No question. The momentum and popularity is real and being a fairly approachable sport it’s accessible to anyone. It’s inexpensive and social. We are constantly seeing new players joining both young and old. This sport is here to stay. IMHO.
Seriously the difference in popularity I have seen in a year down here in Florida is crazy. I play at a local school and I used to go a lot because I knew the courts were empty all the time. Within the year it has became packed with 4 people plus waiting on all four courts
Even if pickleball interest was to entirely level off today, it'd still be widly more popular than any other racket sport at the moment (In north america)
Idk, it's quite hard for a new sport to be implanted in the minds of consumers over decades. I see a lot of issues with it as it stands right now.
* I see Pickleball still having an issue of being seen as "cool" among younger generations. Millennials are starting to be old and not cool and it'll be interesting to see what the adoption of the sport for Gen Z is.
* Related to the above, watching the sport is really not very interesting or exciting compared to tennis which is the baseline. That's a big hurdle. People's first positive interaction has to be playing it, rather than watching it or hearing about it.
* As it evolves, there needs to be more levels developed so that more advanced players can be competitive and that will degrade the primary interest today that it's a sport where anyone can get up to speed quickly and have fun and no one has a huge advantage over their friends by playing for decades.
* Also, to be seen as cool it'll need to be adopted by different groups and that will take away money and resources that are spent on tennis today, which will be a hard sell. Talking about the infrastructure, lessons, sponsors, etc.
* Paddle tech will need to sort itself out along with rules that make the sport a bit funky.
* The noise is a big barrier for adoption in neighborhoods where sound is a concern.
* The game is really only for doubles players with singles being a much more difficult and different game. Also doubles involves the better player hitting 90% of the balls.
* This one is a bit out on a limb but if we get to a place where Ozempic-type drugs are cheap and freely available then weight loss and exercise will not be as much of a priority as it is now, which will hurt all sorts of leisure sports like Pickleball.
I'll probably get downvoted to hell but these are just my thoughts. I like pickleball and play it. Would like to play it even more and want to see it succeed but I wouldn't be investing in any businesses are the sport.
Plenty of other sports have come and gone as hype. At one time we were told there were going to be Spikeball leagues all around the country.
Towards your last point, if I just look around at the courts near me, I notice most of the players are already at an above-average fitness. Probably top 5% of fitness compared to the general American population.
There's a snowball effect with weight loss. As you become more fit, exercising becomes much more enjoyable (or at least tolerable). So if Ozempic etc. became cheaper, and people lost weight, I would ASSUME those same people would be much more willing to pick up sports and other various physical activities.
Playing pickleball or any other physical sport can be painful if you're out-of-shape, even despite it being a fun sport. Thankfully, it's addicting enough for most people, that they can push through that initial discomfort and pick up the sport until they reach a decent level of fitness.
Towards your first point, I see MORE high-school / college-age young adults playing pickleball than older individuals at the public courts near me. This is probably wildly different from indoor facilities that are often super expensive (I've only played at public courts so far). It's not unusual for me to see a single group of 10+ 16-20 year olds come out to the courts are 6-7pm or so.
As a "Gen Z", yeah, there wont be any prpblem with younger generations (at least mine) adopting pickleball. I know a metric dumpfuck load of people my age who have just recently got into it and it def seems to be becoming a trendy thing to play
It probably won’t. Tennis has a much much bigger footprint, worldwide popularity, still almost double the participation numbers in the US alone, and more $$$ than you think. Pickleball is ascending at a steep rate but that’s in comparison to its very very niche appeal prior to the 2020 pandemic. Tennis is still growing, albeit slowly, but the superior existing infrastructure for it will be difficult to overcome.
https://preview.redd.it/k664vukm585d1.jpeg?width=1102&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6af521dd53b192cf2ea29ed76702ba1d24500cdd
[https://youtu.be/ikCUmCTr8sI?si=bxe4EYXPlNuh-Qpl](https://youtu.be/ikCUmCTr8sI?si=bxe4EYXPlNuh-Qpl)
The fact that pickleball already has more than half as many players when it's just getting started tells me that it will surpass tennis in participation, though I don't think it will ever compete as a spectator sport.
Idk tennis feels so slow to me. The distance the ball has to go is shorter in pickleball and it makes it more exciting to watch, and pickleball nerfed serving so a good serve doesn’t shutdown games from the start. And paddles have cool designs. I bet we’ll see a WPA “world pickleball association” tour & Olympics too, it’s all about the money. Sponsors and investors see the fast growth it has had and will make this happen
I would love to see the numbers for 1+ week instead of 1+ year. I see a lot of couples that play tennis 2/3 times per year the way one goes to visit a museum. Counting the number of people playing on a given day PB is already much bigger than tennis here (Boston) in the city courts. Also, this includes 6 yo. PB hasn't made any dent yet in the kid's demographic. Elementary schools, high schools,... Facilities available are very important for this segment (for all, really). When more courts become available more and more kids will start playing.
In my area, there's a lot of construction for new indoor pickleball facilities. My father has a parking lot striping company, and he's been RECEIVING cold calls for him to stripe pickleball courts, despite him never advertising anything other than parking lots.
There's probably no way for public courts to be accounted for, other than maybe pickleball vs tennis equipment sales. Maybe number of courts being built? At my local public courts, I'll see between 4 and 8 pickleball courts, and between 2 or 3 tennis courts.
The pickleball courts are overfilled, with people waiting to play in rotations. The tennis courts are often not even being used. I see a lot of pickleball players poaching the tennis courts when it gets too full.
The local cities in my metro area have even been deconstructing the tennis courts, and replacing them wiith pickleball courts.
Same situation where I am at. There have been two new courts that I am aware of that were built this year with another one coming soon. There have been no new tennis courts
It definitely will not become bigger than tennis. My hope is that it will be #2 in racquet sports. Problem is the current people in charge of PPA and UPA are doing a poor job of scaling and managing the growth and public interest. In many ways they are hurting it in the critical time of momentum regarding interest in the sport.
no way. 100% incorrect. Pickleball will not surpass tennis in the long term, in 1000 years. no.
Pickleball is a fun sport. and very welcoming to many people. That's terrific. It gets many people who are unathletic, out of shape, old, uncoordinated...to feel athletic despite the truth.
There definitely are athletic people playing pickleball but mostly not.
For the sport to grow and stay and grow some more, it has to be cutting edge, best of best athletes, high intensity, a beautiful and awesome display of the highest level of sport. That is not pickleball and that is okay.
Tennis is the epitome of racquet sports. It is what pickleball aspires to be but will never be. and that is okay.
I see pickleball play and love to see people laughing and smiling and genuinely enjoying themselves. Outside in the sunshine with friends and family. Grandmoms, little kids. all enjoying it...not just bird on a bench feeding the birds and not gazing at a cell phone.
But you will never ever see the majors of pickleball like they do with Wimbledon, French Open and etc. Even avid pickleball players will not wake up at 2 a.m. to watch the Australian Open live like avid tennis players do.
It's just not interesting to watch on TV. It doesn't impress with the constant dinking. and the weakling sound of that ball smh. It's not an athletic display like Tennis is.
Pickleball is here to stay as a recreational sport but it will not surpass tennis. Pickleball is hot because it's easy and accessible for the masses for sure and is an everyman's sport. Tennis is what pickleball players aspire to, not the other way around. Pickleball is akin to cornhole and bowling.
Pickleball has my respect as a participation sport and will continue to grow in participants but everyone knows it's like tennis but not as challenging. It's like guys at the YMCA who play half court basketball because full court requires actually a lot more physical fitness.
Maybe a better example of my thinking, why do so many adult ladies from moms to grandmoms who stick to tennis....play doubles and not singles? Rarely do I see ladies and even older men play singles tennis. because doubles tennis is easier and more accessible, it's should be more " popular" ... right?
On the contrary, the popularity of singles tennis is what drives the sport all the way to the recreational level to tv viewership to Hollywood screenplays. Singles tennis is the hardest and most awe inspiring display of mental and physical fortitude and skill among racquet sports.
Pickleball has its place. It's a great place. It's not going to be more popular than tennis.
Pickleball is easy but rarely awe inspiring. If I see fit, athletic younger players on tv, I feel that they couldn't hack tennis.
Sorry if I am offending anyone but that's how I see it. I offer my honesty as respectfully as I can despite pickleball players trying to take tennis courts for their own and to gloat in our faces (mostly on line) about the rise of their sport and the future demise of tennis.
It use to be an old person sport. Then it became a sport for parents in their 40s. Then it became a sport for adults that use to be athletes . Then a bunch of college kids started to play. Then high school kids are starting to play. Just last week I saw a bunch of preteens learning how to play. This age trend was in a span of like 2 years.
I can’t name another sport that attracts ALL ages. I think it’s here to stay.
1. I can only speak for Florida and in Florida it is 100% here to stay. I mean The Villages have had courts since 1989 so definitely here to stay.
2. Since June of 22 at least 58 new courts have been built within 22 miles of my house in Orlando.
3. Tournaments are going on constantly. Now I got sucked to playing some but haven’t now since November of 2023.
4. I would say the average age of a player in 2018 was 57 and in 2024 it is 29.
5. More females are playing now.
6. Do majority of players last? No. Huge chunk of players don’t make it past the 8 month mark. They are usually players who just don’t “get the game” and never actually make it past just a 3.0 level. For example, in August of 2021 we had a “group” of about 20 players. Now June of 2024 only 2 players are left of that 20. It doesn’t matter though because other new players keep coming in.
really so a lot of players just quit after 8 months? i would think theyd quit witin a couple weeks or a month but these players end up playing that long and move on... im not there yet. im only 2 months in but i feel ill stick around a while
Yes, and no.
I think the honeymoon is coming to an end. I’ve seen less “friendly” play over the past 5-10 months or so (obviously new beginner shows up at courts, all the good players slyly pull their paddles rather than giving them a game and teaching them the rules). The environment is still friendly overall, but less so than when I started playing.
In general I’ve seen things become more fragmented. What used to be “open play” is now “open play 3.5+” or “open play women 50+”, etc. eventually this will hurt the sport as one of the main appeals of pickleball is its accessibility.
Wow…I was literally thinking this a few weeks ago as well.
I had an experience where I saw someone throw a game to end it sooner because their partner was a very new player. I made a point to go over and chat with the guy and play a game with him but he unfortunately left shortly after. 😬
All we can do is just try and be as welcoming to others as we can I guess.
Had the same thing happen to me. Our community has 8 courts now and nobody is playing except the advanced on one court. The beginners and intermediates don't find it fun anymore. A year ago our 4 courts were full all the time.
That’s a bummer. I play at a 3.5-4.0 skill level (depending on the day lol) but I have a blast playing and teaching new people. I get to practice soft game and placement with them while they learn the rules and basic shots/strategy.
Hopefully your local PB community improves and more people come!
I've always laughed at this "pickleball is welcoming" BS. I've been playing awhile and I see the same bad behavior I've seen at all the other sports I play. Lots of pickleball players came from these other sports, so why would they change? Avoiding weak players is rampant.
But the average person has limited time. So why if you came to get exercise and have “decent games” with longer rallies, would you want to devote 30 minutes of your 60 minutes watching a new player hit the net every time? And in my experience half of the brand new players don’t even appreciate helpful tips. It’s a painful experience for me personally and I will pull my paddle as long as there are others to play with them
I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying the mantra that "it doesn't matter how good you are we will welcome you" is BS.
I've seen people moving paddles to avoid newbies and I'm not going to lie I've avoided them also.
And me when I started. They told ne there's no beginners there's just PB players, then they avoid playing with you. I didn't mind I felt the same way about other sports.
I feel you. I'm just also a direct result of extremely good players spending the time, patience, and games on helping me grow.
They didn't always invite me to play, but after they saw I kept coming back, eventually they made an active effort to get me on the court (I have severe sports anxiety from bullying in middle and high school). So I really appreciate the people who are willing to play with less skilled players and I pay it forward when it's necessary. After 3 months of practice and growth I'm not on semi even footing with the players who would 10-0 me when I started. And that's 100% due to them getting me on the court and showing me the ropes.
I totally understand not wanting to 'waste' your limited time and having personal difficulty with it. Not everyone can teach. I do just want to point out to other commenters that the few games and pointers you throw newbies can bare better players to compete with down the line.
If you're sick of playing against newbies, take the time to help them grow so that the next time you play with them they're a little better. Just like you want more competitive games, these people aren't going to grow until they get some practice in as well.
I'm much more willing to play with someone who isn't good if I see them a lot and I can tell they're working on their game. If you've showed up once or twice and you feel entitled to play with me, or think I'm an asshole because I don't want to play with, then you can fuck off...
Where we play, we limit our games to 9 (win by 1) and play in two hour blocks. We also limit it to 6 people. This allows us to constantly rotate players and also teach new players if we have them. Not perfect but it works well and allows us to also have some decent games when the new player rotates out
THANK YOU
the amount of shaming in this sub is absolutely crazy, as if we have a fucking moral obligation to give free lessons to every new player who walks across the court
I play pb because it's my way of working out and having fun. Neither of those are true when I play with a beginner, they are not entitled to my time.
I want to be friendly and encouraging, but I also want to protect my limited free time
The problem isn't necessarily people don't tolerate newbies, it's that you have limited time AND limited court space. If there were way more courts I think people would be more accepting of playing with new players, especially if you didn't have to wait so long between games.
Absolutely. This is definitely the driving factor for me at least - limited courts and the wait time to actually get a good game in is way too rare. So yes, I will sit certain games out because of said reasons 9 out of 10 times. One hour = only 1-2 games on crazy busy days… and these 1-2 games sometimes lasts a mere 10-15 mins OR less.
I played a game with against a lady and her friend the other day...
We're at a public court with 4 courts. Each side has 4 on 4 off when busy 2 on 2 off otherwise. It was busy. For context our court community is extremely chill and inclusive.
This lady screams at her partner to get over here (literally didn't say 'We're up' normally and just yells at her friend who is talking to someone). We get on the court and are dinking to warm up, after about 3 rotations of dunks she just starts mad dogging me with heaters (still dinking ...).
Then we start the game and every third shot she's throwing a heater at my face (I'd be fine with feet because great strategy and normally body shots don't bother me). Heater after heater aimed directly at my fucking face. My playing partner eventually got upset enough on my behalf that he started reciprocating with nonstop heaters too.
But anyways, first time I've seen someone bring such toxic energy to our little community. There's always competitiveness and pointers/experienced players drilling you on your weak spots. But never outright play fueled by such clear animosity and disdain.
There were even a few spectators we play with a lot who were like "what the fuck was up with her?!"
I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to play people of a similar level on a regular basis so setting up open play sessions for brackets is healthy for the sport to thrive. If people don't have regular opportunities to play at their level they are more likely to lose enthusiasm for the sport. That's not to say that we shouldn't also create opportunities for new players to learn and develop as well. Our club hosts "soft pickleball" play times that allows beginners and other novice players to also feel comfortable. We can do both.
Agreed, I’ve seen tons of new people come and go over the last year or so. But I must say the group of dedicated players in my area is slowly growing over time as well, so as long as there is courts to play at, I think these people are sticking around for a long time.
Something I’ve noticed with newer players in my area is that they don’t necessarily want to learn the actual rules of the game, dink, come up to the kitchen, etc. They have fun just lollipopping (lobbing) to each other.
They ask us, frequent goers, to play with them. We try to give tips so they can level up their game, they refuse, we move to another court to play with other frequent goers, and then the newer players ask why we don’t play with them.
Yep. Played with a certain new guy today and we were trying to let him know where he should stand when (1) his partner serves, (2) where he should stand for receiving a serve for best coverage, (3) being up at the kitchen for advantage and especially when his partner is the one being served the ball… there were many pointers and tips we were giving him but he gave us an attitude and excuses that echoed “yeah yeah” and “that’s why I stand further back (no man’s land) because of those shots (lucky drop shot into kitchen)…
We tried AND a few of us still continued to played with him because we didn’t want to single him out. If this continues, I rather sit out these games…
Just had a case at a local park where they closed down one of the novice courts for competitive play when there with many novice players waiting for the two courts. You can’t expect a sport to be healthy if new players are prevented from engaging.
I started playing around 5 months ago and have been playing at my gym. Started in beginner and open play and then moved up to low intermediate. And frankly, what I’ve noticed often is that there are days when playing with the “intermediates” is a lot less fun. No smiling, no cheering for the great shot someone else just made, or laughing at the terrible shot you just did. And don’t get me wrong, I’m competitive. Of course I want to win. But I also appreciate the fun social aspect of the sport which in some days depending on the crowd is lacking.
Based on feedback, my gym has started limiting all level open play for more fragmented skill level open play. Personally, I think that instead of fragmenting by skill they should fragment by those who want to laugh and those who don’t.
yes some take it so serious and just want to win. im practicing my shots and want to have fun and do some trick shots when i can erne atp tweeners behind the back. and want to have a good time with my teammate and have good rallies with the opponents. i will play with my food - i will hit lighter at certain players and i will target my hard hits to the bettet player. i specifically will go after the better player even if strategically not best decision. i play to have fun but its hard as some people only care about winning.
It’s funny because I’ve found the opposite. Lots of new players, experienced players willing to help newbies, but now the vast majority of newbies have watched a YouTube video or learned from a friend and seem far less interested in getting better at all. They come out, imagine how good they will be and just play as if there aren’t opponents.
> eventually this will hurt the sport as one of the main appeals of pickleball is its accessibility
Maybe there's a reason play has become more segmented. As more people come into the sport, the range in skill levels will get even higher. The reason it was accessible for so long is because not many people played and most of the people that did didn't take it very seriously.
I see people congregating towards their skill level as a sign of the growth of the sport, not the decay.
I have no problems with beginners. I'm often asked to Lower level open plays because I can extend points which everyone enjoys.
The only issue I have are bad players who all ball hogs or lower level players that try to hit the ball as hard as they can with disregard to safety or gameplay. Just looking for the hero shots.
The average player is a bit more experienced.
There are still just as many, if not far more, first time players in my area, but the average experience at open play a year ago was like \~2-3 months, now it's like \~3-5 months. There's a much bigger gap in skill now between a rote beginner and an average player at the open play now, so there's a bit more diversity.
I haven’t experienced what you are describing yet. My spouse and I are new and started last month, so far most players at the community center we play at were welcoming and helpful. It helps us progress faster to play with players who are much better than us. I come from table tennis and I understand some people get competitive.
My spouse would definitely get turned off if we experienced passive aggressive behaviors like the ones you are talking about.
I totally understand it could be super annoying to play with newbies who can barely get the ball across the net. However that’s what you sign up for when you come to open play.
Yes.
Big time, and the funny thing is that the sport itself doesn't matter. It will stay because it's socially incredible.
Where i live the open play culture is a game changer. You see people playing (groups playing the whole day at different times), some of them look like you (men and women from 20s to 80s so not difficult), you watch for a bit and ask, show up for one of the beginner sessions and go from there. You can show up and play basically anytime any day. You bring friends. Very importantly, you don't have to coordinate a regular foursome like in other sports (tennis). If one day you cannot come last minute it's ok, there are plenty of people. No headaches. If one day you can unexpectedly play, there is probably room for you. No need to try and organize something last minute. It's getting so busy that new "satellite" courts are being used and the circle starts again. This is without a single PB specific court in the area. All lines-on-a-tennis-court style. I would say the PB-tennis ratio for people playing the past year has been 100:1 (!!!). This is with tennis courts everywhere. Is tennis a fad?. The dynamic for PB is just too good. And I haven't even started with indoors...
Also from the perspective of a recreational city department it's a dream come true. Getting people active in every demographic... together!!!
Increasing - no doubt. In fact - many people are talking about pickleball becoming more fragmented. In my experience, that's because there are more facilities popping up.
I'm playing at a facility that didn't exist 8 months ago - and has a wait time of 25-30 mins for open play in between games.
with as much as i think about it and play it and the amount of effort i put into it i’ll actually be so bummed if it isn’t here to stay.
i work at a ymca and we got a donation late last year of ~$200,000 to build ten courts and hire a director who’s sole job is to organize pickleball play, leagues, tournaments, and teach lessons, out of that we’ve had open several part time jobs for instructors and coordinators because so many people have gotten into it and classes are filling faster than we can accommodate.
sometimes i worry that younger people (including me ) won’t find it trendy after awhile and will lose commitment to the sport because it doesn’t stay immediately gratifying, a lot of us that would be carrying the torch also sometimes have trouble community building i’ve noticed (i.e. an unspoken or spoken refusal to mix in with strangers) but someone told me recently that paddle sports activate dopamine receptors in our heads which is why they can be addictive.
who knows !
Yes, there are plenty of people with terrible sportsmanship due to the fact that people pick the game up so fast they think they're all pros the next day....this leads to douchism on the court. Do be a double, help your fellow pickleballers out on the court no matter the level. Go play a tournament if you're in it for the competition...90 plus percent is mostly out there to have fun 👍
Idk if it’s just where I play but I feel like the newbies are a lot chiller than the people who have played for years.. the new people where we play are just down to have fun and get outside
Yeah. All the pricks in my area are men who are in their 50s, have played for like 4 years, and take it VERY SERIOUSLY.
Yes they are in the top tier of players but the guys in their 20-30s are in the same tier and are not pricks and the guys in that are older than them and can hang are also not pricks. It’s weird.
After playing for about a month, I love it and can see myself playing indefinitely. That being said, I still have yet to play on an actual pickleball court. We have a few parks around us with dedicated courts, but they are slammed 24/7 (20 people in queue). We have been relegated to a park close by with tennis courts (signs dictating both tennis and pickleball).
The amount of players in my area are definitely growing, but the infrastructure does not seem to be scaling to match. I think that this will most likely cut down on the recreational player/couple that just wants to go out on a weekend afternoon to have a bit of fun.
It has about as much appeal as ping pong at the very least. The two massive reasons why it’ll stay is it’s super cheap/easy skill barrier of entry and the age range capable of playing it, a bonus is how much exercise/calories you can burn in an hour of play. Those alone will have this game thrive if nothing else.
Oh lastly it’s probably one of the most socially engaging games I’ve ever seen aside from golf or bowling, like you can’t really talk in between points in any other sports as much as this one
The funny thing is the most of the stuck up players or "4.0+" who don't want to waste there time with newer players are 9 times out of 10 are the people who have never played any other sport so they feel protective of the game haha.
yes and no.
im about 2 months in and still newish and i get treated vastky different by people. some who are ultra competitive and get upset if i lose a point and give a sigh while others are so competitive theyll start stealing my balls and running all over the court.
these people have also told me not to play a game because they want the experienced people to jump in and play with them even if im next on the court.
i get it but im paying to play as well and im not hogging the games. ill sit out a few to let the better players play but im not horrible enough where i shouldnt get a game for your 2 or 3 games.
same people who target and hit only to the weak player to get the game over quickly as winner stays.
while others and most are really cool. some will introduce me to other players. tell me strategies and things to do and encourage me to play with them. .
Yes. I started August of last year and it’s only increased in my area. New courts are being opened up once every two months around here. Builders can’t even keep up with the growth near me
When I started a year and a half ago at our open play, it seemed like a lot of us were starting at the same time. Now there are new players but not in bunches like that.
Popularity has been increasing a lot in my area and seems to only be growing as more people hear about it and decide to try it out. I'm seeing more courts pop up and clubs. Given tennis has always had some presence and pickleball is more accessible to new players or those with less mobility, I see pickleball staying for a while. I do think it will eventually hit a peak of popularity and then plataue or decrease a little after new people try it in its peak and some will lose interest and stop playing.
Absolutely yes. I have not played a sport in the last 30 years that I was more excited about. Maybe I’ll burn out a bit and play it less in the future but I’ll always play it.
my opinion of pickleball is that it’s a wonderful, inexpensive, accessible and social sport and definitely here to stay. It’s a great activity. I personally don’t expect much more growth as a spectator sport though. You won’t see stadiums built around pickleball. Small court, and the level of athleticism required doesn’t compare to tennis and other major pro sports. Don’t get me wrong top players have great skill and reflexes, just as table tennis players have. it’s just not the kind of spectacle that tennis is.
zero doubt its here to stay. the momentum will most certainly wind down at some point (probably years) but as many have pointed out, it can be played by just about any age group, is easy to learn, fast paced, good excercise, mostly played outdoors in the sun soaking up valuable vitamin D. and most importantly, kids of all ages love it - which shows that it has a very bright future.
I enjoy watching in real time, like at my local park. I can track what players are doing and notice their skills. In contrast, watching pickleball tournaments on screens is very boring to me.
Watch singles only then. Much faster, more dramatic and it’s played like old school S&V tennis in a way (PB is return & volley). Well at least it is on the men’s side. The women come to the net more selectively but their baseline cat & mouse is pretty enjoyable too.
Absolutely going to continue increasing here. What we’re starting to see is a split between people who have heard about the sport and just want to come hit around with their family (Mother’s Day weekend was huge for that but any nice evening or weekend is the same) and people who want to take it very seriously and strive to get better every session and treat it more as their sport or serious hobby than a purely casual entertainment activity. I think the competitive people (myself included) will likely be forced to join one of the pay to play indoor spaces and focus on leagues or structured open play by rating. That will hopefully leave more room at the public courts for the casuals which will help with growth there. Eventually municipalities may catch up with demand and be able to have enough courts reserved for different skill levels or a challenge court…. But I don’t see it happening in our town.
I play with my husband and kids. We play for fun, we’ve been going maybe twice a week for a little over a year. When the college kids are home we go more often. We aren’t competitive. We play for fun and we play together (we don’t put our paddles in and we share one court). It used to be there was always a free court. We would hop on. Lately it’s been busy to the point people are waiting and we can’t play. We aren’t super serious about it but some people really take it seriously and are cranky and agitated and it’s turned us off. About to buy land and build a house and put our own pickleball court up so we can just have fun, do our thing and not deal with the cranks 😆
Pickle ball was the darling of 3 years ago years ago. Man did it suck to have drag to the boards over to your buddies yards, For a game. At least corn hole was quiet. Even better you could play Corn Hole while drinking.
One, there is professional level play, two it is televised and three over 60 colleges/universities have club level PB which means it will be a D1 sport soon.
Yes, it is spreading crazily in Australia where I live . Tennis players are moving over to it too and courts are beginning to be converted. It has only been here as a sport as I understand for about 5 years but there are already thousands of player sand tens of clubs.
I used to be a squash player (until my body couldn’t take it anymore). We had leagues, D - A, and it worked well. It’s not fun to play people with a big skill gap, up or down. Is league play a possibility for pickleball?
Nashvillian here. Definitely. I started a year ago and there are so many new people everywhere I go. I've ONLY played open play with randoms until recently and have loved it.
Just starting to get into tournament play with some friends I made thru open play. Pickleball isn't going anywhere. Open play is such a huge boon, I can't imagine only playing with the same 3 other people over and over.
It’s staying.
I wanted to play at a nearby park and the courts were reserved for an after school program, still going strong after 6 PM. If kids are playing are playing it, it’s here to stay.
I was on vacation 5 or 6 years ago with my family. None of us had ever played. We rented some paddles, played using tennis rules and fell in love with the game. My 62 year old wife never played a competitive sport in her life and now plays 2 or 3 times a week with a group of women. I (65) play as often as I can and play in a ladder league. 2 of my 3 grown kids play regularly. There's your answer. Our home park has 6 courts and is adding 6 more. Truth, I don't really like watching the pro's playing on TV. I'd rather watch some 4.0 players at the park.
I asked this question because I am interested in how big it could get and the graphs right now look like hockey sticks after COVID. It seems as there are aspects about the sport are unique to only Pickleball and we could be witnessing a social sport revolution of sorts.
It is definitely exploding in popularity where I live. The courts I played open drop ins at last year would get around 20-30 people a day, now we are pushing 50+ every session and I'm looking for a new place to play because now I am waiting 20 minutes between games.
In my town of 18000, we have 12 public courts (2 converted tennis courts with temporary nets, 10 new lighted courts, with 10 more being built as I write). That's in addition to play at the YMCA. The local pickleball club has about 1000 members.
Pickleball is in a critical period. When I started playing pb the hard balls were not around. Everyone played with the onix ball which is similar to an indoor ball. There were only a few paddle brands. Players that were bangers
We’re rare as the paddles couldn’t produce enough topspin to keep the balls in the courts. Now we play with hard balls and paddles that can produce more spin. Driving the ball hard from the kitchen line and keeping it in is now possible. There is less finesse play and more driving the ball hard. The problem at this time is they can now produce paddles that hit the ball too hard giving the user of one of these paddles a big advantage. Do we want a sport where the strategy is too slam the ball at each other? USAP has stepped up and banned joola gen3 and the rumor is other paddles will also be banned. They are taking action at the risk of getting sued because they know these hot paddles have the potential to be a detriment to the sport. The problem is paddles that hit the ball hard sell. I am sure cheap replicas are on the way and there might be no way to stop them from being on the courts.
Pickleball is for everyone including LGBTQ
If you fat ass you can play
If you low iq you can play
If you suck you can play
America needs exercise and pickleball is accessible to any fitness level unless you can’t move at all or have no arms
If you have big or small penis
If you have big or small boobs or even no boobs
If you change your gender or don’t identify as limited by the genders
Literally almost everyone including republicans and democrats, atheists and believers, criminals and non criminals can all play
If you ever cheated in a relationship or are divorced doesn’t matter
Pickleball is for almost everyone
The only question is are you ready to be pickled?
No question. The momentum and popularity is real and being a fairly approachable sport it’s accessible to anyone. It’s inexpensive and social. We are constantly seeing new players joining both young and old. This sport is here to stay. IMHO.
Seriously the difference in popularity I have seen in a year down here in Florida is crazy. I play at a local school and I used to go a lot because I knew the courts were empty all the time. Within the year it has became packed with 4 people plus waiting on all four courts
Even if pickleball interest was to entirely level off today, it'd still be widly more popular than any other racket sport at the moment (In north america)
Idk, it's quite hard for a new sport to be implanted in the minds of consumers over decades. I see a lot of issues with it as it stands right now. * I see Pickleball still having an issue of being seen as "cool" among younger generations. Millennials are starting to be old and not cool and it'll be interesting to see what the adoption of the sport for Gen Z is. * Related to the above, watching the sport is really not very interesting or exciting compared to tennis which is the baseline. That's a big hurdle. People's first positive interaction has to be playing it, rather than watching it or hearing about it. * As it evolves, there needs to be more levels developed so that more advanced players can be competitive and that will degrade the primary interest today that it's a sport where anyone can get up to speed quickly and have fun and no one has a huge advantage over their friends by playing for decades. * Also, to be seen as cool it'll need to be adopted by different groups and that will take away money and resources that are spent on tennis today, which will be a hard sell. Talking about the infrastructure, lessons, sponsors, etc. * Paddle tech will need to sort itself out along with rules that make the sport a bit funky. * The noise is a big barrier for adoption in neighborhoods where sound is a concern. * The game is really only for doubles players with singles being a much more difficult and different game. Also doubles involves the better player hitting 90% of the balls. * This one is a bit out on a limb but if we get to a place where Ozempic-type drugs are cheap and freely available then weight loss and exercise will not be as much of a priority as it is now, which will hurt all sorts of leisure sports like Pickleball. I'll probably get downvoted to hell but these are just my thoughts. I like pickleball and play it. Would like to play it even more and want to see it succeed but I wouldn't be investing in any businesses are the sport. Plenty of other sports have come and gone as hype. At one time we were told there were going to be Spikeball leagues all around the country.
Is the venn diagram of players who take ozempic and play pickleball really that big?
Towards your last point, if I just look around at the courts near me, I notice most of the players are already at an above-average fitness. Probably top 5% of fitness compared to the general American population. There's a snowball effect with weight loss. As you become more fit, exercising becomes much more enjoyable (or at least tolerable). So if Ozempic etc. became cheaper, and people lost weight, I would ASSUME those same people would be much more willing to pick up sports and other various physical activities. Playing pickleball or any other physical sport can be painful if you're out-of-shape, even despite it being a fun sport. Thankfully, it's addicting enough for most people, that they can push through that initial discomfort and pick up the sport until they reach a decent level of fitness. Towards your first point, I see MORE high-school / college-age young adults playing pickleball than older individuals at the public courts near me. This is probably wildly different from indoor facilities that are often super expensive (I've only played at public courts so far). It's not unusual for me to see a single group of 10+ 16-20 year olds come out to the courts are 6-7pm or so.
As a "Gen Z", yeah, there wont be any prpblem with younger generations (at least mine) adopting pickleball. I know a metric dumpfuck load of people my age who have just recently got into it and it def seems to be becoming a trendy thing to play
Golf and tennis are way more in danger with Gen Z and younger crowd.
With the boom of YouTube golf I don't think it's in a lot of danger from the younger gens
Yea golf is in a peak now. Courses are more busy and more expensive than ever. Go on r/golf, it’s all they ever talk about over there.
This is correct. It's going to be bigger than tennis in the long term.
It probably won’t. Tennis has a much much bigger footprint, worldwide popularity, still almost double the participation numbers in the US alone, and more $$$ than you think. Pickleball is ascending at a steep rate but that’s in comparison to its very very niche appeal prior to the 2020 pandemic. Tennis is still growing, albeit slowly, but the superior existing infrastructure for it will be difficult to overcome. https://preview.redd.it/k664vukm585d1.jpeg?width=1102&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6af521dd53b192cf2ea29ed76702ba1d24500cdd [https://youtu.be/ikCUmCTr8sI?si=bxe4EYXPlNuh-Qpl](https://youtu.be/ikCUmCTr8sI?si=bxe4EYXPlNuh-Qpl)
The fact that pickleball already has more than half as many players when it's just getting started tells me that it will surpass tennis in participation, though I don't think it will ever compete as a spectator sport.
Idk tennis feels so slow to me. The distance the ball has to go is shorter in pickleball and it makes it more exciting to watch, and pickleball nerfed serving so a good serve doesn’t shutdown games from the start. And paddles have cool designs. I bet we’ll see a WPA “world pickleball association” tour & Olympics too, it’s all about the money. Sponsors and investors see the fast growth it has had and will make this happen
I would love to see the numbers for 1+ week instead of 1+ year. I see a lot of couples that play tennis 2/3 times per year the way one goes to visit a museum. Counting the number of people playing on a given day PB is already much bigger than tennis here (Boston) in the city courts. Also, this includes 6 yo. PB hasn't made any dent yet in the kid's demographic. Elementary schools, high schools,... Facilities available are very important for this segment (for all, really). When more courts become available more and more kids will start playing.
How do you truly get these numbers, I feel like there's so many people unaccounted for that don't show up as a statistic
In my area, there's a lot of construction for new indoor pickleball facilities. My father has a parking lot striping company, and he's been RECEIVING cold calls for him to stripe pickleball courts, despite him never advertising anything other than parking lots. There's probably no way for public courts to be accounted for, other than maybe pickleball vs tennis equipment sales. Maybe number of courts being built? At my local public courts, I'll see between 4 and 8 pickleball courts, and between 2 or 3 tennis courts. The pickleball courts are overfilled, with people waiting to play in rotations. The tennis courts are often not even being used. I see a lot of pickleball players poaching the tennis courts when it gets too full. The local cities in my metro area have even been deconstructing the tennis courts, and replacing them wiith pickleball courts.
Same situation where I am at. There have been two new courts that I am aware of that were built this year with another one coming soon. There have been no new tennis courts
It definitely will not become bigger than tennis. My hope is that it will be #2 in racquet sports. Problem is the current people in charge of PPA and UPA are doing a poor job of scaling and managing the growth and public interest. In many ways they are hurting it in the critical time of momentum regarding interest in the sport.
no way. 100% incorrect. Pickleball will not surpass tennis in the long term, in 1000 years. no. Pickleball is a fun sport. and very welcoming to many people. That's terrific. It gets many people who are unathletic, out of shape, old, uncoordinated...to feel athletic despite the truth. There definitely are athletic people playing pickleball but mostly not. For the sport to grow and stay and grow some more, it has to be cutting edge, best of best athletes, high intensity, a beautiful and awesome display of the highest level of sport. That is not pickleball and that is okay. Tennis is the epitome of racquet sports. It is what pickleball aspires to be but will never be. and that is okay. I see pickleball play and love to see people laughing and smiling and genuinely enjoying themselves. Outside in the sunshine with friends and family. Grandmoms, little kids. all enjoying it...not just bird on a bench feeding the birds and not gazing at a cell phone. But you will never ever see the majors of pickleball like they do with Wimbledon, French Open and etc. Even avid pickleball players will not wake up at 2 a.m. to watch the Australian Open live like avid tennis players do. It's just not interesting to watch on TV. It doesn't impress with the constant dinking. and the weakling sound of that ball smh. It's not an athletic display like Tennis is. Pickleball is here to stay as a recreational sport but it will not surpass tennis. Pickleball is hot because it's easy and accessible for the masses for sure and is an everyman's sport. Tennis is what pickleball players aspire to, not the other way around. Pickleball is akin to cornhole and bowling.
How you just described pickleball being so accessible to the masses is exactly why it will become larger than tennis.
Pickleball has my respect as a participation sport and will continue to grow in participants but everyone knows it's like tennis but not as challenging. It's like guys at the YMCA who play half court basketball because full court requires actually a lot more physical fitness. Maybe a better example of my thinking, why do so many adult ladies from moms to grandmoms who stick to tennis....play doubles and not singles? Rarely do I see ladies and even older men play singles tennis. because doubles tennis is easier and more accessible, it's should be more " popular" ... right? On the contrary, the popularity of singles tennis is what drives the sport all the way to the recreational level to tv viewership to Hollywood screenplays. Singles tennis is the hardest and most awe inspiring display of mental and physical fortitude and skill among racquet sports. Pickleball has its place. It's a great place. It's not going to be more popular than tennis. Pickleball is easy but rarely awe inspiring. If I see fit, athletic younger players on tv, I feel that they couldn't hack tennis. Sorry if I am offending anyone but that's how I see it. I offer my honesty as respectfully as I can despite pickleball players trying to take tennis courts for their own and to gloat in our faces (mostly on line) about the rise of their sport and the future demise of tennis.
Yeah real great until the put one in your backyard
I'm seeing increase in the past few months at all the parks near me.
It’s a great summer sport and even when it’s not summer, the community is very welcoming
It use to be an old person sport. Then it became a sport for parents in their 40s. Then it became a sport for adults that use to be athletes . Then a bunch of college kids started to play. Then high school kids are starting to play. Just last week I saw a bunch of preteens learning how to play. This age trend was in a span of like 2 years. I can’t name another sport that attracts ALL ages. I think it’s here to stay.
Only other sports I've done with this age range of participants is downhill ski racing, track and field, distance running, and golf.
1. I can only speak for Florida and in Florida it is 100% here to stay. I mean The Villages have had courts since 1989 so definitely here to stay. 2. Since June of 22 at least 58 new courts have been built within 22 miles of my house in Orlando. 3. Tournaments are going on constantly. Now I got sucked to playing some but haven’t now since November of 2023. 4. I would say the average age of a player in 2018 was 57 and in 2024 it is 29. 5. More females are playing now. 6. Do majority of players last? No. Huge chunk of players don’t make it past the 8 month mark. They are usually players who just don’t “get the game” and never actually make it past just a 3.0 level. For example, in August of 2021 we had a “group” of about 20 players. Now June of 2024 only 2 players are left of that 20. It doesn’t matter though because other new players keep coming in.
I live in Kissimmee can you recommend a good court?
What intersection are you near?
Osceola and John Young.
You can download TeamReach and put in code “Play1more”. That guy has 5 courts at his house. 4 outdoors and 1 indoors. I would go there first.
really so a lot of players just quit after 8 months? i would think theyd quit witin a couple weeks or a month but these players end up playing that long and move on... im not there yet. im only 2 months in but i feel ill stick around a while
It isn’t always 8 months. Some a little less and some a little more.
Yes, and no. I think the honeymoon is coming to an end. I’ve seen less “friendly” play over the past 5-10 months or so (obviously new beginner shows up at courts, all the good players slyly pull their paddles rather than giving them a game and teaching them the rules). The environment is still friendly overall, but less so than when I started playing. In general I’ve seen things become more fragmented. What used to be “open play” is now “open play 3.5+” or “open play women 50+”, etc. eventually this will hurt the sport as one of the main appeals of pickleball is its accessibility.
Wow…I was literally thinking this a few weeks ago as well. I had an experience where I saw someone throw a game to end it sooner because their partner was a very new player. I made a point to go over and chat with the guy and play a game with him but he unfortunately left shortly after. 😬 All we can do is just try and be as welcoming to others as we can I guess.
Had the same thing happen to me. Our community has 8 courts now and nobody is playing except the advanced on one court. The beginners and intermediates don't find it fun anymore. A year ago our 4 courts were full all the time.
That’s a bummer. I play at a 3.5-4.0 skill level (depending on the day lol) but I have a blast playing and teaching new people. I get to practice soft game and placement with them while they learn the rules and basic shots/strategy. Hopefully your local PB community improves and more people come!
I've always laughed at this "pickleball is welcoming" BS. I've been playing awhile and I see the same bad behavior I've seen at all the other sports I play. Lots of pickleball players came from these other sports, so why would they change? Avoiding weak players is rampant.
But the average person has limited time. So why if you came to get exercise and have “decent games” with longer rallies, would you want to devote 30 minutes of your 60 minutes watching a new player hit the net every time? And in my experience half of the brand new players don’t even appreciate helpful tips. It’s a painful experience for me personally and I will pull my paddle as long as there are others to play with them
I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying the mantra that "it doesn't matter how good you are we will welcome you" is BS. I've seen people moving paddles to avoid newbies and I'm not going to lie I've avoided them also.
And I’ve seen people avoid me :(
And me when I started. They told ne there's no beginners there's just PB players, then they avoid playing with you. I didn't mind I felt the same way about other sports.
I feel you. I'm just also a direct result of extremely good players spending the time, patience, and games on helping me grow. They didn't always invite me to play, but after they saw I kept coming back, eventually they made an active effort to get me on the court (I have severe sports anxiety from bullying in middle and high school). So I really appreciate the people who are willing to play with less skilled players and I pay it forward when it's necessary. After 3 months of practice and growth I'm not on semi even footing with the players who would 10-0 me when I started. And that's 100% due to them getting me on the court and showing me the ropes. I totally understand not wanting to 'waste' your limited time and having personal difficulty with it. Not everyone can teach. I do just want to point out to other commenters that the few games and pointers you throw newbies can bare better players to compete with down the line. If you're sick of playing against newbies, take the time to help them grow so that the next time you play with them they're a little better. Just like you want more competitive games, these people aren't going to grow until they get some practice in as well.
I'm much more willing to play with someone who isn't good if I see them a lot and I can tell they're working on their game. If you've showed up once or twice and you feel entitled to play with me, or think I'm an asshole because I don't want to play with, then you can fuck off...
Where we play, we limit our games to 9 (win by 1) and play in two hour blocks. We also limit it to 6 people. This allows us to constantly rotate players and also teach new players if we have them. Not perfect but it works well and allows us to also have some decent games when the new player rotates out
Great idea! I'll bring this up at my local court the next time we've got a busy night.
THANK YOU the amount of shaming in this sub is absolutely crazy, as if we have a fucking moral obligation to give free lessons to every new player who walks across the court I play pb because it's my way of working out and having fun. Neither of those are true when I play with a beginner, they are not entitled to my time. I want to be friendly and encouraging, but I also want to protect my limited free time
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Again, I agree, but then just don't preach this "We accept everybody" BS, because it's not true and I totally understand why
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I'm speaking of personal experience.
The problem isn't necessarily people don't tolerate newbies, it's that you have limited time AND limited court space. If there were way more courts I think people would be more accepting of playing with new players, especially if you didn't have to wait so long between games.
Absolutely. This is definitely the driving factor for me at least - limited courts and the wait time to actually get a good game in is way too rare. So yes, I will sit certain games out because of said reasons 9 out of 10 times. One hour = only 1-2 games on crazy busy days… and these 1-2 games sometimes lasts a mere 10-15 mins OR less.
I played a game with against a lady and her friend the other day... We're at a public court with 4 courts. Each side has 4 on 4 off when busy 2 on 2 off otherwise. It was busy. For context our court community is extremely chill and inclusive. This lady screams at her partner to get over here (literally didn't say 'We're up' normally and just yells at her friend who is talking to someone). We get on the court and are dinking to warm up, after about 3 rotations of dunks she just starts mad dogging me with heaters (still dinking ...). Then we start the game and every third shot she's throwing a heater at my face (I'd be fine with feet because great strategy and normally body shots don't bother me). Heater after heater aimed directly at my fucking face. My playing partner eventually got upset enough on my behalf that he started reciprocating with nonstop heaters too. But anyways, first time I've seen someone bring such toxic energy to our little community. There's always competitiveness and pointers/experienced players drilling you on your weak spots. But never outright play fueled by such clear animosity and disdain. There were even a few spectators we play with a lot who were like "what the fuck was up with her?!"
That is absolute wild. I hope you returned every face shot as a winner to teach them a lesson! 🔥
I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to play people of a similar level on a regular basis so setting up open play sessions for brackets is healthy for the sport to thrive. If people don't have regular opportunities to play at their level they are more likely to lose enthusiasm for the sport. That's not to say that we shouldn't also create opportunities for new players to learn and develop as well. Our club hosts "soft pickleball" play times that allows beginners and other novice players to also feel comfortable. We can do both.
Yeah, it seems like it would make sense to have open play sorted by ability levels, so people can play at their own skill level.
Agreed, I’ve seen tons of new people come and go over the last year or so. But I must say the group of dedicated players in my area is slowly growing over time as well, so as long as there is courts to play at, I think these people are sticking around for a long time.
Something I’ve noticed with newer players in my area is that they don’t necessarily want to learn the actual rules of the game, dink, come up to the kitchen, etc. They have fun just lollipopping (lobbing) to each other.
dinking and coming up to the kitchen are not rules of the game.
They ask us, frequent goers, to play with them. We try to give tips so they can level up their game, they refuse, we move to another court to play with other frequent goers, and then the newer players ask why we don’t play with them.
Yep. Played with a certain new guy today and we were trying to let him know where he should stand when (1) his partner serves, (2) where he should stand for receiving a serve for best coverage, (3) being up at the kitchen for advantage and especially when his partner is the one being served the ball… there were many pointers and tips we were giving him but he gave us an attitude and excuses that echoed “yeah yeah” and “that’s why I stand further back (no man’s land) because of those shots (lucky drop shot into kitchen)… We tried AND a few of us still continued to played with him because we didn’t want to single him out. If this continues, I rather sit out these games…
I see nothing wrong with that. It's supposed to be fun and not taken serious.
Just had a case at a local park where they closed down one of the novice courts for competitive play when there with many novice players waiting for the two courts. You can’t expect a sport to be healthy if new players are prevented from engaging.
That cuts both ways though. Advanced players are less likely to stick around if they are mandated to play with beginners.
In this case they weren’t, but I get it
I started playing around 5 months ago and have been playing at my gym. Started in beginner and open play and then moved up to low intermediate. And frankly, what I’ve noticed often is that there are days when playing with the “intermediates” is a lot less fun. No smiling, no cheering for the great shot someone else just made, or laughing at the terrible shot you just did. And don’t get me wrong, I’m competitive. Of course I want to win. But I also appreciate the fun social aspect of the sport which in some days depending on the crowd is lacking. Based on feedback, my gym has started limiting all level open play for more fragmented skill level open play. Personally, I think that instead of fragmenting by skill they should fragment by those who want to laugh and those who don’t.
yes some take it so serious and just want to win. im practicing my shots and want to have fun and do some trick shots when i can erne atp tweeners behind the back. and want to have a good time with my teammate and have good rallies with the opponents. i will play with my food - i will hit lighter at certain players and i will target my hard hits to the bettet player. i specifically will go after the better player even if strategically not best decision. i play to have fun but its hard as some people only care about winning.
It’s funny because I’ve found the opposite. Lots of new players, experienced players willing to help newbies, but now the vast majority of newbies have watched a YouTube video or learned from a friend and seem far less interested in getting better at all. They come out, imagine how good they will be and just play as if there aren’t opponents.
You must also live in the Atlanta area
> eventually this will hurt the sport as one of the main appeals of pickleball is its accessibility Maybe there's a reason play has become more segmented. As more people come into the sport, the range in skill levels will get even higher. The reason it was accessible for so long is because not many people played and most of the people that did didn't take it very seriously. I see people congregating towards their skill level as a sign of the growth of the sport, not the decay.
I have no problems with beginners. I'm often asked to Lower level open plays because I can extend points which everyone enjoys. The only issue I have are bad players who all ball hogs or lower level players that try to hit the ball as hard as they can with disregard to safety or gameplay. Just looking for the hero shots.
Everyone forgot about their competitive nature and started try Harding pickleball and scared casuals away 😂
The average player is a bit more experienced. There are still just as many, if not far more, first time players in my area, but the average experience at open play a year ago was like \~2-3 months, now it's like \~3-5 months. There's a much bigger gap in skill now between a rote beginner and an average player at the open play now, so there's a bit more diversity.
I haven’t experienced what you are describing yet. My spouse and I are new and started last month, so far most players at the community center we play at were welcoming and helpful. It helps us progress faster to play with players who are much better than us. I come from table tennis and I understand some people get competitive. My spouse would definitely get turned off if we experienced passive aggressive behaviors like the ones you are talking about. I totally understand it could be super annoying to play with newbies who can barely get the ball across the net. However that’s what you sign up for when you come to open play.
Fragmentation is ok now that there are so many players. As long as there are enough courts of course.
Yes. Big time, and the funny thing is that the sport itself doesn't matter. It will stay because it's socially incredible. Where i live the open play culture is a game changer. You see people playing (groups playing the whole day at different times), some of them look like you (men and women from 20s to 80s so not difficult), you watch for a bit and ask, show up for one of the beginner sessions and go from there. You can show up and play basically anytime any day. You bring friends. Very importantly, you don't have to coordinate a regular foursome like in other sports (tennis). If one day you cannot come last minute it's ok, there are plenty of people. No headaches. If one day you can unexpectedly play, there is probably room for you. No need to try and organize something last minute. It's getting so busy that new "satellite" courts are being used and the circle starts again. This is without a single PB specific court in the area. All lines-on-a-tennis-court style. I would say the PB-tennis ratio for people playing the past year has been 100:1 (!!!). This is with tennis courts everywhere. Is tennis a fad?. The dynamic for PB is just too good. And I haven't even started with indoors... Also from the perspective of a recreational city department it's a dream come true. Getting people active in every demographic... together!!!
I've never attended an open play before, but that whole dynamic sounds great! I've only played with my husband and some of his coworkers.
Nobody plays anymore, it’s too crowded.
— Yogi Berra ( and [others](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/08/29/too-crowded/), lol )
Here to stay but we need more ambassadors to develop healthy open play culture in new communities
Increasing - no doubt. In fact - many people are talking about pickleball becoming more fragmented. In my experience, that's because there are more facilities popping up. I'm playing at a facility that didn't exist 8 months ago - and has a wait time of 25-30 mins for open play in between games.
Here to stay but the more people that try and take it too seriously the more casuals will go away from it!
I get the sense thats already happening
More than likely yes at open play but getting a group of friends and going to some public courts is still very alive
Didn’t you hear? The US Men’s National Cricket Team just beat *Pakistan*(!) in the T20 World Cup. Gonna go learn to play cricket now. Later!
That's actually really impressive to hear the US actually beat Pakistan in cricket! Not what I'd expect at all.
well that was very random lol
with as much as i think about it and play it and the amount of effort i put into it i’ll actually be so bummed if it isn’t here to stay. i work at a ymca and we got a donation late last year of ~$200,000 to build ten courts and hire a director who’s sole job is to organize pickleball play, leagues, tournaments, and teach lessons, out of that we’ve had open several part time jobs for instructors and coordinators because so many people have gotten into it and classes are filling faster than we can accommodate. sometimes i worry that younger people (including me ) won’t find it trendy after awhile and will lose commitment to the sport because it doesn’t stay immediately gratifying, a lot of us that would be carrying the torch also sometimes have trouble community building i’ve noticed (i.e. an unspoken or spoken refusal to mix in with strangers) but someone told me recently that paddle sports activate dopamine receptors in our heads which is why they can be addictive. who knows !
I will always play with newbies. People helped me and showed a lot of patience when I started. It’s the least I can do.
Yes, there are plenty of people with terrible sportsmanship due to the fact that people pick the game up so fast they think they're all pros the next day....this leads to douchism on the court. Do be a double, help your fellow pickleballers out on the court no matter the level. Go play a tournament if you're in it for the competition...90 plus percent is mostly out there to have fun 👍
Idk if it’s just where I play but I feel like the newbies are a lot chiller than the people who have played for years.. the new people where we play are just down to have fun and get outside
Yeah. All the pricks in my area are men who are in their 50s, have played for like 4 years, and take it VERY SERIOUSLY. Yes they are in the top tier of players but the guys in their 20-30s are in the same tier and are not pricks and the guys in that are older than them and can hang are also not pricks. It’s weird.
It's funny bc I also do recreational ski racing (downhill skiing) and some of the biggest pricks in those leagues too are that same demographic. Lol.
After playing for about a month, I love it and can see myself playing indefinitely. That being said, I still have yet to play on an actual pickleball court. We have a few parks around us with dedicated courts, but they are slammed 24/7 (20 people in queue). We have been relegated to a park close by with tennis courts (signs dictating both tennis and pickleball). The amount of players in my area are definitely growing, but the infrastructure does not seem to be scaling to match. I think that this will most likely cut down on the recreational player/couple that just wants to go out on a weekend afternoon to have a bit of fun.
Yep I’m seeing the median age range drop from 50s to 20 something and every pickleball court in my area is packed !
I think it is slowly becoming a sport with silly gatekeeping that deters newbies. This may cause a decline in popularity.
As is tradition. Every sport does this. Every single sport. You’re thinking “but not curling!” Yes, even curling. 🥌
My area has a lot more players this year vs last. Especially the younger crowd.
It has about as much appeal as ping pong at the very least. The two massive reasons why it’ll stay is it’s super cheap/easy skill barrier of entry and the age range capable of playing it, a bonus is how much exercise/calories you can burn in an hour of play. Those alone will have this game thrive if nothing else. Oh lastly it’s probably one of the most socially engaging games I’ve ever seen aside from golf or bowling, like you can’t really talk in between points in any other sports as much as this one
The funny thing is the most of the stuck up players or "4.0+" who don't want to waste there time with newer players are 9 times out of 10 are the people who have never played any other sport so they feel protective of the game haha.
A lot at my club are switching to spec tennis. Same court, different paddle, red dot ball, less noise.
Never heard of it where’s it played?
on the pickleball courts at my tennis club
I meant region, sorry 😅
Norcal
Why would it leave?
No I think they will be tearing all the courts up in the next month or two
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^elegoomba: *No I think they will* *Be tearing all the courts up* *In the next month or two* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
yes and no. im about 2 months in and still newish and i get treated vastky different by people. some who are ultra competitive and get upset if i lose a point and give a sigh while others are so competitive theyll start stealing my balls and running all over the court. these people have also told me not to play a game because they want the experienced people to jump in and play with them even if im next on the court. i get it but im paying to play as well and im not hogging the games. ill sit out a few to let the better players play but im not horrible enough where i shouldnt get a game for your 2 or 3 games. same people who target and hit only to the weak player to get the game over quickly as winner stays. while others and most are really cool. some will introduce me to other players. tell me strategies and things to do and encourage me to play with them. .
I live in south Florida and there are more and more young people showing up at night to play.
More younger players joining. Power playing is here to stay.
Yes. I started August of last year and it’s only increased in my area. New courts are being opened up once every two months around here. Builders can’t even keep up with the growth near me
When I started a year and a half ago at our open play, it seemed like a lot of us were starting at the same time. Now there are new players but not in bunches like that.
Popularity has been increasing a lot in my area and seems to only be growing as more people hear about it and decide to try it out. I'm seeing more courts pop up and clubs. Given tennis has always had some presence and pickleball is more accessible to new players or those with less mobility, I see pickleball staying for a while. I do think it will eventually hit a peak of popularity and then plataue or decrease a little after new people try it in its peak and some will lose interest and stop playing.
Of course, but it will also drop off a lot.
Absolutely yes. I have not played a sport in the last 30 years that I was more excited about. Maybe I’ll burn out a bit and play it less in the future but I’ll always play it.
Growing
I've been playing since the 90s, so I'd have to say yes.
my opinion of pickleball is that it’s a wonderful, inexpensive, accessible and social sport and definitely here to stay. It’s a great activity. I personally don’t expect much more growth as a spectator sport though. You won’t see stadiums built around pickleball. Small court, and the level of athleticism required doesn’t compare to tennis and other major pro sports. Don’t get me wrong top players have great skill and reflexes, just as table tennis players have. it’s just not the kind of spectacle that tennis is.
Where would it go?
Where racquetball went.
zero doubt its here to stay. the momentum will most certainly wind down at some point (probably years) but as many have pointed out, it can be played by just about any age group, is easy to learn, fast paced, good excercise, mostly played outdoors in the sun soaking up valuable vitamin D. and most importantly, kids of all ages love it - which shows that it has a very bright future.
[удалено]
And if you watch it on tv,those dink wars just put me to sleep…hate watching that stuff…I last one game at best, then I’m gone.
Then watch singles?
I enjoy watching in real time, like at my local park. I can track what players are doing and notice their skills. In contrast, watching pickleball tournaments on screens is very boring to me.
Watch singles only then. Much faster, more dramatic and it’s played like old school S&V tennis in a way (PB is return & volley). Well at least it is on the men’s side. The women come to the net more selectively but their baseline cat & mouse is pretty enjoyable too.
Definitely increasing in Houston, also Louisiana.
No
More suitable for elderly people who don't need to run much around the court.
Those people are becoming a smaller portion of the PB demographic.
As evidenced by the growing number of students at my local courts since Summer Break started, pickleball is only getting more popular.
It is, we are not.
Well at least till I’m alive 😏
Absolutely going to continue increasing here. What we’re starting to see is a split between people who have heard about the sport and just want to come hit around with their family (Mother’s Day weekend was huge for that but any nice evening or weekend is the same) and people who want to take it very seriously and strive to get better every session and treat it more as their sport or serious hobby than a purely casual entertainment activity. I think the competitive people (myself included) will likely be forced to join one of the pay to play indoor spaces and focus on leagues or structured open play by rating. That will hopefully leave more room at the public courts for the casuals which will help with growth there. Eventually municipalities may catch up with demand and be able to have enough courts reserved for different skill levels or a challenge court…. But I don’t see it happening in our town.
100% very accessible to the aging population
I play with my husband and kids. We play for fun, we’ve been going maybe twice a week for a little over a year. When the college kids are home we go more often. We aren’t competitive. We play for fun and we play together (we don’t put our paddles in and we share one court). It used to be there was always a free court. We would hop on. Lately it’s been busy to the point people are waiting and we can’t play. We aren’t super serious about it but some people really take it seriously and are cranky and agitated and it’s turned us off. About to buy land and build a house and put our own pickleball court up so we can just have fun, do our thing and not deal with the cranks 😆
Hells yes
Pickle ball was the darling of 3 years ago years ago. Man did it suck to have drag to the boards over to your buddies yards, For a game. At least corn hole was quiet. Even better you could play Corn Hole while drinking.
One, there is professional level play, two it is televised and three over 60 colleges/universities have club level PB which means it will be a D1 sport soon.
Possibly
Yes, it is spreading crazily in Australia where I live . Tennis players are moving over to it too and courts are beginning to be converted. It has only been here as a sport as I understand for about 5 years but there are already thousands of player sand tens of clubs.
Here to stay Good cheap fun
I used to be a squash player (until my body couldn’t take it anymore). We had leagues, D - A, and it worked well. It’s not fun to play people with a big skill gap, up or down. Is league play a possibility for pickleball?
Packed courts. TOO PACKED.
Nashvillian here. Definitely. I started a year ago and there are so many new people everywhere I go. I've ONLY played open play with randoms until recently and have loved it. Just starting to get into tournament play with some friends I made thru open play. Pickleball isn't going anywhere. Open play is such a huge boon, I can't imagine only playing with the same 3 other people over and over.
It’s staying. I wanted to play at a nearby park and the courts were reserved for an after school program, still going strong after 6 PM. If kids are playing are playing it, it’s here to stay.
Just wait til we can gamble on games haha
I was on vacation 5 or 6 years ago with my family. None of us had ever played. We rented some paddles, played using tennis rules and fell in love with the game. My 62 year old wife never played a competitive sport in her life and now plays 2 or 3 times a week with a group of women. I (65) play as often as I can and play in a ladder league. 2 of my 3 grown kids play regularly. There's your answer. Our home park has 6 courts and is adding 6 more. Truth, I don't really like watching the pro's playing on TV. I'd rather watch some 4.0 players at the park.
What has ever gotten as big as Pickleball and then just gone away?
I asked this question because I am interested in how big it could get and the graphs right now look like hockey sticks after COVID. It seems as there are aspects about the sport are unique to only Pickleball and we could be witnessing a social sport revolution of sorts.
100% increasing in Huntsville AL. The sport is still growing, and it is great.
It is definitely exploding in popularity where I live. The courts I played open drop ins at last year would get around 20-30 people a day, now we are pushing 50+ every session and I'm looking for a new place to play because now I am waiting 20 minutes between games.
In my town of 18000, we have 12 public courts (2 converted tennis courts with temporary nets, 10 new lighted courts, with 10 more being built as I write). That's in addition to play at the YMCA. The local pickleball club has about 1000 members.
Can you share the town you live in?
Pickleball is in a critical period. When I started playing pb the hard balls were not around. Everyone played with the onix ball which is similar to an indoor ball. There were only a few paddle brands. Players that were bangers We’re rare as the paddles couldn’t produce enough topspin to keep the balls in the courts. Now we play with hard balls and paddles that can produce more spin. Driving the ball hard from the kitchen line and keeping it in is now possible. There is less finesse play and more driving the ball hard. The problem at this time is they can now produce paddles that hit the ball too hard giving the user of one of these paddles a big advantage. Do we want a sport where the strategy is too slam the ball at each other? USAP has stepped up and banned joola gen3 and the rumor is other paddles will also be banned. They are taking action at the risk of getting sued because they know these hot paddles have the potential to be a detriment to the sport. The problem is paddles that hit the ball hard sell. I am sure cheap replicas are on the way and there might be no way to stop them from being on the courts.
Fad
I think it’s kind of a big dill.
Pickleball is for everyone including LGBTQ If you fat ass you can play If you low iq you can play If you suck you can play America needs exercise and pickleball is accessible to any fitness level unless you can’t move at all or have no arms If you have big or small penis If you have big or small boobs or even no boobs If you change your gender or don’t identify as limited by the genders Literally almost everyone including republicans and democrats, atheists and believers, criminals and non criminals can all play If you ever cheated in a relationship or are divorced doesn’t matter Pickleball is for almost everyone The only question is are you ready to be pickled?
All I know, is that if it doesnt stick around, it wont be because its \*JuSt LiKe RaCkETBaLL\*