BY LIAM KEITH

7:25 p.m, I walked into Epic Sports Lodge, a host to many indoor soccer teams and volleyball teams. When I came in it wasn’t the normal sounds of whistles and intermittent cheering, this time it was the pop of a paddle and ball. Things had changed from a year ago when I first attended my girlfriend’s soccer games. An entire indoor soccer field is gone, now replaced with 12 pickleball courts. The benches, which used to be filled with fans, were now filled with jackets and water bottles that didn’t belong to any soccer players. All ages were scattered around the facility, athletic attire and headbands on people who didn’t even have hair. It wasn’t just recreational play, there was a tournament there that day. I didn’t quite get the draw of it, until I tried it. 

The name itself is captivating, Pickleball. I was thinking what many people first think, what does a paddle based sport have to do with pickles? Despite the many rumors about it being named after a dog named pickles, the founder Joel Pritchard has a legitimate reason for its name. The game kind of being an improvised game that didn’t require much knowledge of who you were playing with to play was named after the term “Pickle Boat” which refers to a boat in a rowing tournament that was put together with mismatched, random people.

Pritchard wanted to play a game that the kids could play in his neighborhood, so on his property in Bainbridge Island, Washington, there was a badminton court. Only one issue, no rackets were found on the property, so they improvised and used ping pong paddles and plastic balls. This bare bones form of the sport would eventually evolve into a staple for recreational play. All you need to play is two people with paddles, one ball, and a court. 

Pickleball’s rise needs to be studied, It was sudden and needs to be reviewed. One of the biggest reasons is how it relates to the general public. With major sports, you watch them and decide immediately that you’ll never play with the best. For example, 0.02% of high school basketball players make it to the NBA, and the gap between the typical player and the professional player is clear even watching it on tv. Although, when you watch pickleball you look and feel like you can do that. Not that it doesn’t require athleticism, it just looks like an easier entry level into the sport than other sports. Because of its rapid growth, it isn’t as embarrassing to struggle at this sport, as there are many people learning to play with you. Also the rules are pretty straight forward, there isn’t necessarily a gray area for rules to be interpreted, which is refreshing because sometimes the worst issue in sports is falling into a gray area of a rule book that is left up to the referee.  

Pickleball, according to Dailyinfographic.com, is the fastest growing sport in America. The National Pickleball Tournament drew in 2.6 million viewers on ESPN, over the eight days 3,500 competitors battled it out to end up with the grand prize, which was estimated to be about $200,000. From 2022 to 2023 the estimation of players almost doubled. It was estimated that in 2022 there were 4.8 million players and in 2023 it was totaled at 8.9 million. America is even trying to get the Olympic committee to consider introducing pickleball as an Olympic sport, although it won’t be until 2032 that consideration will really be taken. The NCAA has opened up consideration for pickleball to become a collegiate sport. Despite the sport being over 68 years old, the rapid rise hadn’t started until the last 10 years. Athletes of other sports have given it to cosign, including three-time superbowl champions, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, who invested in a local pickleball restaurant, Chicken N Pickle. 

Many sports facilities and parks have decided to build or turn former tennis courts into pickle ball courts. The cash that can be made from court rentals, hosting tournaments, and just simply paying for a game or two is exclusive because you don’t have to have a membership to play pickleball. It is one of the few outdoor sports that only requires 2-4 people, a pickup basketball or football game isn’t near the maximum amount of fun with a couple of people, especially random people. 

Whether you like pickleball or you don’t, you can’t avoid it. I think the issue with pickleball is, it seems so much like a trend. It is hard for these Olympic committees and the NCAA to determine whether or not this is a sport that’ll last. They want to see it be popular and for long before they make a determination on its inclusion. Even with a funny name, pickleball deserves its respect as a sport and will continue to shock people by its popularity.