Actor Vince Vaughn has bought a majority possession stake within the Nationwide Pickleball League’s Coachella Valley Scorpions, considered one of 12 groups within the 2-year-old skilled league.
Co-owner Kim Jagd, who can also be a member of the group, will retain a minority share, the group mentioned in an announcement.
The NPL is knowledgeable pickleball league for gamers ages 50 and over. Jagd, the Scorpions’ normal supervisor, and Vaughn — a pickleball fanatic whose movie credit embody the sports-adjacent comedy “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” — met on a pickleball courtroom close to Manhattan Seaside, the Scorpions mentioned.
“I’ve all the time loved the sport and in assembly Kim I used to be impressed together with her, not solely as a participant, however her ardour and magnificence of teaching,” Vaughn mentioned within the group’s assertion. “I’m excited to assist her and the Scorpions on their journey.”
A former skilled seaside volleyball participant, Jagd led her earlier group, the Indy Drivers, to the NPL’s inaugural championships final yr.
“Whenever you’re on the courtroom with Vince, you may really feel his vitality and pleasure for pickleball,” Jagd mentioned within the assertion. “His involvement is an thrilling growth for the group and can assist the Scorpions proceed to construct their model each in Coachella Valley, and within the broader Southern California space.”
Vaughn is considered one of an estimated 13.6 million pickleball gamers nationwide. Participation has grown 223.5% since 2020, making it the fastest-growing sport within the U.S., based on a report by the 2024 Sports activities & Health Business Assn.
Presently in its second season, the NPL doubled its variety of groups since its debut the earlier season. Every group has 14 gamers evenly break up between women and men. Every occasion combines males’s, girls’s and blended doubles matches.
“The league has skilled unprecedented development over the primary two seasons, and to have Vaughn’s funding in our league actually underscores the surging curiosity of the game in California and throughout the nation,” NPL Chief Govt Paul Bamundo mentioned.
Coincidentally, Cedars-Sinai Medical Heart on Thursday introduced a drastic improve within the variety of reported pickleball-related accidents, particularly Achilles tendon ruptures amongst gamers ages 60 to 70.
“We’re seeing an epidemic of pickleball Achilles tendon accidents,” orthopedic surgeon Dr. Timothy Charlton mentioned in an announcement from the medical middle. “New athletes are returning to the courtroom after a very long time away or are beginning to play competitively with out correct coaching. This creates an atmosphere the place accidents usually tend to happen.”
