We started working on High Roller in 2022. We wanted a paddle with a DOPE design signature: that reflective, metallic finish outline. Getting the look right meant late-night calls with manufacturers and round after round of samples. Stitch even sold furniture to help fund the work. We kept coming back to the same idea: make something that looked like DOPE.
On August 1, 2024, we launched. Our first 150 paddles sold out within two weeks. After two years of work, players were choosing the High Roller look for themselves. For us, those two weeks made the wait worth it.
Then came the approval dispute. On October 1, 2024, USA Pickleball’s equipment committee told us its reflection rule extended to the paddle edge. It cited a potential “distraction” and said our finish would not be allowed. We pushed back: what evidence supported that restriction, and where was the clear standard for a brand that had already spent years developing its design?
In January 2025, the equipment manual explicitly named paddle edges in the reflection rule. The 80-gloss-unit limit already existed for hitting surfaces; the update made its application to edges explicit. To us, that was more than a technical footnote. Independent makers need clear guidance before investing years in a product.
The Super Bowl moment began with a last-minute request: get five more High Roller paddles to a commercial shoot. We sent them by overnight courier. In February 2025, there they were in Michelob Ultra’s Super Bowl ad campaign. The DOPE design we had worked to bring into the world was on a national stage. The approval dispute was still unresolved.
Franklin’s C45 raised another question for us. Here was an established USAP sponsor with a metallic-looking paddle edge and an approval outcome different from ours. In April, we asked USAP to explain. Its April 26 reply said Franklin’s original reflective finish had also been rejected, and a revised matte finish was accepted. It said electroplating itself was not prohibited. That answer did not settle our concern about whether independent brands receive the same clear guidance as established sponsors.
On July 6, 2025, Stitch took the story public in a five-post thread. We wanted people to see the sequence and understand why we were challenging the process. We still believe the bureaucracy owes players and independent makers clear rules, equal treatment, and evidence behind restrictions.
High Roller brings a little court-side luxury to a design with a story behind it. A statement piece. A conversation starter. Buying DOPE supports an independent brand standing behind its design identity and your right to bring your own style to the court.
High Roller is not USA Pickleball approved for sanctioned tournament play. For recreational play, check your venue’s equipment rules.
Read Stitch’s five-post thread Read the published rule Read the Super Bowl story in Forbes
The High Roller photo & film archive
Familiar faces. A signature look. Explore High Roller through campaign photographs, courtside moments, and film.
The ULTRA Hustle · Super Bowl LIX
The High Roller metallic gold outline, on screen in Michelob ULTRA’s 2025 pickleball campaign. Explore Catherine O’Hara’s scenes through campaign photographs and the original film.
6 photographs · 2 films
The ULTRA Hustle · Super Bowl LIX
From the net to the final paddle drop: a closer look at High Roller in Willem Dafoe’s scenes from Michelob ULTRA’s 2025 pickleball campaign.
7 photographs · 3 films
Spotted courtside
Courtside photographs and a USA portrait, with High Roller’s metallic gold outline in view. Explore moments from DOPE’s photo and film archive.
3 photographs · 1 film
Pickleball coach · Community stories
A care package, opened on camera. Matt Manasse shows the High Roller paddle and DOPE accessories in his original Instagram story, saved in our Community highlight.
1 photograph · 1 film
PickleballTV host · Community stories
From an unboxing to the PickleballTV set. Watch Kamryn Blackwood open DOPE gear and see the broadcast moment saved in our Community stories.
2 photographs · 2 films
Former MLB player · Community stories
A DOPE cap, a High Roller unboxing and a closer look at the full kit. Explore Eric Byrnes’s original Instagram stories, saved in our Community highlight.
3 photographs · 2 films
NFL safety · Community stories
The High Roller kit, shared by Terrell Edmunds. His original Instagram story shows the paddle, gold ball and DOPE accessories together.
1 photograph · 0 films
Former professional boxer · Community stories
High Roller, up close. Mike Lee shows the paddle in his original Instagram story, followed by court footage he shared from Urban Pickleball Club.
2 photographs · 2 films
TTC founder · Behind the campaign
Sean Bollettieri helped bring High Roller to the Michelob ULTRA production, as reported by Forbes. Explore his original TTC carousel, behind-the-scenes footage and the story connecting the paddle to the campaign.
1 photograph · 1 film · 1 article
Forbes · Todd Boss
Todd Boss reports how Sean Bollettieri introduced DOPE’s paddles to the commercial’s director.
