My parents are actually dealing with the opposite of this - they’re avid tennis players, and were rather annoyed when the tennis courts a few blocks from their house were converted to pickleball courts. And while it’s not too bad to temporarily set up a pickleball net on a tennis court, you can’t easily convert a pickleball court for tennis due to the dimensions.
Last I heard, their Medicare provider gave them pickleball stuff and they were going to try it.
Also, does anyone know where all this pickleball hype is coming from? I’m sure it’s a fun sport, but with how quickly it’s taken off it feels like someone is spending some serious cash to make pickleball a big thing, it doesn’t seem like organic hype.
I’m sure it’s not totally organic, but don’t discount the basic popularity of an easy-to-play sport that doesn’t require a lot of athleticism to get to a level where you’re just playing the game and not practicing until you’re good enough. And, on top of that, it looks kind of like tennis, which is nowhere near as easy to play and requires a lot more athleticism, so it has that as a draw.
Also, does anyone know where all this pickleball hype is coming from? I’m sure it’s a fun sport, but with how quickly it’s taken off it feels like someone is spending some serious cash to make pickleball a big thing
It didn’t take off quickly. It started as a backyard game in the mid 60s among bored kids, and grew very slowly for decades. I was playing on a court in a friend’s back yard in the 80s. His dad was a big enough fan to lay tarmac for it. It just hit a tipping point in the last 15 years or so when it became popular enough that people could start making money off of it. So yeah, people are putting money into it because there’s a profit to be made. But mostly the game just became popular because it’s fun, cheap, and easy to pick up.
My parents are actually dealing with the opposite of this - they’re avid tennis players, and were rather annoyed when the tennis courts a few blocks from their house were converted to pickleball courts. And while it’s not too bad to temporarily set up a pickleball net on a tennis court, you can’t easily convert a pickleball court for tennis due to the dimensions.
Last I heard, their Medicare provider gave them pickleball stuff and they were going to try it.
Also, does anyone know where all this pickleball hype is coming from? I’m sure it’s a fun sport, but with how quickly it’s taken off it feels like someone is spending some serious cash to make pickleball a big thing, it doesn’t seem like organic hype.
I’m sure it’s not totally organic, but don’t discount the basic popularity of an easy-to-play sport that doesn’t require a lot of athleticism to get to a level where you’re just playing the game and not practicing until you’re good enough. And, on top of that, it looks kind of like tennis, which is nowhere near as easy to play and requires a lot more athleticism, so it has that as a draw.
Finally, Baseketball IRL.
It didn’t take off quickly. It started as a backyard game in the mid 60s among bored kids, and grew very slowly for decades. I was playing on a court in a friend’s back yard in the 80s. His dad was a big enough fan to lay tarmac for it. It just hit a tipping point in the last 15 years or so when it became popular enough that people could start making money off of it. So yeah, people are putting money into it because there’s a profit to be made. But mostly the game just became popular because it’s fun, cheap, and easy to pick up.
You’re right. There’s a ton of celebrity endorsements and money involved. Everyone wants to be at the top of this new sports industry.
But I learned to play in highschool over a decade ago. It’s been around but only really gained traction over covid