D.C.’s new professional pickleball team, whose owners include actresses Kate Upton and Eva Longoria, has landed a jersey sponsor. AARP will be featured prominently on players’ jerseys.
AARP will also co-host pre-event clinics with DCPT players for those new to the sport, or looking for pointers to improve.
Financial terms of the sponsorship weren’t disclosed.
DCPT debuts the AARP jerseys when it opens the season Sept. 22 at a pickleball tournament in Atlanta against the Utah Black Diamonds.
DCPT joined Major League Pickleball ahead of the 2023 season in January. It played in the Challenger Level in season one, and is playing in the Premier Level in season two.
Upton and Longoria are minority team owners. The team is led by managing partners Al Tylis, founder of the Tylis Family Foundation, and former sports agent Sam Porter. Other owners include Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., former NBA players Richard Hamilton and Shawn Marion, retired NFL player Cliff Avril, and former German soccer player Mesut Ozil.
Major League Pickleball was founded by billionaire businessman Steve Kuhn in 2021.
AARP sponsoring a pickleball team makes sense for its demographic of seniors. Pickleball is popular with older players, but it is also a misconception that it is largely a pastime for retirees. The average age group of pickleball players in the U.S. is 25 to 34, according to Pickleheads, a site that helps players find courts in their city.
AARP’s monthly magazine, and its AARP Bulletin, are the nation’s largest circulation publications.
