Pickleball has quickly emerged as the fastest growing sport in the United States, boasting an explosive 223.5 percent growth rate over the last three years comprising almost forty million individual pickleball players. The sport creates a more accessible harmony between tennis, table tennis, and badminton, attracting people from different age groups. Pickleball is played on a relatively small court, which is beneficial for the older age bracket, because it has little to no requirement for quick movement. Just take two or three steps and there you go, you’re already on the other side of the court. Pickleball is also an inexpensive sport, as the only crucial gear is a paddle and some pickleballs. Combined, these would only set you back around one hundred dollars, which is a lot cheaper than tennis and other racket sports.
Even though pickleball is loved by many, its rapid growth leads many to look on the sport with a bit of a grudge. As a tennis player, my opinion on the sport is definitely biased, but pickleball is not one of my favorite sports. Most tennis players dislike pickleball because of two reasons: “court wars,” and the annoying sounds that result from hitting a pickleball.
In the tennis world, seeing a pickleball player walk onto the court you wanted to play on is the worst possible feeling. It’s like seeing a fish flopping in the middle of your food; your appetite is completely gone. Pickleball players just love to invade our tennis courts. When you can fit two pickleball courts inside of one tennis court, it’s almost impossible to have that court open for tennis, because it is likely two groups of pickleballers want the court for a different amount of time. With the population of pickleballers growing rapidly, it’s getting increasingly difficult to find open tennis courts to play tennis. Pickelballers multiply like ants, one day you see one group on your courts, and the next day they have all the courts booked.
Another annoyance that pickleball brings to the table is the atrocious sound that the balls make when they are hit. Now, you might be thinking, “Doesn’t tennis also have loud sounds when they hit the balls?” and you would be correct. However, the difference is that tennis balls create a deep, percussive, and rhythmic sound when hit. Pickleballs on the other hand, create a high-pitched crack sound, which can get overwhelmingly distracting on a tennis court, especially if it is located indoors. The playing of pickleball creates a horrible environment to do anything, especially playing tennis right next to them.
Overall, I understand the hype around pickleball. It’s a “fun” sport that offers a lot of incentive for playing, especially around the older ages that don’t get out for much active movement. In fact, it is a great way for people who don’t want to do excessive exercise to get out and move a little. The growth of pickleball has severely hindered tennis players though, through taking up all of the tennis courts, and making it impossible to focus on a match whenever pickleball is happening nearby. Pickleball is a great sport for everybody, but in my opinion, changes need to be made in order for tennis players to live peacefully with pickleball players in the picture.
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