Margaritaville Joins Major League Pickleball As Title Sponsor Branding The League 'MLP By Margaritaville'

MLP will collaborate with global leading lifestyle brand to elevate the live experience for fans, players and MLP events nationwide

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Major League Pickleball and Margaritaville today announced title sponsorship of the fast-growing professional pickleball league, branding the league as "MLP by Margaritaville." This marks a seminal moment for the sport with one of the largest commercial deals ever for MLP, adding a world class partner to elevate the live experience for fans and players.

Margaritaville will play a large part in the branding and strategy of on-site fan activations and immersive entertainment, bringing a Margaritaville state of mind to the MLP community at tournaments nationwide. Tonight kicks off the 2023 campaign for MLP with the airing of the MLP Premier Level draft at 9:00pm EST live on Tennis Channel.

"I am happy to be in the same boat with MLP," said Jimmy Buffett. "The first time I played pickleball, I was hooked. Fun has always been a part of life to me and I think of pickleball as the perfect ratio of work to play. We can't wait to bring this partnership to life for MLP players and fans. See you on the court. Fins Up, Paddles Up!"

Margaritaville has been connected to pickleball and a driving force behind the growth of the sport in the travel and hospitality space for over five years. The brand has more than 30 dedicated courts across their lodging locations, with enthusiastic residents always on the courts at the brand's Latitude Margaritaville active-living communities in Daytona Beach, FL; Hilton Head, SC; and Watersound, FL.

"We take pride in our longstanding support of the sport through multi-faceted event sponsorships and the growing number of courts at our lodging destinations," said John Cohlan, CEO of Margaritaville. "It's exciting to be part of pickleball's continued success and evolution, so we look forward to keeping the momentum going with Major League Pickleball and the league's one-of-a-kind events and impressive collection of team owners, players, and executives."

Margaritaville has collaborated with various integrations and tournaments, including serving as the title sponsor of the USA Pickleball National Championships since 2018, the Powered by partner of the US Open in Naples since 2017, and as the Official Lodging Partner of the PPA. A line of Margaritaville pickleball paddles and gear is also available through HEAD, a leading sports equipment company.

"Since the inception of MLP, the league has been deliberate about bringing on partners who unlock new strategies and opportunities for us as a league," said MLP Founder and Chairman, Steve Kuhn. "As we continue to innovate the live experience for partners, fans, and players, there is no better partner than Margaritaville. Their brand is certainly a lifestyle and we can't wait to bring the Margaritaville experience to MLP events in 2023 and beyond."

This week, MLP unveiled a dynamic league format for 2023 including 24 teams featuring high profile ownership groups, two seasons with major events across the U.S., a promotion and relegation system, and expanded prize money up to $5M. This made MLP the first major American professional sports league to implement a promotion and relegation system by introducing top-tier MLP Premier Level and upstart MLP Challenger Level with teams competing in two 3-event seasons to solidify their spot in the top Level.

For more information visit: MLP and Margaritaville.

Major League Pickleball (MLP) is the premier team league and the standard-bearer for the fastest-growing sport in the United States. MLP is committed to perpetuating the sport's larger role in society and permeating every facet of pickleball's business, marketing, and community relations. With iconic team owners, a co-ed team format, an innovative draft, easy to understand scoring, groundbreaking broadcast quality, and the highest prize money events in pro pickleball, MLP's goal is to elevate and grow the sport in everything it does. For more information on Major League Pickleball, visit MajorLeaguePickleball.net and follow Major League Pickleball on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Margaritaville, a state of mind since 1977, is a global lifestyle brand inspired by Jimmy Buffett, whose songs evoke a passion for tropical escape and relaxation.

Margaritaville features over 25 lodging locations and over 20 additional projects in the pipeline positioned across a variety of full-service and boutique hotel and resort brands, branded real estate, premium RV destinations, and gaming properties, all complemented by an extensive suite of food and beverage concepts, including Margaritaville Restaurant, award-winning JWB Prime Steak and Seafood, 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill, and LandShark Bar & Grill. Inspired hotel brands with high-quality institutional partners include Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts, Compass by Margaritaville, Margaritaville Beach House, Margaritaville St. Somewhere, and the all-inclusive product, Margaritaville Island Reserve. Further elevating experiences, Margaritaville's branded real estate includes Latitude Margaritaville, "55 and better" active adult brand; Margaritaville Cottages, Villas and Residences; One Particular Harbour Margaritaville; and Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham.

The newest brand additions to Margaritaville's properties includes the rapidly-growing Camp Margaritaville RV Resorts and Margaritaville at Sea, which debuted in 2022 with its first ship, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise. Additionally, consumers can escape every day through a collection of lifestyle products including apparel, footwear, frozen concoction makers, home décor, a satellite radio station, and more.

More than 20 million travelers and consumers every year change their latitude and attitude with Margaritaville. For more information, visit www.margaritaville.com and follow Margaritaville on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Media Contacts:

Major League Pickleball
Jeff Watson | [email protected]

Margaritaville
Finn Partners | [email protected]

SOURCE Margaritaville