news
Hosted by Shay Coker & Jeff McKnight · news · EN
Welcome to The Champions Table — the unofficial insider podcast of the MLP Champions Series, the world's premier 50+ professional pickleball league. We're Shay Coker, Senior Pro and OKC Punishers player, and Jeff McKnight, Owner, GM, and player for the Columbus Hotshots. We're not the official voice of the league. We're better. We're on the courts, at the events, and at the table with the players, owners, and personalities that make this sport extraordinary. The MLP Champions Series attracts the best 50+ pickleball players in the world — elite competitors who bring a lifetime of athleticism, grit, and passion to every match. Every week we break down the teams, the rivalries, the stories, and the people behind the fastest growing sport in the world — no filter, no PR spin, just real talk from two guys who live it. New episodes weekly. Subscribe and pull up a chair.
Required Pod Score for this podcast. PitchCentric checks your profile against host openness, topical fit, and audience signals before you generate a pitch.
Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
30%
Guest openness
Selective
Sign up to generate a grounded pitch for The Champions Table.
Signup to Generate a PitchWelcome to The Champions Table, the unofficial insider podcast of the MLP Champions Series, the world's premier 50+ professional pickleball league. We're Shay Coker, Senior Pro and OKC Punishers player, and Jeff McKnight, Owner, GM, and player for the Columbus Hotshots. We're not the official voice of the league. We're better.
The Champions Table is hosted by Shay Coker & Jeff McKnight. The show has published 22 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Why Major League Pickleball Is "Unserious" (And How To Fix It) | w/ Nick Nicastro - Ep 21" (7 October 2026, 32 minutes), "Joy Leising & Susannah Barr: Chasing the First Prime Title - Ep 20" (2 October 2026, 42 minutes), and "Who’s REALLY the Best in MLP? | Ultimate Champions Series Power Ranking - Ep 19" (25 September 2026, 36 minutes).
The Champions Table publishes roughly weekly, with episodes averaging 37 minutes across 22 episodes.
Booking probability for The Champions Table is 30%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. The Champions Table requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. The Champions Table's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for The Champions Table are Sports. The Champions Table has a news audience.
Shay Coker & Jeff McKnight hosts The Champions Table, a news podcast with 22 episodes published.
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
Episode #21
Welcome to Episode 21 of The Champions Table Podcast ! In this episode, Shay Coker and Jeff McKnight sit down with Columbus Sliders superfan Nick Nicastro (known on X as @DonNiccolo) to dive into his viral open letter...
Episode #20
Joy Leising and Susannah Barr of Seattle Tsunami Prime are chasing the first Prime title in MLP Champions Series history. Plus our picks for APP Columbus and PPA Las Vegas. On this episode of The Champions Table, Shay...
Episode #19
Who are the best teams in the MLP Champions Series right now? Jeff and Shay break down the latest results, performances, and surprises as they put together their ultimate MLP Champions Series power ranking . Who moved...
Episode #18
The Seattle Tsunami are rising to the top of the regular season standings with only one regular season event to go. GM James Main joins us to discuss how his team is peaking at the right time of the year.
Episode #17
It's hard enough to play with your husband or wife in recreational play. Imagine taking it to the highest level at Major League Pickleball Champions Series! Angela and Neil Simon became the first husband/wife duo to...
Episode #16
In this week's podcast, we talk with John Hedberg, star of the OKC Punishers, who is in Vietnam to represent the USA at the Pickleball World Cup. Jeff and Shay also discuss the MLP Finals from Central Park and give a...
Episode #15
Jeff and Shay discuss the recent APP tournament in Detroit and talk with Heather Waters about her experience in the MLP Champions Series.
Episode #14
On this episode of The Champions Table , we sit down with Rick Witsken —Co-Founder of the MLP Champions Series Pickleball, top-ranked senior pro, and standout player for the Indy Drivers! Rick pulls back the curtain on...
Episode #13
The Champions Table is back! This week we recap Event #2 of the MLP Champions Series in Dallas. Top teams, top performers, personal experiences, and much more! While we focus on the Premier Division, we also mentioned...
Episode #12
Dave Fleming to suit up for the Palm Beach Royals this weekend at the MLP Champions Series! We also discuss matchups, predictions, power rankings, upcoming matches, the LA Xtreme reality show, and Palm Beach Pete's pick...
Episode #11
Join us for a recap of the first MLP Champions Series event in Chicago, where we discuss the top teams and biggest surprises. Also, we had a bonus interview with Dr. Nicole Pitts from the Austin Ignite Prime team, which...
Episode #10
The episode features a discussion about the upcoming Major League Pickleball Champions Series, including the preseason power rankings and team analysis. The hosts also engage in a conversation with a guest about the...
Episode #9
The conversation covers the preseason power rankings of the MLP Champions Series, discussing the top three teams and their players. It also delves into the potential of an MLP champions all-star team and the format of...
Episode #8
This conversation with SoCal Hard 8's owner Tim Parks covers the business aspects of pickleball and the merger of Major League Pickleball (MLP) and Professional Pickleball Association (PPA). It delves into the strategic...
Episode #7
The conversation with Lee Whitwell covers rising competition in senior pro pickleball, the format and experience of MLP vs. APP events, transitioning to MLP Champions Series, Lee's background and multilingual abilities...
Episode #6
The conversation covers Daniel Gold's transition from playing tennis at Wimbledon to becoming the GM of the Las Vegas headliners in the Major League Pickleball Champions Series. It also delves into the process of...
Episode #5
The conversation with Tommy Ho covered his remarkable athletic journey from tennis to pickleball, including his early tennis career, training under Rick Macci, memorable matches, transition to pickleball, return to the...
Episode #5
<p>The conversation with Tommy Ho covered his remarkable athletic journey from tennis to pickleball, including his early tennis career, training under Rick Macci, memorable matches, transition to pickleball, return to...
Episode #4
<h3><b>Episode #4: Inside the New Jersey Fives with GM Ryan Harwood</b></h3><p>Join us on The Champions Table as we sit down with Ryan Harwood, co-owner and General Manager of the Major League Pickleball (MLP)...
Episode #4
Episode #4: Inside the New Jersey Fives with GM Ryan Harwood Join us on The Champions Table as we sit down with Ryan Harwood, co-owner and General Manager of the Major League Pickleball (MLP) franchise, the New Jersey...
Recent guests on The Champions Table. Study who booked and why before you pitch.
PitchCentric classifies The Champions Table under these industries. Guests from them are the closest fit, and each links to the best podcasts in that industry.
Shows with the most semantically similar episode content. Pitch one, pitch all; producers cluster.
Is this podcast yours and you'd like to remove or correct details? Request removal or email privacy@pitchcentric.com.
Questions about the free trial? See the pricing FAQ
