As professional and amateur sports organizations continue to do their part in maintaining best practices to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, postponing competitions and events worldwide, there is a void of original live sports programming on TV. Enter the Its Pickleball Mania World Pickleball Championship, set for Thursday at noon ET, streaming exclusively on ESPN3 as the only live TV sporting event currently available to viewers.

Four of the world’s top professional pickleball players will vie for the first Pickleball Mania crown. They will battle it out in semifinals and finals action at a private residence under strict quarantine guidelines. The four competitors will be joined by a small production and event crew of no more than six people as the event complies fully with present restrictions and social distancing practices.

Fans can tune in for all three matches live on ESPN3 via their streaming players, computers and mobile devices. The final match will also be presented on tape delay on a variety of national and international networks at a later date.

The Its Pickleball Mania World Pickleball Championship was co-founded by former tennis professional Ryan Sherry, NFL veteran Brandon Siler and former professional football player Peter “P.J.” Jensen. They will also serve as Tournament Directors. Harry Cicma serves as the event’s executive TV producer through Harry Cicma Productions LLC, in partnership with ESPN.

"This is a very special event, as one of the only professional sports being televised live worldwide during this difficult pandemic,” said Cicma. “The most important thing is that the event and broadcast are intimate, in a private secluded residence, and promoting staying at home in quarantine and social distancing. It's been a difficult few weeks for the community and we are grateful to finally bring live professional world championship excitement to the sports world in a safe way as we all try to beat COVID-19."

“Pickleball is sweeping the world by storm and is currently the fastest growing sport in the world,” said Jensen. “I promise you this, if you ever pick up a pickleball paddle and play a game of singles or doubles you will be hooked! Pickleball is a combination of tennis, ping pong and requires speed, power, finesse and strategy. If you think for a second this is an old people’s game, you will be sadly mistaken and proven wrong! Tune in and watch live for yourself!”

“With everything that is going on in the world right now, we’re glad to be able to bring entertainment with safe health practices and the showcase of a little known sport to the world,” said Sherry. “Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America for a reason. It’s easy to learn, easy to improve, any age can play, it’s social, and incredibly fun and addictive. Pickleball combines sport and racquet backgrounds in a way no other sport does. Anyone with a sports background can find parallels between their background and pickleball.”

“Pickleball appeals to the old, the young, celebrities, former professionals in others sports. It has something for everyone,” said Siler. “And we’re just happy to be able to showcase this to the world at a time when people are yearning for something to root for.”

Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. The fast-growing, fast-paced game is played with a paddle and plastic ball with holes, as doubles or singles, on a badminton-sized court and a slightly modified tennis net.

About Its Pickleball Mania, LLC (IPBM)
Its Pickleball Mania, LLC (IPBM) is the world's premier pickleball & entertainment company showcasing the worldwide phenomenon of pickleball, founded by Ryan Sherry, Peter "P.J." Jensen and Brandon Siler and based in Fort Myers, Fla. Follow IPBM on social on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Legacy Pro Sports
Legacy Pro Sports, founded by a pair of University of Florida standout athletes, which includes former captain of the '06 Gators National Championship Football Team, a six-year NFL veteran Brandon Siler, along with '05 SEC Tennis Tournament MVP, formerly ranked amongst the top 65 in the World Junior Tennis player rankings, Legacy Pro Sports Co-Founder Ryan Sherry.

The company aids former NFL players (about 3,000 to date) with adjusting to "life after the game," educating their clients (exclusively former NFL players) on the post-career disability policies set forth by the NFL, reviewing and organizing injury records, and advising clients on disability claim applications they are entitled to as a result of their NFL service.

About Harry Cicma Productions LLC
Harry Cicma Productions LLC (www.harrycicmaproductions.com) is a full service Television, Streaming and Media Production Company. Harry Cicma Productions consists of a professional and well versed staff, with over a decade of media experience; offering clients the opportunity to create, produce, edit and distribute branded Television Shows and Commercials on major TV Networks throughout America and Worldwide. Headquartered in New York City, with offices in Miami, Harry Cicma Productions also provides media consulting, the ability to produce promotional videos, TV broadcasts, film events, and receive top rate Public Relations campaigns for any client. The HCP Team specializes in helping brands, leagues, athletes, companies and individuals reach their full potential in the world of media.