Tennis Channel Founder Steve Bellamy Launches TYPTI, a New ‘Quiet’ Racquet Sport
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Steve Bellamy, founder of the Tennis Channel, announced the launch of TYPTI, a new racquet sport played on a standard pickleball court, at a star-studded event hosted at El Segundo’s California Smash.
The list of nearly 100 celebrity and high-profile investors includes Tony Robbins, Drew Brees, Chris Pine, JJ Abrams, Bert Kreischer, Tiffany Haddish, Kyle MacLachlan, Melissa Rivers, Giovanni Ribisi, Heather Mills, Kenny Moore, Jen Prince, Nick Kyrgios, Milos Raonic, Prakash Amritraj, JT Mollner, Gil Henry, David Flaherty, Desiree Gruber, Andrew Segal, Barry Allen and Tony Pritzker, among others.
“This is a 30-year journey,” said Bellamy, chairman and chief executive of TYPTI, in a statement. “What we see on court will be revolutionary, and it’s just getting started.”
The game is played with a 22-inch strung racquet, a 3.5-inch diameter channeled foam ball and a new scoring system. TYPTI begins with a national circuit, major partnerships and committed top players to grow the sport rapidly.
The all-skill level national competitive play circuit will begin with the inaugural event on February 25 at the Calabasas Pickleball Club. The professional division guarantees over $100,000 in total prize money, with at least $500,000 of prize money events in year one. Year-two events will have over $1,000,000 in prize money, featuring an integrated draw allowing players from all over the United States to participate locally to start.
“We’re creating an infrastructure of tennis and pickleball clubs, entrepreneurs, family offices, racquet sport mavens and lovers, and cities who understand the economic impact of participatory sports,” said Bellamy, who invented the high-popular LiveBall drill at the Palisades Tennis Center in the mid-1990s. “We’re sanctioning tournaments and league teams and looking for brands wanting to leverage sports to market their products. We’re also scouring the country for amazing players who can be the first generation of TYPTI stars.”
A mixture of badminton and tennis, the sport makes practically no noise and is easy on the body, with low shock at impact and no overhead serve. It’s easy for beginners and like chess for pros.
Former NCAA players Jack Jaede (USC) and John Mee (Texas), friends from their college days, were the first-place duo in Monday’s tournament played before a few hundred fans. The new sport has inked a number of important partnerships with collegiate, racquet and coaching organizations, including the Racquet Sports Professional Association with over 14,000 teaching pros. There’s also an agreement in place with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association to have a significant prize money collegiate championship.
“Today we go from five to six sports with the addition of TYPTI,” Brian Dillman, chief executive of the Racquet Sports Professional Association, said in a statement. “We’ve had numerous calls, presentations and play tests of TYPTI, and the response has been incredible. We’ll certify coaches and help build the infrastructure.”
OLO brand racquets and balls are available at TYPTI.com, with more brands coming shortly.
Information for this article was sourced from TYPTI.
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