Mike Dorfman (PPL CEO) on Taking Padel Mainstream

Padel Smash Academy sits down with Mike Dorfman, CEO of the Pro Padel League (PPL), live from Miami during Art Basel week at the Scope Art Fair. Mike breaks down the vision behind bringing the PPL Championship Court to the beach—turning the padel court into a full-on statement piece that stops people in their tracks and gets first-timers to finally experience what makes padel so special.

Mike shares how the activation came to life with artist Ryan Keeley, why awareness is still the #1 mission, and the “three-lane strategy” PPL is building: showcase elite pros for a reality check, introduce complete newcomers to padel for the first time, and create iconic experiences where fans and amateurs can step onto the same court as the pros. We also get a full season recap—five events across three countries, 25,000 attendees, 100M+ video views, and “a couple hundred million” impressions—plus what’s coming next as PPL expands to new U.S. and international cities, keeps the sport accessible (no paywalls), and continues growing distribution across 16+ networks reaching hundreds of millions of households.