Amazon Prime Video is now home to a new sports docuseries that digs into the competitive world of Arizona's pickleball scene. "Breaking Pickleball," a six-episode series recently acquired by the streaming giant in August, serves up an intimate look at the Arizona Pickleball League's fierce inaugural season. As reported by bizjournals.com, the series tracks the triumphs and tribulations of five Valley teams: Scottsdale Scorchers, Gilbert Gladiators, Peoria Pythons, Tempe Tornadoes, and Surprise Stingers, all vying for the coveted Orchard Championship Cup.
The competition heated up over a 10-week period where teams fought tooth and nail, which is not normally seen in standard pickleball matches, to secure a place in the playoffs. Ashley Leroux, co-founder of the Arizona Pickleball League and executive producer of "Breaking Pickleball," insights a deeper connection beyond the sport, saying, "This isn’t a documentary about the evolution of pickleball; it’s a touching story of people striving to be the best – pickleball is just the medium for the story," in a press release highlighted by KTAR.com.
Interest in the league surged as live-streamed matches started drawing global crowds, peaking at an audience of 10,000 viewers. Enthusiasm is mirrored off the court with an atmosphere charged by glow sticks, rubber chickens, and pyrotechnics, further setting this league apart. “We knew we were on to something when the matches that we were live streaming were getting 10,000 people around the globe to tune in,” shared Patrick Sullivan Jr., League co-founder, according to the same statement obtained by KTAR.com.
The series' production and distribution company SPACEMOB, led by CEO Loren Wilson, was hinting at negotiations for the docuseries to reach audiences even further afield, with talks in progress with other streaming services around the world. Amidst the rising pickleball craze, the popularity of the sport in Arizona continues to spike as USA Pickleball is poised to move its headquarters to Scottsdale—home of the streaming service acquired docuseries "Breaking Pickleball" and the U.S. national team—and the first phase of this new facility is expected to open this fall, as KTAR.com reported.
