Hard Rock, State Farm, Brighthouse Financial and Franklin Sports have signed up as sponsors for Pickleball Slam 2, organizers Horizon Sports & Experiences and InsideOut Sports + Entertainment said.
Pickleball Slam 2 will feature former tennis stars John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Stefanie Graf and Maria Sharapova competing in the new, hot racquet sport for a $1 million purse.
The event will appear live on ESPN on February 4.
“After our inaugural event drew a capacity crowd and scored impressive viewership and social media attention, we have experienced unprecedented interest for Slam 2, evident by the support we have from our four initial outstanding presenting partners,” said Neal Gluckman, senior VP and head of sales for Horizon Sports & Experiences.
“We are excited to return to the court alongside this strong group of companies who believe in this one-of-a-kind branding and proven customer engagement opportunity that only our platform can provide to fans in person and watching at home,” Gluckman said.
The first Pickleball Slam took place in April and averaged 670,000 viewers on ESPN. Subway was the presenting sponsor of the Pickleball Slam and K-Swiss signed on as the official shoe of the event.
At Pickleball Slam 2, Hard Rock returns as the venue partner and will receive baseline signage and other coverage during the event.
State Farm will receive prominent brand position on the sideline player benches.
Brighthouse Financial will have exclusive on-court branding near the net.
Franklin Sports will provide the official ball use in Slam 2 and Amateur Slam.
Amateur Slam 2 will again precede the Pickleball Slam, with amateurs competing for a cash prize and a chance to play against the tennis legends.
