Pickleball is one of the newest and most popular games out there. This has led to increased interest in the sport and some crossover players from tennis and other sports who have made a big name for themselves right away. One of these players is Ben Johns.

Sponsored by Franklin Sports since 2019, Ben Johns is currently # 1 in the World for Men’s Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Singles. His brother Collin Johns is also a ranked Pickleball player, proving that this athletic talent runs in the family. Ben Johns is currently attending the University of Maryland and lives on campus while he gets his Engineering degree.

Family and Personal Life

Ben was homeschooled and is one of seven children. He grew up being very close to his siblings and he plays doubles with his brother, who also plays pickleball. The family all played table tennis quite competitively as children, which Ben credits for some of his pickleball court skills. 

Ben also loves golf and tennis, which he says have impacted some of his play methods. He claims that his playstyle is “frankensteined” from other sports and offers him flexibility that has delivered significant results during his short but meteoric career.

Ben is single at this time and does not have children. He has thrown a lot of personal effort into creating a few businesses with friends in recent years. One of these is Pickleball Getaways which helps people find vacations that will include access to pickleball. He has also begun an online subscription service called Pickleball 360, which teaches pickleball skills online. He also just launched a website that allows you to invest in cryptocurrency.

 

Rankings and Winnings

As mentioned before, Ben Johns is currently #1 in the world for all three of the divisions that he plays in. This is a big feat for a 22–year-old, but Johns has consistently proven to be a skilled player who can deliver significant results.

In 2016, he started playing pickleball after years of playing table tennis and quickly won the US Open. He also took gold that year in Men’s Singles. The same year he collected three gold medals at the Canadian Nationals. In 2019 and 2021, he won the Triple Crown at the Tournament of Champions in Utah and the US Open.

These wins have cemented his fame in the sport, and he has set a consistent record of winnings that not many other players can even try to keep up with.

Signature Paddle

Franklin Sports makes a Ben Johns Signature Paddle that they have made since 2019. He does not state that he prefers any gear for use when competing, but most of his clothing and gaming supplies are, of course, supplied by Franklin. Franklin makes nice quality gear and training items, so they are an excellent sponsor to have on your side as an athlete.

Franklin has sponsored such sports giants as Dan Marino and Barry Bonds, and they rarely work with athletes who are not in premier sports that get a lot of attention nationally. It says a lot about Ben's skill and playing prowess that they wanted to sign with him, and it says a lot about the changes that are happening in the pickleball world. 

Ben Johns Signature Pickleball Paddle

Many people find that there is a lot to love about watching pickleball when compared to tennis and this deal is a good indication of the growing popularity of this sport as a whole. Many professional players have indicated that they think that pickleball might one day replace tennis when it comes to the national interest. This appears to be a reality that is not that far off in the future if Franklin is interested in promoting its gear through this deal with Ben.

Franklin actually also made a series of gear bags, balls, and nets that they sell under the banner of Johns’ preferred gear. This might not always be the case, but you can be sure that he does use most of their products at least part of the time when he is training and competing. Most pickleball players will use a lot of their sponsors' gear whether they are playing in a tournament or at home.

Ben Johns’ net worth is not public knowledge, but most pickleball players have variable income from their sponsorships and winnings each year. Since he also operates a few businesses, his net worth is hard to pin down at this time. The fact that he is a college student also limits the information about his income that can be researched.

Other Sponsors

Ben is also sponsored by a health company called Jigsaw Health, and he has a sponsorship deal with DUPR, a global Pickleball ranking association. He is deeply involved with USA Pickleball. He and his brother work on the sidelines to improve the promotion of the sport and improve the venues and other access necessary to make pickleball a success on a national scale.

Ben is unique to most pickleball players because he has more than one sponsor. Many players of this sport are lucky to have a single sponsor. The fact that he has three tells you just how relevant companies and consumers find Ben’s story and his skill to be.

The Johns family seems to like to give back to the sports that they play, and they are generous with their time in helping the industry as a whole. There is no shortage of good things to say about these brothers and their assistance with the pickleball sport.

Ben Johns’ Social Media

Ben Johns maintains an Instagram, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account. He is a very accessible player due to his age and the many businesses he is running as he attends school and manages his tournament play. 

Ben keeps people entirely up to date with this tournament plans and results and shares information on these sites about the sport and tips and tricks for play on some occasions. Being younger than some of the other famous Pickleball players out there who are not as accessible online, he is an excellent resource for happenings in the pickleball world and information about his plans and tournament results.

Ben Johns is An Up-and-Coming Star

There is every indication that Ben will continue his winning ways in 2022. The pandemic and some other factors related to it have slowed down play across the US and in other countries, but sports as a whole are recovering and starting to get back on their feet. With the tournament schedules opening up for almost every sport in 2022, Ben is poised to continue to collect titles and break records this season.

Being so young and having such a robust set of skills, Ben will likely create a pickleball record that will be both enviable and very hard to beat in the future. If you had thought that pickleball was an older person’s sport, players like Ben will prove to you that those days are over. Pickleball is exciting and full of action, and young players like Ben are working hard on the court and behind the scenes to make pickleball more relevant than tennis.