALL IS NOW AN “AVIATIONAL” SPORT

At Sunday December 3rdThe Goodyear Blimp is said to enter the airspace over the Life Time Rancho sports resort San Clemente, California, where the top players from the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA Tour) compete in the CIBC PPA Tour Finals. This marks the first time the Goodyear Blimp will air a professional pickleball tournament, officially recognizing the sport and the PPA Tour as “Blimpworthy.”

To commemorate this moment for sport, PPA Tour athletes Anna Leigh Waters, Catherine Parenteau And Jay Devilliers joined the Goodyear Blimp pilots on Wednesday for a blimp flight to play the world’s smallest airborne pickleball match as well as a pop-up pickleball match at Goodyear’s blimp base in Carson, California with the airship watching.

With an average growth rate of 158.6% over the past three years, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America with more than 36.5 million players. The Carvana PPA Tour is pickleball’s pro tour, where the sport’s top athletes compete to determine the best male and female players in the world.

“The Goodyear Blimp’s appearance at the CIBC PPA Tour Finals, the culmination of an exciting season, is a symbol that pickleball is officially joining the ranks of other professional sports – that we have arrived,” said Connor Pardoe, Founder and CEO of PPA Tour. “We are thrilled to celebrate this exciting moment for the sport as a whole and the PPA Tour with players and fans alike this weekend.”

Since 1955, the Goodyear Blimp has provided breathtaking aerial views of stadiums across the country, revolutionizing the way fans experience sporting events. To date, the airship has broadcast more than 2,000 aerial sports and entertainment events.

“We have a saying: If it’s a big event, the Goodyear Blimp is there,” he said Chris KostyukDirector, Goodyear Airship Operations.

“The Goodyear Blimp’s appearance at the final PPA tournament of the year is a fitting tribute to the growing popularity of the sport,” he added.

During the ground and air games, both pilots and players wore a special line of pickleball shoes designed by Skechers, the official shoe and sponsor of the PPA Tour. As a natural complement to this collaboration, Skechers pickleball shoes feature abrasion-resistant outsoles made from Goodyear Gold rubber technology. Designed for increased durability and better traction, the use of Goodyear rubber allows elite players to execute controlled slides on pickleball court surfaces. As a tribute to this unique collaboration between the three brands, Skechers is offering fans across the country the opportunity to receive a special offer that was announced during Sunday’s broadcast of the CIBC PPA Finals tournament.

Weather permitting, aerial coverage of the Goodyear Blimp for Sunday’s games can be viewed on FS1 beginning at 5 p.m 3:00 p.m. PST. For more information on the blimp’s whereabouts, visit GoodyearBlimp.com.

About Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Goodyear (NASDAQ: GT) is one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers. The company employs approximately 74,000 people and manufactures its products in 57 factories in 23 countries around the world. Its two innovation centers in Akron, Ohioand Colmar mountain, Luxembourgstrive to develop cutting-edge products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, visit www.goodyear.com/corporate.

About the Carvana PPA Tour:

Founded in 2019, the Carvana PPA Tour pits the best pickleball athletes against each other to determine the best male and female players in the world. The Carvana PPA Tour organizes and conducts tournaments at premier facilities across the country, compiling player rankings and handing out awards $5.5 million in annual prize money during the 2023 season with the same game and the same pay. The Carvana PPA Tour also invites amateur players to compete and play where the pros play. It offers divisions for every age group and skill level. Carvana PPA Tour events feature a uniquely festive and entertaining atmosphere, offering on-site fans unparalleled experiences including professional player meet and greets, training, food, beverages, live entertainment, giveaways, gaming, shopping and VIP Upgrades. For more information, visit www.ppatour.com and follow us on social networks: Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn.

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Also from this source

PRN Top Stories Newsletter

Sign up to receive PRN’s top stories and curated news delivered to your inbox weekly!

Thank you for Subscribe to!

By registering, you agree to receive content from us.
Our newsletters contain tracking pixels that help us deliver unique content based on each subscriber’s engagement and interests. For more information on how we use your data to ensure we send you relevant content, please see our PRN Consumer Newsletter Privacy Policy. You can revoke your consent at any time in the footer of any email you receive.
By registering, you agree to receive content from us.
Our newsletters contain web beacons that enable the delivery of unique content related to the subscription and interests of each subscriber. For more information about how we use your data to send you relevant content, see our PRN Consumer Newsletter Privacy Notice. You can revoke your consent at any time in the footer of any email you receive.
By subscribing to the newsletter, you agree to receive content from us.
Our newsletter contains tracking pixels that allow us to provide each subscriber with unique content related to their subscriptions and interests. For more information about the use of your data to send the content in question, we invite you to consult the Privacy Policy available at the following link: PRN Consumer Newsletter Privacy Policy. You can withdraw your consent at any time using the information at the bottom of each email you receive.
By registering, you agree to receive informational content from us. Our newsletters contain tracking pixels that help us deliver unique content based on each subscriber’s engagement and interests. For more information about how we use your data to ensure we send you relevant content, please see our PRN User Newsletter Privacy Policy. You can revoke your consent at any time in the footer of any email you receive.