Emerging

Emerging

By Ben Nichols & Patricio MisitranoSportsBusinessEntrepreneurship
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Emerging episodes

  • The Business Behind the Racquet Sports Boom

    When Ben Nichols and Patricio Misitrano first met four years ago, padel was still in its early stages in the U.S. and U.K. The two had a front-row view of a sport starting to find its footing, and now they're looking at what has happened since.


    In the first episode of Emerging, Ben and Patricio take stock of how the racquet sports landscape has changed and what that growth means for the businesses building around it.


    They discuss the role of real estate, hospitality, technology, financing and retail, along with the brands and companies entering racquet sports from outside the traditional industry. They also explore why clubs are only one part of the larger opportunity and where entrepreneurs and operators are finding ways to participate.


    The conversation also gets into some of the friction that comes with bringing these sports into new markets, including noise concerns, local opposition, planning and development. Ben and Patricio discuss the need for the industry to build a stronger base of data and experience as more communities consider new courts and facilities.


    To close out the episode, they look back at their own routes into racquet sports and talk about the kinds of people they want to bring into the conversation on Emerging, from entrepreneurs and operators to companies that are approaching the sports from an entirely different angle.


    Key Takeaways: 


    00:00 Intro

    00:31 Ending a federation contract in Dubai, starting an agency

    01:11 The growth numbers behind padel and pickleball

    02:12 How embryonic the US market still was

    04:27 Growing up playing padel in Argentina

    05:05 Building an agency for racquet sports

    08:04 Where to actually invest

    10:20 Why outside brands are showing up

    11:49 Endemic brands vs. outside investors

    12:27 Courts as the hottest real estate amenity

    15:26 Adding courts can boost property value 35%

    17:30 The #1 growth killer: noise complaints

    19:17 A non-issue in Argentina and Spain, a problem in the UK and US

    22:27 Why the US needs more data first

    24:08 The path: journalism to racquet sports



    Additional Resources:


    🏓Connect with Ben & Patricio:


    Subscribe to The 22 Newsletter

    Subscribe to The Racket Sports Briefing

    Learn more about The 22

    Learn more about Misitrano Consulting

    Connect with Ben on LinkedIn

    Connect with Patricio on LinkedIn


    🎧Listen & Follow:

    Instagram

    Spotify

    Apple

    28 min
  • Who’s Actually Building the Racquet Sports Empire? (Welcome to Emerging)

    Welcome to Emerging! The business behind the fastest-growing racquet sports in the world. Subscribe for weekly breakdowns with top founders, operators, and investors.


    New episodes drop every other week. Subscribe for actionable business insights, market predictions, and high-stakes conversations from the frontlines of padel, pickleball, and emerging sports.


    Hosted by Ben Nichols (The 22) and Patricio Misitrano (Misitrano Consulting), Emerging brings you unscripted, sharp, and fun conversations with the leaders shaping sports, real estate, and leisure. Patricio brings decades of deep industry expertise, while Ben brings culture-forward storytelling to reveal the driver behind the sport.


    Additional Resources:


    Subscribe to The 22 Newsletter

    Subscribe to The Racket Sports Briefing

    Learn more about The 22

    Learn more about Misitrano Consulting

    Connect with Ben on LinkedIn

    Connect with Patricio on LinkedIn

    2 min

About Emerging

From the publisher's feed

Emerging is the show that calls the plays behind the fastest-growing racquet sports in the world. Every episode, Ben Nichols (The 22) and Patricio Misitrano (Misitrano Consulting) sit down with the founders, operators, brand executives, and investors shaping padel, pickleball, and beyond, the people building the equipment, apparel, tech, and real estate behind the boom. Patricio brings deep industry expertise, Ben brings culture-forward storytelling, and together they break down the biggest bets, challenge the loudest opinions, and pull real, applicable lessons from the frontlines of the racquet sports business. Whether you're building in the space, investing in it, or you just love the game, this is where racquet sports culture meets real business insight.