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It seems you can't throw a rock without hitting a pickleball court. We've done the work so you can join the conversation about one of the fastest-growing sports in America. (Actual pickleball talent, not necessary).
Before we get started, the basics:
It's a sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.
It's played indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court and a slightly modified tennis net.
The game is played with a paddle and a plastic ball with holes, similar to a Wiffle ball.
It can be played as doubles or singles; your opponent doesn't have to be the same gender.
1. Pickleball has gone mainstream - major sports brands sell pickleball gear, sponsor players and networks like CBS broadcast games. The New York Times declared pickleball "ready for prime time," Vanity Fair has covered the sport, and the sport was the focus of a comedic primetime special called "Pickled" that aired last year, produced by Stephen Colbert. USA Pickleball Membership had over 69,000 members at the end of 2022, a 30% increase from the previous year. PICKLEDOME
2. Everybody is playing it. They're all picking up a racket from the Kardashians to Melinda Gates, Michael Phelps, Ellen DeGeneres, Jamie Foxx, Owen Wilson, Russell Wilson to Drew Brees. Leonardo DiCaprio plays every day—by his own rules, naturally. His game is "like a free-for-all," one L.A.-based showrunner confided to Vanity Fair. The best pickleball story is about an unsuspecting Pittsburgh mom who ended up playing with members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, including TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. BIG FANS
3. The genesis of pickleball dates back to 1965 on Bainbridge Island, WA (near Seattle). Joel Pritchard, a congressman from Washington State and his friends Bill Bell and Barney McCallum came up with the sport because their kids were bored with their usual summertime activities. Pickleball has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules to the sport today, where it's played by official university pickleball teams, to the National Senior Games, to the Pickleball National Championships with 2,300 registered players. OLYMPICS NEXT?
4. Although a great story, the game is not named after the Pritchard family dog, Pickles. (Pickles wasn't alive in 1965). The sport's name is in reference to the local pickle boat races. Yes, the college crew "Pickle Boats" inspired the game's name, but Joel Pritchard confessed he used to confirm the dog story as a funny newspaper interview hoax. LAUGHING WITH YOU, NOT AT YOU, REPORTERS
5. Some terms to throw around if you're picking up a paddle at one of the 8,500 locations on the USA Pickleball's Places2Play map are similar to what you might hear in tennis, like ace and backhand. Then there's the non-volley zone (NVZ or "The Kitchen"), a seven-foot area on either side of the net where players cannot volley the ball. It includes all lines surrounding the zone. At worst, yell "pickle!" before serving, the universal warning the server shouts to alert players that they are about to serve. TALKING SHOP
If you want more on pickleball, this is an excellent resource or here's a five-minute video that goes over the rules.
