[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 190 (Thursday, October 28, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LAUNCH OF MAJOR LEAGUE PICKLEBALL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROGER WILLIAMS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 28, 2021

  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the 
launch of the inaugural season of Major League Pickleball (MLP) on 
November 5, 2021. I'm proud to say that MLP's Season One will take 
place in Texas' 25th Congressional District at Dreamland in Dripping 
Springs, Texas, and it will feature eight MLP teams led by an 
accomplished list of owners:
  Discovery Warriors: Eric Kuo and Mike Meldman
  Pickle Ranchers: Bryan Sheffield and Tim Klitch
  Team Clean: West Hunt, Tim Berry and Navdeep Sooch
  Team Rally: John Raymond and Jim Toth
  ATX Pickleballers: Brene Brown, Steve Alley and Charles Kiley
  The Lions: Marc Lasry and James Blake
  Chimeras: Charles Attal and Charlie Walker
  Team BLQK: Richie Tuazon
  MLP will feature the world's best female and male professional 
pickleball players, competing in a unique format for the Pritchard Cup, 
named after the late U.S. Representative Joel Pritchard of Washington 
State, the inventor of pickleball,
  The new league has two stated aims--to create a platform to showcase 
the world's best professional pickleball players to pickleball fans 
worldwide; and to attract new people to pickleball. Pickleball is the 
fastest growing sport in America and already enjoyed by over 4 million 
regular players, according to The Economist.
  MLP is the brainchild of Steve Kuhn, a noted business leader and 
entrepreneur whose passion and love of pickleball inspired him to found 
MLP in 2021. Kuhn's goal is to spread pickleball as widely as possible 
to ensure children and adults from all walks of life will be able to 
play.
  I would like to express my support for the launch of the newly 
created Major League Pickleball and I wish them well in their inaugural 
season.

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