First, the new UPA Players Association:

• What it means for PPA and MLP pros
• Why Zane Navratil was voted in as player rep
• How it could shift rules, fines, contracts, and working conditions
• The long-term impact on trust, pay structure, and competitive balance

Then, we dive into the new official tour ball:

• The Lifetime ball’s performance
• How it compares to the Vulcan, Dura, and Selkirk Pro S1
• What pros are saying (and what it might mean for the amateur game)

Plus: thoughts on recent MLP event quality and why top-team matchups matter for fan excitement.

Major League Pickleball just had its most chaotic week ever—and we’re here to break it all down.

In this episode of The Pickleball Connection, Barrett and Danea dissect the blockbuster trade that sent Ben Johns to the LA Mad Drops and reshaped the MLP power structure. Which teams are legit title threats? Who's just cashing out? And what team chemistry questions remain?

We also dive into:

Our updated Top 5 MLP Teams 🏆

Whether Premier Division is too top-heavy

Surprising takes from the community on rule changes

Should the serve be regulated more strictly?

And yes… is it time to change the name “pickleball”?

In this episode of The Pickleball Connection, Barrett and Danea break down the latest changes to the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR), including how you can now lose rating points even after a win. 🤯 We cover:

• Why winning isn’t enough anymore
• The real consequences for high-level players
• How rally scoring and “margin expectations” change everything
• Whether DUPR should factor in age and gender
• The bigger issue of sandbagging in tournaments
• And… an AI-powered solution that might actually fix it all 👀