Since the pandemic, pickleball has exploded across the country. Suddenly, left and right, influencers were posing with their paddles, smaller courts appeared in parks, and you mention pickleball and people around you are drawn to you to talk about it. It has consistently been named as the fasted-growing sport in the United States by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Over 36 million Americans played pickleball from August 2021-2022, with earlier data reporting 5 million players in 2021. 14% of Americans played pickleball at least once in that year. Over 8.5 million people played it 8x or more.
But how on earth did pickleball get so popular? With how relatively unknown it was pre-pandemic, its dramatic spike in popularity confuses many non-picklers.
Here’s what you need to know about how pickleball started, the factors that contributed to its rise, and the potential for its future. Let’s jump on in!
What Is Pickleball?
First things first, let’s go over what this sport even is. Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, ping-pong, and badminton. It can be played by all and has simple rules. All you need to play are a paddle and a plastic ball with holes. It’s repeatedly referred to as highly contagious.
When Did Pickleball Start?
Pickleball has only been around since 1965 when Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell sought to entertain their bored families on their badminton court. They didn’t have all the badminton equipment, so they improvised. The rules were a blend between tennis and badminton. Barney McCallum and Dick Brown are two others who suggested ideas for the rules.
People commonly believe the game was named after a family dog, Pickles. However, Pritchard’s wife, Joan, published a column stating that the game got the name pickleball when she said it reminded her of the pickle boat in crew, where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of others. The dog Pickles was named after the game, not vice versa.
A Super Brief Overview Of The History Of Pickleball
The first known pickleball court was created in 1967. 9 years later, in 1976, a tennis magazine published an article about pickleball. In 1984, USA Pickleball Association was founded.
Pickleball continued to grow, to be played in all states, with tournaments taking off. It was recognized as the fastest-growing sport in the USA in 2015 by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and has consistently held this position.
In 2018, was being played by over 2.5 million people in the US.
It was dubbed the official sport of Washington in 2022, the state where it was invented.
It continues to be the fastest-growing sport in the United States.
Why Is Pickleball So Popular?
Since the pandemic prevented people from playing more traditional sports, pickleball blew up as people turned to it as a way to stay active outside while socially distancing.
Some factors that contribute to pickleball’s popularity include:
- It’s easy to learn. The rules are simple, so people can pick it up in just a few lessons. It’s slower-paced than tennis with less ground to cover, so you can play it even if you aren’t in great shape and still get a good workout in.
- It’s inexpensive. You can play it pretty much anywhere, and all you need are the paddle and the ball.
- It’s sociable. It allows people to make new friends of all ages. While most popular with seniors, younger people increasingly pick up this sport.
Is Pickleball Growing Too Quickly?
As a matter of fact, some are concerned that the sport is growing too quickly. Concerns include there being too many leagues, bad behavior, and widespread noise complaints. These things are slowly being worked out, attributed to normal growing pains.
With so many new players, the US struggles to keep up with the demand for courts. Fortunately, pickleball can be played on tennis courts and multi-sport courts. People are also building their own personal pickleball courts.
Will Pickleball Be An Olympic Sport?
Currently, pickleball is not an Olympic sport. However, with how it continues to rise in popularity, not just in the United States, people anticipate it becoming one sooner than later. This is especially so because pickleball is a fusion of 3 existing Olympic sports: ping-pong, tennis, and badminton.
However, while people cross their fingers that pickleball will make its Olympic debut in the 2028 summer games in Los Angeles, California, United States of America, others think it may not become an Olympic sport until 2032 or later.
In order for a sport to be included in the Olympics, it needs to meet certain requirements by the International Olympic Committee. Some of these requirements include having competitive players in at least 75 countries across 4 continents for Men’s and 40 countries across 3 continents for Women’s.
Another requirement is that the International Pickleball Federation needs to submit a petition to the IOC outlining eligibility for pickleball to become an Olympic sport. If approved, it then can be admitted as a sport, discipline, or event. The Olympics don’t allow games or sports that are purely mental or mechanically propelled, hence why chess is not in the Olympics.
Do You Want Your Own Pickleball Court?
As you can see, with players around the world and talk of becoming an Olympic sport, pickleball is an incredibly popular, fun sport. If you’re a dedicated pickler, you may enjoy having a court of your own so that you can practice whenever you like.
Utah Court Surfacing provides pickleball court installation services, including custom colors and graphics. We can also resurface and repair your court as needed. Contact us today to learn more about our court surfacing services.
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