Cracked Media Ventures, the company behind the tennis-focused Cracked Racquets platform, is expanding its footprint beyond the baseline.
The Indiana-based media firm is making a calculated move into pickleball and padel, two of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. and around the world. It’s a move rooted in media fundamentals: find an underserved but passionate audience, build tech-enabled coverage around it, and own the narrative.
“We see the same energy in these sports that we saw in tennis five years ago,” said CEO Dalton Thieneman. “Fans want more than just match scores, they want content, commentary, and community. We’re going to deliver that at scale.”
From college courts to new frontiers
Cracked Racquets built its brand by giving college and junior tennis a digital home. With strong partnerships — including ESPN+ and major conferences like the SEC and Big 12, the company proved that live streaming and smart analysis could thrive in sports that traditional broadcasters often ignore.
That same production infrastructure is now being applied to pickleball and padel. The company isn’t just parachuting in with a camera crew. It’s deploying a refined toolkit: lightweight remote production systems, a ready-made podcast and YouTube network, and the social playbook that turned niche tennis coverage into a national audience.
Why pickleball and padel, and why now?
Pickleball is no longer just a backyard hobby. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, more than 19 million people played in 2024, a staggering 46% year-over-year growth. And the sport shows no sign of slowing down, with new leagues, celebrity investors like LeBron James and Tom Brady, and broadcast deals with CBS and Fox Sports pushing it further into the mainstream.
Padel may still be emerging in the U.S., but globally, it’s already a phenomenon. With more than 30 million players in over 130 countries, it’s gaining momentum in cities like Miami, Los Angeles, and Houston. NBA star Jimmy Butler is among its vocal supporters, and there’s buzz that the sport could make a future Olympic debut.
Both sports share a common gap: the play is growing, but the media coverage isn’t keeping up.
Cracked’s playbook: remote tech, scalable storytelling
What separates Cracked from legacy media players is its approach to production. The company’s proprietary CrossCourt Cast system allows events to be streamed with minimal staff, leveraging AI-powered cameras and remote commentary tools.
It’s the kind of low-overhead model that works perfectly for sports like pickleball and padel, where hundreds of matches can happen across dozens of courts in a single weekend.
The plan goes beyond livestreams. Cracked is building out weekly shows, short-form video, and real-time highlights across social. If you’re a player, a coach, or just someone following along on TikTok, there will be a touchpoint for you.
Looking ahead
For Cracked, this is more than diversification, it’s a long-term bet that the next wave of sports fandom won’t be driven by legacy networks but by digital-first brands that understand how niche sports communities engage.
If pickleball and padel follow the trajectory of esports or F1 Drive to Survive, this expansion could prove to be a first-mover advantage. Either way, Cracked Media Ventures is making it clear: they’re not just covering these sports, they’re helping define how they’re seen.
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