Major League Pickleball's AI measures line calls, and the referee still decides
Full seasonOwl ran through the full 2026 MLP season, from its debut at the PPA Tour event in Zion, Utah (March 2026) to the New Jersey 5s' title. The referee made every final call; Owl is one input, like a replay angle. Dink Feed reports the season ran without the backlash automated calls might have triggered. No accuracy, challenge-count or overturn-rate figure is published; Owl lets people check the frames instead.
“These technologies will be used in partnership with the league’s existing match referees to provide accurate, faster, and more consistent turnaround times for challenged plays and will debut at the upcoming Carvana PPA Tour event in Zion, Utah in March 2026.”
Major League Pickleball, Dec 2025; Sports Video Group, May 2026; Dink Feed, Oct 2026, Oct 2026
- Who
- Major League Pickleball (MLP presented by DoorDash), the coed, team-based pro pickleball league with 22 teams, and Owl AI, a sports technology company founded in May 2025. MLP joined Owl's Trailblazer Program for the 2026 season.
- Problem
- In pro pickleball one close line call can swing a match, and on TV every viewer can rewatch a ball the players saw once at full speed. As prize money, rankings and audiences grew, each disputed call carried more weight. MLP wanted objective evidence for those moments, from a system that could last a full season without buying expensive specialist hardware.
- Agent
- Owl Officiate is 100% software: computer vision and generative AI analyse video from broadcast-type cameras (MLP added cameras that feed Owl directly, separate from the TV feed). On a challenge it answers one physical question, where the ball landed relative to the line, and hands the referee that measurement with the frames behind it, so the evidence can be checked. The referee rules. The same read generates an on-air 3D rendering of the landing spot for viewers.
We'll build it for you
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Try it yourself with Owl AI (Owl Officiate)
You are the head of officiating for our [club league / tournament]. Goal: write a simple review protocol where video or line-call tech helps the umpire but never replaces them. My input: [our format and scoring], [cameras or apps we have], [current challenge rules], [number of officials]. Give me: 1) when a challenge can be asked and how many per player or team; 2) what evidence the official sees and in what order; 3) the exact words the official uses to announce the decision; 4) what happens if the tech fails. Keep the final call with the official every time.What we can do for your club or brand
Leagues, clubs and tournaments that already film matches can add video evidence to close calls while keeping the umpire in charge, and show players and fans exactly why a decision went the way it did. The Court can turn that into a sourced public case and the content that explains the rule change to players, members and sponsors, without inventing results that are not published.
Source:
Major League Pickleball, Dec 2025; Sports Video Group, May 2026; Dink Feed, Oct 2026, Oct 2026 · first-party source
What they did
In December 2025 MLP joined Owl AI's Trailblazer Program to use automatic line calling inside its in-match challenge system for 2026, in partnership with its existing match referees. Owl runs on broadcast-type cameras with no specialist hardware; MLP added cameras that feed Owl directly. The system debuted at the Carvana PPA Tour event in Zion, Utah in March 2026 and launched with the MLP season in Dallas. On each challenge, Owl measures the landing spot, shows the referee the frames, and the measurement also drives a 3D replay on air.
How it went
Per Dink Feed (Oct 2026), MLP used Owl throughout the 2026 season, which ended with the New Jersey 5s crowned champions. The referee made the final call each time and the company is explicit that Owl never overrules an official. Commissioner Samin Odhwani framed the partnership as enhancing 'the reliability of our challenge system'. Limits: Owl declines to publish a headline accuracy number, and no count of challenges, overturned calls or time saved is published. The evidence offered is the frames behind each measurement.