The hottest new sport these days is what some would call a cross between tennis and ping pong: pickleball. The sport has seen a substantial amount of exponential growth in players recently, as the number of pickleball players has gone up 159% since 2019 (SFIA). But pickleball isn’t actually a new sport - it’s been around for over 58 years. So why is this old sport suddenly re-surging? And why has it created tension between pickleball and tennis players?
The History of Pickleball
As mentioned, pickleball was created in 1965 by a trio of dads looking for something to do on a hot summer day. Although people tend to associate the game of pickleball with tennis and ping pong, it was actually initially built off of badminton, as the founding trio of dads played the first iteration of pickleball using a badminton net and court. They initially used ping pong paddles to volley a plastic ball back and forth over the standard 60-inch badminton net before realizing that the plastic ball bounced well on the asphalt surface, which led them to lower the net to the 36 inches we all know today. A few years later, in 1967, the first official pickleball court was built which marked the beginning of a long journey to widespread adoption. Pickleball had been growing in the few years leading up to 2020, but the pandemic was the catalyst that spurred exponential growth for pickleball in the US.
Why is Pickleball So Popular?
Pickleball has mass appeal for a few different reasons. First off, it’s a sport that everyone can have fun playing since there’s not a huge learning curve. I’m not saying everyone is going to be the Roger Federer of pickleball on their second time ever playing - but you’ll be able to get a rally going and legitimately have a good time. Not only is pickleball easy to play, but it’s also much more social than most sports (besides golf) as you’re playing in a relatively tight space and are close enough to where you can speak with your opponent and have a few laughs. Lastly, you don’t have to be extremely fit to play pickleball as there isn’t much court to cover, not to mention the slow-bouncing ball. When considering all these points it’s really no surprise that over 52% of the “core” pickleball players, which consists of players who play over eight times a year, are age 55+ (SFIA).
The Tennis vs Pickleball vs. Beef
It’s not hard to understand the “beef” between pickleball and tennis players, which is mostly just tennis players hating pickleball players for playing on “their” courts. Besides the battle for court space, it must be mentioned that pickleball is objectively an easier sport to play. With a smaller ball and a larger court, tennis requires a combination of precise hand-eye coordination, athleticism, years of practice, and much more. That being said, mastering pickleball isn’t necessarily easy either, it’s just an easier sport to pick up initially.
Funny enough, a lot of former tennis players, including the likes of Andre Agassi and John McEnroe, have “converted” from tennis to pickleball - which has further intensified the beef between tennis and pickleball players, as tennis players see this move as players joining the dark side. We recently made a post on our social media poking fun at this new trend (if you haven’t seen it, click here) and our followers had a lot to say, check it out below:
Court Dry’s Tennis vs. Pickleball Meme on Instagram
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The sport of tennis has been estimated to have been around since the 1100’s while pickleball was only invented 58 years ago. Tennis has maintained its popularity throughout the years but there is debate as to whether or not pickleball will continue growing at this rapid pace and maintain it’s popularity throughout the years. Is pickleball here to stay or is it just another fad that will eventually fizzle out? Let me know in the comments!
Works Cited
Feldman, J. (2023, March 15). What is pickleball, and how did it become so popular?. Sportico.com. https://www.sportico.com/business/sports/2023/history-of-pickleball-1234712282/
History of the game - USA pickleball. USA Pickleball - America’s Fasting Growing Sport. (2023, April 10). https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/history-of-the-game/
Sports and Fitness Industry Association. (2024, April 26). https://sfia.org/
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