Lazy Money Issue #7

Hey friend,

In today’s issue: How a backyard game invented by bored dads in the ’60s quietly minted 38 millionaires, why hedge funds are chasing after 91-year-olds, and how you can cash in on the weirdest sports boom in history. Let's dig in...

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The Story

A 14-acre California vineyard was recently bulldozed—not because the wine was bad (it was award-winning), but because pickleball courts promised 6x more profit per acre than grapes.

Let that sink in: A sport invented in 1965 by three dads with plywood paddles and a bored dog just out-earned Napa freaking Valley.

This isn’t growth. This is a hostile takeover.

The catalyst? In 2019, a small paddle-making company started by Barney McCallum—one of pickleball’s original inventors—sold for $80 million, triggering what insiders now call "The Great Paddle Rush."

Since 2021, hedge funds have poured over 3 billion into pickleball leagues, turning what was once a backyard pastime into Wall Street's hottest commodity. Tom Brady and LeBron James got into literal bidding wars over teams, driving franchise values from $100,000 to $5 million in just 18 months.

The economics are absurd. One Florida facility owner showed me his books: $1.8 million annual revenue from just eight courts. "We're making more per square foot than the Apple Store next door," he told me.

Same pattern everywhere: Padel tennis - 300% growth in courts last year. More disc golf courses in America (over 9,000!) than Starbucks stores. Spikeball went from a backyard BBQ pastime into a $20 million phenomenon, played by more than 5 million people.

The Real MVP? FOMO. When LeBron buys a pickleball team, suddenly, Goldman Sachs needs a "lifestyle sports" division. When a YouTuber's spikeball vid hits 10M views, Dick's Sporting Goods clears shelf space.

Bottom line: You don't need to swing a paddle to make bank on pickleball. Here's your playbook for cashing in on niche sports—without ever breaking a sweat.

How To Profit

• Become the ESPN of Weird (But Fast-Growing) Sports

Traditional media is ignoring these emerging sports. While ESPN sleeps, you could be building the go-to content platform for passionate players.

Here's what to do:

Target one of these under-covered growth sports: pickleball (obviously), padel tennis, axe throwing, spike ball or disc golf.

Start a YouTube channel reviewing equipment newcomers struggle with. A guy in Atlanta makes $18,000 monthly reviewing pickleball paddles. Another creator makes $22,000/month from disc golf form critiques.

For padel or spike ball, launch an Instagram showing technique tips for common pain points. For axe throwing, start a podcast interviewing champions and venue owners. The guy behind "Talk Padel" charges sponsors $8,000 per episode with just 11,000 listeners.

All you need is a smartphone camera, $50 microphone, and free editing apps. Answer questions like: "Best starter paddle under $100?" "How to throw without shoulder pain?" "Spike ball strategy for beginners?"

Players research obsessively before spending hundreds on gear they don't understand. Become their trusted guide, and sponsors will find you.

• Create Your Own Tournament (and let others fund it)

Instead of sponsoring events, create your own tournament and get local businesses to fund it. This works especially well if you don't have the capital to start a facility or product line.

Here's what to do:

Choose an accessible sport with growing local interest. Pickleball is obvious, but also consider cornhole tournaments (7.5M players nationwide), spike ball (perfect for beaches or parks), or axe throwing (partner with an existing venue).

Book an affordable space—community centers charge $200-400 for a weekend. Design simple brackets for 32-48 players at $25-40 entry fee. Now approach 10-15 local businesses with this pitch: "Access 40+ affluent players and their friends for just $500-1000."

A real estate agent in Phoenix launched a neighborhood pickleball tournament with $900 of her money. She convinced 11 local businesses to sponsor at $1,500 each. After expenses, she pocketed $12,000 in profit, plus gained 43 new clients.

Pro tip: Document everything—attendance, player demographics, social media engagement. Use these stats to double your sponsorship rates next time.

The beauty is you don't need to be a sports expert—just a decent organizer.

• Sell Absurdly High Margin Equipment

The real money isn't in basic equipment – it's in specialized gear with outrageous markups that passionate players will happily pay.

Here's what to do:

Identify specific problems players encounter in your chosen sport. For pickleball: sore hands, slippery grips, court visibility. For axe throwing: blade maintenance, grip consistency. For cornhole: bag durability, board transportation.

Then create simple solutions with ridiculously high margins. The economics are absurd: pickleball grip tape costs $1.20 to make but sells for $18.99. LED court boundary markers cost $3 to manufacture but retail for $49.99. Axe-sharpening kits with $7 in materials sell for $65.

Start small on Etsy or at local tournaments. A Michigan woman began making specialized pickleball grip wraps and now supplies 114 pro shops nationwide. A former tennis coach launched a subscription box sending grip enhancers, specialized socks, and training aids to pickleball players – 2,800 subscribers at $49 monthly with just $11 in product costs.

You don't need manufacturing experience – just find pain points, source solutions from Alibaba, add your branding, and markup 500%+.

The Ace Segment

Ace Victoria didn't just miss the Titanic—he lost a bet.

In 1912, Ace challenged a British businessman to a squash match in Southampton. Winner got the other’s first-class ticket on the Titanic, departing later that week. Ace lost by a single point, handing over his ticket just days before sailing.

That game saved Ace’s life. He landed safely in New York on another ship, obsessing over squash ever since. Convinced the sport was his lucky charm, Ace pitched it to Wall Street brokers as the ultimate "competitive edge," claiming squash sharpened reflexes and business instincts.

Within months, Manhattan’s elite were battling for court slots, convinced squash was their new secret weapon. Ace later quipped, "That lost bet was the best investment I ever made—turns out you can charge anything if people think their competition has it first."

Until next time,

Alex

Founder //LZY MNY CLB