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Why the Bubble Wasn’t Enough
In many emerging sports, early coverage is driven by specialist outlets and insider communities. That’s important — but it isn’t enough to create long-term commercial value.
To grow properly, padel needed:
• Recognition outside Spain and Latin markets
• Coverage in mainstream business and lifestyle media
• A narrative beyond “it’s like tennis with walls”
• Credibility with institutions, sponsors, and global non-endemic brands
The objective wasn’t hype.
It was legitimacy.
That meant reframing padel not just as a sport — but as:
• A cultural movement
• A business opportunity
• A social experience
• A global lifestyle
The Power of Narrative
Mainstream media doesn’t write about sports because they exist.
They write about them because they mean something.
So, the storytelling had to shift from:
“Here’s padel”
to:
“Here’s what padel represents.”
Stories focused on:
• Community and connection
• Rapid international expansion
• New business models
• Technology and data
• Culture, not just competition
This is how padel moved from niche coverage to national and international relevance.
Milestones That Changed the Conversation
The timeline of Padel 22’s work isn’t just a list of achievements — it shows how the narrative expanded outward:
2022 - 2023
Padel 22 is founded and launched with a clear goal: bring professional PR and strategic storytelling into a sport that didn’t yet have it.
May 2023 – New York Times
Supporting padel’s debut in The New York Times marked a shift from insider media to global mainstream visibility. This wasn’t a padel article for padel people — it was a lifestyle and business story for the general public.
2024 – CNN International & Global Reports
Coverage on CNN International and leading Playtomic’s Global Padel Report in Forbes showed padel as a global phenomenon, not a regional trend.
The story moved from “new sport” to “new market.”
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2024–2025 – Major Events & Platforms
RacquetX, Hexagon Cup, Anglo American Padel Cup — these weren’t just events. They became narrative vehicles:
• International competition
• Cultural crossover
• Business and media alignment
9.1 million impressions for a single event wasn’t just reach — it was proof that padel could hold attention beyond its core audience.
Launch of Insider 22
As the sport matured, so did the need for structured knowledge. Insider 22 was created to connect the people building padel — clubs, investors, operators, brands — and to professionalise how the sport talks to itself.
Credibility Comes From Consistency
Mainstream media doesn’t usually buy into one-off stories.
They trust:
• Patterns
• Repeat visibility
• Clear positioning
• Professional communication
Padel 22’s work focused on consistency:
• Repeated media engagement
• Clear messaging across countries
• Professional standards of storytelling
• Long-term relationships with journalists
That’s how padel began to feel:
• Less experimental
• Less niche
• More permanent
And permanence is what brands and investors respond to.
Why This Matters Now
Padel is no longer in the “wait and see” phase.
It’s in the build it well and build it fast era.
As it expands across continents, the risk isn’t lack of growth — it’s:
• Fragmented messaging
• Conflicting narratives
• Overhype without substance
• Confusion with other sports
The next stage of padel’s development will be defined by:
• How it explains itself
• Who tells its story
• What values it projects
• How it is perceived outside its own community
Narrative will shape valuation.
Credibility will shape partnerships.
Consistency will shape trust.
Looking Ahead
Three years in, Padel 22’s role has become clear:
Not just promoting padel — but positioning it.
Supporting:
• Brands
• Federations
• Events
• Platforms
• Founders
…who are shaping what padel becomes next.
The mission hasn’t changed:
To make padel that bit more famous every day —
but also more understood, more credible, and more investable.
Because the future of padel won’t be decided only on court.
It will be decided in boardrooms, newsrooms, and living rooms.
And that future depends on the story being told — well.
