How the MLP Commissioner Changed Christian Alshon's Mind on Rally Scoring

Christian Alshon may be one of the most opinionated voices in pro pickleball, but when it comes to the rally scoring debate in Major League Pickleball, he’s showing a little more nuance.

In a recent appearance on the PicklePod, Alshon shared a conversation he had with MLP Commissioner Samin Odhwani about the league’s move away from rally scoring. At first, Alshon says, he wasn’t entirely sold on the change to side-out scoring—but Odhwani reframed the issue.

“He was like, you know, [there are] 60,000, 100,000 pickleball players that follow pickleball,” Alshon recounted. “And those people are going to be the ones who might be a little more upset or not liking the change from rally scoring to traditional.

The argument? MLP purists might resist, but traditional or side-out scoring is designed to make the game easier to follow for new and casual fans. It shortens matches, simplifies the broadcast experience, and aligns the two professional tours under the same scoring conventions.

And while the switch was initially met with some resistance, it seems to be winning fans over. Pro and multi-time MLP champ Zane Navratil put a poll out on X, with the majority of respondents actually favoring the switch to traditional scoring:

“It's not really for the people who are currently in pickleball; it's more for the people who are going to get into pickleball," Alshon continued. "When he explained that to me, it made a lot of sense. Can’t really argue that.”

It’s a telling moment of diplomacy from one of MLP’s most passionate players—and maybe a sign that the pros are starting to come around.

Watch the full episode of the PicklePod, below: