Sam Flaxman is Strategic Advisor of Pickleball at Topnotch Management and a speaker at RacquetX.

His client roster is impressive and growing. Although he is always on the search for new racquet talent, he truly believes in and supports his current roster.

We recently sat down with him to ask about what led him to this niche business, how he approaches its challenges, and what he sees in the future.

What does a “typical” day look like in the life of a sports talent manager?

“My day typically starts early in the morning around 6am when I get time to myself to workout, play some squash or pickleball early in the morning.

Once that’s over I utilize my mornings to midafternoon to have meetings with our East Coast players, brands, sponsors and current partners to go over activations, deliverables and potential new opportunities with our clientele.

By 3pm, I try to sneak in a quick cardio session or another squash match at my club.

After 4:30pm, I jump on calls with our clientele to check in how they are doing, what they need and what potential deals/pipeline look like currently. We have clientele who live in the Midwest, West Coast and Australia so I block my evenings to have dedicated call times with them.”

How do you decide if an athlete has the “it” factor?

“I handle our professional player scouting and development for Topnotch Management.

And really what it comes down to is how does the athlete perform and carry themselves in tournaments and if are they approachable on and off the court. Lastly, I consider whether they have the work ethic to uphold and manage the deliverables brands expect out of professional pickleball athletes. There’s no magic recipe, but I’ve been around the industry long enough to see who has it and who doesn’t. Am I perfect at it? Not at all. But I learn from every client!”

What are some of the challenges you face?

“The one challenge we face is managing and maximizing our time properly. Everyone seems to be trying to get into pickleball in some fashion.

Being able to cut through the noise and determine who is really serious about wanting to work with our athletes and partners is crucial. It takes practice, but after thousands of discussions you start to know off the bat who is wasting your time and who isn’t.”

A high point in your career?

“I don’t have a real high point in my career yet. I think we have barely scratched the surface in professional pickleball and we’re really at the forefront of global expansion right now. That’s where I’m putting a good chunk of my time and resources now because it’s an immense value add to our current sponsorship partners, our athletes and potential partners down the road.”

How did you get into the business? Any advice for people interested in the sports management industry?

“I started with the PPA Tour back in the summer of 2022. I was the Pro Player Director for over a year and really enjoyed my time working with the organization and its players to build out the professional pickleball tour.

My advice for those looking to get in the industry is knock on as many ‘doors’ as possible. This industry is going sky high like a rocket ship and you never know where an opportunity may lead to.“

What are your predictions for the future?

“After my trip to India earlier this year for the Indian Open, my prediction is that India, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, Latin and South America will be huge propulsions of growth for the professional game.

With the buy-in of these countries/continents we’re finally seeing other professional tours grow out of these areas and provide legitimate monetizing opportunities for our athletes . These regions will also be instrumental in the overall recreational growth of the game which should help pickleball become a legitimate sport for the 2032 Brisbane Summer Olympics.”

To hear more from Flaxman about his client philosophy, meet some of the athletes he represents, and learn about the future of ALL racquet sports, please join us at RacquetX in Miami from March 24th to 26th.