Make the World a Better Place with Pickleball
Ex-Eagle's Foundation Is Bringing Its Tourney Back to Sea Isle
Make The World Better cofounders Jeff Tubbs (left) and Connor Barwin (right) flank executive director Jesse Rendell at the after-party for the 2024 MTWB Pickleball Tournament.
2025 MTWB Pickleball Tournament
June 28, 2025 (Rain date Sunday, June 29)
11am Registration, 11:45am Tournament
304 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Sea Isle City, NJ 08243
Become a Sponsor/Purchase Tickets > mtwb.org/event/pickleball
When you call your foundation Make The World Better, clearly you have lofty goals. But growing up in Detroit the son of a police officer, Connor Barwin saw firsthand how inner-city youth were at a disadvantage when it came to having adequate facilities to do everything from playing ball to taking a walk in the park.
Those images stuck with him as his NFL career progressed, especially once the former linebacker and defensive end came to the Eagles in 2013. That’s what prompted him soon after his arrival in Philly to create MTWB.
“What we do with communities is reimagine and rebuild their public space,” says Barwin, 38, who made the Pro Bowl in 2014, retired after the 2018 season and now is the Eagles’ head of football development and strategy. “We work very closely with the folks who live in those neighborhoods and rebuild parks and rec centers.
“In total, we’ve invested over $30 million in public space in Philadelphia.”
But in 2023, MTWB started going beyond city limits when it took its act to Sea Isle City with a pickleball tournament. It was such a rousing success that it was held here again last year.
Barwin and his colleagues are excited to announce that the Make the World Better Pickleball Tournament is returning for Year 3 on Saturday, June 28 from 11am-4pm at the Marina Pickleball Courts at 300 JFK Blvd.
“When I came [to Philly] to play in 2013, I learned right away that the shore was a place to go to in the summer,” says Barwin, who spent his first four NFL seasons with Houston after being drafted in the second round out of Cincinnati. “When Jesse Rendell [MTWB executive director] said since we do everything in the city, it would be smart to do something down the shore, we came up with the idea of having a pickleball tournament.
“The first one was just so much fun and such a success we did it again, and now we’re doing our third year. It’s just a great way to connect with people down at the beach and with the community down there. I’m so excited to be joining again.”
The folks at Sea Isle, who have a pretty busy calendar around that time, are happy to have them coming back.
“This sounds like a very worthwhile effort,” says Katherine Custer, Sea Isle’s public relations director. “Obviously we agree having nice public facilities makes a positive impact on the community.
“We applaud the effort of any group or individual who works to make the community better for residents and visitors. And we’re happy to allow them to raise funds and awareness for their cause.”
According to Rendell, the tournament last year brought in some $75,000, which goes to MTWB’s general operating budget and to pay the staff. He’s hoping to hit six figures this year thanks to the growing popularity of the sport, coupled with the location.
“I was very much aware of the fact that pickleball was kind of an up-and-coming thing and the idea of doing a tournament just fit for us,” says Rendell, whose father Ed is the former Philadelphia mayor and Pennsylvania governor. “MTWB has always been about outdoor recreation and sports, to recreate public rec spaces.
“Also, I have a huge connectivity to the shore as well because my parents have had a house in Ocean City since the late ’70s. I started going down there in the summers and fell in love with it and became a competitive surfer.
“I also have a ton of friends there, so it all made sense to me. Summer down the shore. Pickleball. And I’m very much aware of the fact that many people from the Philadelphia area are down there in the summer.
Connor Barwin reaches to break up an Eli Manning pass in his days as an Eagle.
Photo credit: Tom Briglia PhotoGraphics
“Then there’s a lot of companies and locals down there that are very supportive of Philadelphia as a whole and the Eagles.”
That Eagles connection has certainly paid off. Besides Barwin, others who have attended the event have included Jason Kelce, Malcolm Jenkins, Trent Cole, and Jason Avant. Last year’s winning team, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott and former defensive tackle Beau Allen, is expected to be back to defend its title, though Barwin admits he may not know who else is coming until the last minute.
“We don’t say who’s coming, but you know there’ll be people there,” says Barwin, who co-founded MTWB with his mother, Margaret. “I hope people are excited to support the event for MTWB and play pickleball.
“When I got to the NFL and especially when I got to Philly and signed the contract, I said ‘This is what I want to do. I want to try to be a part of the solution giving kids a safe place to play sports.’ Some of that’s evolved over the years. We’re really proud of our process and excited about the future.”
In terms of the actual logistics, it gets tricky since there are only seven courts and a great demand to field teams.
“Managing the orchestration of the tournament is pretty tough,” says Rendell, who credits Vince D’Ambrosio of Castle & Associates for also playing a key role in making this happen. “We have three divisions: beginner, intermediate and advanced.
“When they sign up, they get to choose their division. The first year we only had 28 teams and that was actually great because when you have seven courts, you’ve got 14 teams on them all the time.
“Last year we had up to 50 teams and so it was a lot more in and out, off the courts, but we worked it out. You can only have so many teams, because if you get too many, people are having to sit too long.”
Corporate sponsors will hang their banners on each court, which entitles them to field a team and get other perks. Public teams are invited to enter for $300.
With space limited for spectators, Rendell suggests the best alternative to be a part of the scene is to attend the tournament after-party.
“That's where we recognize the winners—last year we gave out championship belts,” he says. “We have our raffle and an auction and all that fun stuff.
“But there’s benches there and people can come over to check it out. It’s right across the street where people come to drop their boats. There’s a promenade and a green space, so that’s where you can hang out.”
While MTWB is the prime beneficiary, it’s not the only ones.
“There are local businesses down the shore involved and a couple of real estate companies,” adds Rendell. “A lot of businesses benefit from people from Philadelphia coming down.
“They’re happy to support a good cause.”
Which, after all, is the bottom line and what Make The World Better is all about.
“I think it’s just a great event that raises money,” says Barwin. “And it’s a great way for us to sort of engage with the community down at the shore.
“We definitely feel the support and appreciate it.”
They’ll be reminded the feeling is mutual when the third Make the World Better Pickleball Tournament gets underway.
Connor Barwin is bringing the tourney to Sea Isle for the third year.