FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ben Nichols and Patricio Misitrano sit down with the founders, operators, brand executives and investors shaping padel, pickleball and beyond to get to the real lessons behind the deals, the clubs and the culture.
New York, NY, September 28, 2026: Ben Nichols and Patricio Misitrano, two leading figures in the international racquet sports industry, are launching Emerging, a new podcast about the business behind padel, pickleball and the wider racquet sports boom. The first episode releases Tuesday, September 29 at 10 a.m. ET, with new episodes every other Tuesday.
Racquet sports are among the fastest-growing categories in world sport, and a whole industry is being built around them, spanning equipment, apparel, technology and real estate. Every month, new operators, investors and brands enter the market, but there are few places to hear directly from the people who have already built in the sector about what worked, what didn't and where things are heading. Emerging arrives to fill that gap.
Every other week, co-hosts Nichols and Misitrano sit down with the people building the business behind the boom to break down its biggest bets, challenge its loudest opinions and share what they've learned on the front lines. Misitrano brings deep industry expertise, Nichols brings culture-forward storytelling, and together they aim to get to the heart of the issues in the sector. The show is designed for anyone building in the space, investing in it, or equally from outside the racquet sport industry with a curiosity or interest in entering it.
"When we first met four years ago, at the very start of our padel journeys, padel in the U.S. was mostly pitch decks and promises. A lot of businesses, brands and initiatives have been built since then, and not all of them have worked," said co-hosts Ben Nichols, founder of The 22, and Patricio Misitrano, founder of Misitrano Consulting. "The founders, executives and operators we talk to are learning hard lessons which can benefit so many others stepping into the industry. Emerging is an unscripted show where we have those conversations, so that anyone building in this industry, investing in it or thinking about joining it can see where it's really heading."
The first episode traces those four years and the changes the hosts have seen across padel, pickleball and the wider industry. Upcoming guests include Steve Bellamy, founder of Tennis Channel and creator of TYPTI, a new disruptive racquet sport designed for existing pickleball courts, who joins the hosts to take on a simple question: can you manufacture a sport?
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About Emerging
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.
About the Hosts
Ben Nichols is an entrepreneur and industry builder in the padel industry - advisor to some of the sport's biggest brands, founder of Insider 22, co-founder of the Anglo American Padel Cup (known as ‘the Ryder Cup of Padel’), and executive producer of Padel Planet, soon to launch on a major global streaming platform. He writes and speaks on the business of the New Padel World through his platform, The 22. Formerly, he led Media Relations for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), F1 team Lotus Renault GP, and the ATP & WTA Dubai Tennis Championships.
Patricio Misitrano has been at the center of racquet sports growth in the U.S., shaping the rise of padel, pickleball, tennis, and platform tennis alike. He has developed facilities, advised investors and entrepreneurs, and built connections across the industry from the ground up. He serves in advisory roles across the industry and has earned a reputation as a connector, the person people call when they need an introduction, a reality check, or a way into a market they don't fully understand yet. A member of the USA Senior Padel Team, he is based in the U.S. and works across markets nationwide.
Emerging is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with new episodes every other Tuesday. Clips and extras are on Instagram at @emergingthepodcast.
