Arena: Pickleball

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If someone were to take a poll on what people thought was the fastest growing sport in America, what would some of the responses be? Some might say soccer since it is now more popular than ice hockey. Some would say competitive online gaming, given the boom of eSports we have seen over the past few years. If anyone answered with one of the above, they would be wrong and probably wouldn’t be able to guess it right if given dozens of chances. So, what is the fastest rising sport in America? The answer: Pickleball. The game was first invented in the 1960s by three men, one of which was a Washington State congressman, that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. Currently there are over four million players in the US and the number grows day by day. Soon you might see a pickleball court at your local park.

In 1965, Washington State Representative Joel Pritchard and businessman Bill Bell found themselves in a predicament. They came home to find their families suffering from boredom. Pritchard and Bell came up with the idea for everyone to play badminton on the outside court
however they could not find a full set of rackets. They decided to improvise with ping-pong paddles and instead of a birdie used a plastic ball with holes. The families started playing and used badminton rules in place for the new game that looked familiar but was foreign. Soon after that first game, Barney McCallum, a friend of both men, was introduced to the game. Together all three men created rules for what would become America’s fastest growing sport.

Pickleball’s major appeal is that it’s fairly simple to play. There is no learning curve when playing for the first time. Newcomers are able to step on a court and play competitively right from the start. The game is played with a hand paddle and a plastic perforated ball on a badminton court with a 34-inch raised net. Teams of two, or singles, volley the ball back and forth as it bounces off the ground. Points are only scored by the serving team when the volley is lost by the opponent. Teams switch serves on side outs and faults.

Majority of core pickleball players are over the age 65, but the sport is getting younger as core players under 55 have seen a 6% increase from 2016-2020. Pickleball also saw an increase in overall total player growth rate of 39.3% over the past two years.

Pickleball slowly started to become more and more popular as the years went on. The 1970s saw pickleball reach out to others outside of the inventors’ family and friends. In 1976, a pickleball article was featured in Tennis magazine. The same year also witnessed the first
pickleball tournament in Tukwila, Washington. In 1984 The United States Amateur Pickleball Association was established to promote the growth of the game along with the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) later created in 2005. As of 2022, there are over four million players
competing across the country.

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According to USA Pickleball, there are about 10,000 pickleball courts in the US, but they are constantly being built every month to keep up with the demand of the sport. USA Pickleball has even started preparing toolkits for community leaders with guidelines and price estimates for building a court. Courts are not only found in outdoor space but also in fitness centers, YMCAs,
and hotel chains.

With its increase in popularity Pickleball is starting to become a professional sport that is taken seriously with corporate and broadcast partners. USA Pickleball has over 20 affiliated endorsers that sponsor official pickleball events and equipment. The Professional Pickleball Association Tour was the first professional pickleball tournament hosted in 2018. Prize money of “hundreds of thousands of dollars” was given out to winners. Pickleball matches are broadcasted both online and on live television. ESPN, Tennis Channel, and CBS Sports have all aired pickleball on their networks increasing the sport’s outreach. Past completions and events can also be found on the official USA Pickleball YouTube channel here.

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the US, but the game doesn’t just have its sights set on domestic territory. Pickleball’s extent has gone beyond American borders into the international sphere. The International Federation of Pickleball was formed in 2010 with the same goals as the USAPA. There are 70 member countries including England, Holland, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Peru. By the end of the decade, pickleball hopes to be an Olympic sport. For an Olympic bid, pickleball will need to be played in 75 countries and then be voted on
by the International Olympic Committee.

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Pickleball unfortunately doesn’t have the recognizable names or faces of other professional athletes. However, that isn't to say that pickleball doesn’t have its share of elite players. The Greatest Of All Time is a moniker that follows 22-year-old Ben Johns, the top ranked men’s pickleball player. Johns started playing pickleball in 2016 and in eight years he has claimed 40 Pro Pickleball Association Titles. Riley Newman is ranked 3rd in Men’s Singles and Mixed Doubles where plays alongside his sister, Lindsey Newman.

Pickleball will surely continue to grow as it has gone from a niche racket game to a member of the mainstream sports world. Pickleball will also be able to stimulate interest in a younger generation with more courts being built in community parks and rec centers. Soon more and
more tournaments will be held and broadcasted to a wide audience.