New York, NY,
31
January
2023
|
11:23 AM
America/New_York

Hospital for Special Surgery Will Serve as the Official Hospital of Major League Pickleball for 2023 Season

Major League Pickleball (MLP) and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the world’s leading academic medical center for musculoskeletal health, announced a partnership designating HSS as MLP’s official hospital. 

HSS which is nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 13th consecutive year), by U.S. News & World Report (2022-2023) will provide MLP athletes with access to the industry’s best clinicians for sports medicine and its related disciplines at each tournament throughout the year. Joshua S. Dines, MD, will serve as the league’s Medical Director and oversee the coordination of all physician and clinical staffing, and the management of player health throughout the season. 

“At HSS, we are proud to offer Major League Pickleball the same dependable and high-quality care that the athletes at all levels have consistently trusted”, said Dr. Dines, a sports medicine surgeon in the HSS Sports Medicine Institute. “Injuries are inevitable; therefore, we will work with the athletes to effectively identify risk factors and introduce injury prevention and recovery tactics into their routines during the league’s first full season.” 

HSS is among four new corporate sponsors for the league, and it will receive branding through signage and product display at all MLP events as the league’s official hospital. HSS will also have opportunities for content, fan engagement, and other experiential activations throughout the season. The one-year deal includes an option to extend past the 2023 campaign. 

“Major League Pickleball is honored to partner with HSS for the 2023 season,” Brian Levine, Interim CEO of Major League Pickleball says. “HSS is a distinguished leader in the healthcare industry and having them as a partner will provide our athletes with world class support both in terms of injury prevention and recovery.” 

For its first year, the MLP schedule will be divided into two “seasons”, which consist of three events each season, in 2023. The league is broken into two levels. In the MLP Premier Level, 12 teams will compete, and those rosters will be comprised of the first 48 drafted players into the league. The next 48 players drafted will play in the MLP Challenger Level, and those rosters will consist of two men and two women. After the first season is complete, teams will flip levels and there will be a re-draft for the second season. The MLP is offering up to $5 million in both prize money and pay outs to all players in 2023 following the league’s expansion to 24 teams. 

About Major League Pickleball:

Major League Pickleball (MLP) is the premier team league and the standard-bearer for the fastest-growing sport in the United States. MLP is committed to perpetuating the sport's larger role in society and permeating every facet of pickleball’s business, marketing, and community relations. With iconic team owners, a co-ed team format, an innovative draft, easy to understand scoring, groundbreaking broadcast quality, and the highest prize money events in pro pickleball, MLP’s goal is to elevate and grow the sport in everything it does. 

In December 2022, MLP named its first-ever title sponsor, Margaritaville, branding the league MLP by Margaritaville. A global lifestyle brand inspired by Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville, has served more than 20 million travelers and consumers every year to change their latitude and attitude with Margaritaville. For more information, visit margaritaville.com. 

For more information on Major League Pickleball, visit MajorLeaguePickleball.net and follow Major League Pickleball on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

About HSS

HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 14th consecutive year), No. 2 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2023-2024), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2023-2024). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a fourth consecutive year (2023). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection and complication rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. In addition, more than 200 HSS clinical investigators are working to improve patient outcomes through better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat orthopedic, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 165 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.