This summer (2023) it was announced that billionaire investor Mark Walter has made a major investment in the sport of squash (likely over $10 million). Walter, who is the co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chelsea Football Club, has acquired a stake in Squash Media & Marketing (SMM), a commercial entity created and managed by the Professional Squash Association (PSA).
The investment is part of a larger strategy to grow the sport of squash globally.
SMM will use the investment to increase the number of tournaments on the PSA Tour, improve the fan experience, and raise the profile of the sport.
Walter is a long-time supporter of squash. He has previously sponsored the Windy City Open and PSA World Championships. In 2019, he helped to launch the PSA World Tour Finals, a new tournament that offers the highest prize money in the sport.
Walter's investment is a major boost for the sport of squash. It will help to increase the visibility of the sport and attract new fans. It will also help to raise the level of competition and improve the opportunities for players. PSA CEO Alex Gough agrees and says this is a game changing moment for the sport.
Squash is a growing sport with a global following. It is played by over 20 million people in over 185 countries. The sport is particularly popular in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Pakistan, and has over 2 million participants in the United States.
The investment by Mark Walter is a sign of the growing popularity of squash globally and is a major vote of confidence for the future. No doubt this investment in the game played a part in ensuring that squash got voted onto the sports program for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles (more about this at a later date). This elevated partnership is easily the best development for the sport in the last 10 years.
Now someone just needs to do a Netflix series about the main protagonists in professional squash, ala Formula One's Drive To Survive. That will really get people's engines going.
