Dave Fleming: The Voice of Pickleball on Haters, Catchphrases, and Growing the Game | S4 E7

In this episode, Dave sits down with Roscoe and Jared to trace his winding path to the pickleball mic — from calling high school sports in Memphis to ball boying and interviewing tennis legends as a teenager, and finally becoming the defining voice of the sport's biggest broadcasts.

Dave breaks down his origin story in detail: growing up in a sports-obsessed family, his early TV career, and the chance golf cart conversation with Hank Haney that connected Tom Dundon and Connor Pardoe — a meeting that helped shape the modern PPA. He also shares how he almost missed his own start in broadcasting after years working outside sports media entirely.

Dave also opens up about the craft behind the mic: where catchphrases like "snowman," "crooked number," and "floor is lava" actually came from, how he handles online criticism by blocking and moving on, and his predictions for which discipline — mixed doubles or singles — will be the one to break pickleball into the mainstream.

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Timestamps:

1:02 — Meet Dave Fleming, The Most Listened-To Man in Pickleball

1:57 — Getting Recognized at Tournaments (And at a Concert)

3:10 — The Chris Collinsworth Comparison

4:18 — His Parents Met at a Copier in Pittsburgh

5:35 — The High School TV Station That Started It All

6:42 — Ball Boying Jimmy Connors, Then Interviewing Him Minutes Later

8:15 — Why Pro Tennis Wasn't in the Cards

9:21 — Choosing Marketing Over Sports Broadcasting in College

10:14 — Writing Periodontal Brochures for Delta Dental

11:01 — Blocking Out Steelers Scores on Championship Sunday

14:26 — Discovering Pickleball at 49 Through a Tennis Friend

16:34 — Meeting Adam Stone and Winning Their First Tournament

18:51 — The Email From Steve Dawson That Changed Everything

21:03 — The Golf Cart Ride That Connected Tom Dundon and Connor Pardoe

22:57 — Building the PPA From a Backyard Pickleball Court

26:28 — Introducing Tom Dundon and Connor Pardoe

29:15 — Finding His Voice as the Voice of Pickleball

31:02 — The Broadcasters Who Shaped His Style

33:20 — How Dave Handles the Haters

35:11 — Navigating Negativity in The Community

43:03 — The Loudest Roar He's Ever Heard on the Mic

44:47 — The Match That Gave Him Chills: Kalamotos vs. Waters/Bright

48:36 — What's Needed to Break Pickleball Into the Mainstream

51:21 — Is There a "Dinking Problem" in Pickleball?

53:25 — Mixed Doubles vs. Singles: Which One Breaks Through?

55:14 — What He Wants His Broadcasting Legacy to Be

56:29 — Breaking Down His Catchphrases: Snowman, Crooked Number, and More

59:07 — The Story Behind "Scratch My Back With a Hacksaw"

1:01:26 — What Dave Wants His Legacy to Be