Miami, May 15 (Notistarz).- The Pro Padel League (PPL), the first professional padel league in North America, announced that the star of the urban genre Daddy Yankee acquired the franchise from Orlando, Florida.
“The paddle reminds me of the beginnings of reggaeton in the 90s when it was just starting. It is at the same stage and the Pro Padel League has great potential to grow the sport and become bigger. I want to be part of this and leave a legacy,” said Daddy Yankee.
In this way, the Puerto Rican artist joins the group of franchise owners that also includes Tobias Enrique Carrero, a shareholder of the Miami Marlins.
At a press conference prior to the first weekend of the PPL’s inaugural season, League Commissioner Marcos Del Pilar joined Daddy Yankee in sharing the announcement.
At the media event were PPL co-founder Keith Stein, 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, former ATP #2 singles player Tommy Haas and MVP of MLS, Sebastian Giovinco.
Originating in Mexico, the high-caliber sport has become one of the fastest growing sports in the world, gaining increasing popularity in Mexico and Europe and, more recently, the United States and Canada.
“Bringing the professional sports experience of Daddy Yankee and Tobias Enrique Carrero to the Pro Padel League will help us build a strong foundation for padel in the United States and grow the sport around the world,” said Marcos del Pilar, commissioner of the league.
“We are aligned with our vision of the Pro Padel League and Padel, and we want to leave a legacy for the next generation”, he stressed.
The PPL is the first professional padel league in North America. The PPL’s high-caliber team competition began this Saturday, May 13 with seven teams competing and will conclude with the championship on the weekend of June 10 and 11.
A semi-final round will then be held followed by the top two teams competing in the PPL Cup final. Merrill Wealth Management is the founding sponsor of PPL.
“As a culture creator, revolutionary, change agent, and innovator, Daddy Yankee has consistently inspired, impacted, and influenced generations of artists,” the PPL said in a statement.
The Puerto Rican artist is an “indisputable icon and has established himself as one of the most influential artists of all time, bringing reggaeton to the entire world for the first time.”
Music and culture “wouldn’t look, sound, or feel the same without him. It’s hard to even imagine the genre without “Gasolina”, “Despacito” [con Luis Fonsi] or “Calmly” [con Snow]among other
For its historic inaugural season, PPL will air weekly on television in more than 100 million households with its broadcast partners on 40 different networks, including BeIN Sports, AT&T Sportsnet, MASN, SWX Sports and Spectrum.
Internationally, the season will be broadcast on networks such as CaribVision, BeINSports in Spanish and the Game+ Network in Canada with matches broadcast live on the PPL’s YouTube channel.
The PPL’s mission is to create a premier sports league that provides a national stage for the sport while generating awareness and enthusiasm for padel throughout the country. Something that has never been done before, the PPL will provide players and fans with a new platform that showcases Padel and increases participation in the sport.
Padel currently has over 25 million players worldwide and is growing in popularity in the United States with the number of padel courts set to double by 2023.
It is projected that by 2030 more than eight million players will be playing in the United States. The PPL will allow players, coaches, team owners, facility owners, broadcasters, fans, sponsors and brands to all get involved and capitalize on the explosive growth of the sport.
To celebrate the “Spanish roots of padel, the League has created ¡VAMOS!, the official slogan of the Pro Padel League”.
Notistarz/Staff
PPL press photo
