I believe I am very fortunate to grow up in a pickleball family where my parents were playing this game for years before I was born. I have been playing this sport for the last two decades and I have never seen such a tremendous surge in its popularity in recent past few years, especially after the Covid.

     Personally, I have also observed that if you play this game once and develop a taste for it, I bet you won’t be able to stop playing and will become naturally addicted. I still remember my childhood, especially on weekends I used to eat, drink, play and repeat the task the whole day with my friends. I used to get so much involved in the game that my parents had to bring lunch and dinner to our backyard court. After finishing the meals, I used to get back in action on the court.

Let’s go over some facts and numbers to have a sense of its exponential growth in popularity. 

 This game started in 1965 at Bainbridge Island and by 1990 it was played in all 50 states of the United States. Last year in 2023 1000 new places were added to the place2play database making a total of 11885 known locations (500003 courts)  for playing pickleball in the USA (USA Pickleball Annual growth report)  This sport has grown more than a whopping 223.5% in the last 3 years (SFIA Report) and it’s predicted to grow more up to $256 Million by 2028 (NBC News). 

The popularity of pickleball is due to the following reasons:

1. Short Learning Curve

2. Levels

3. Health benefits

4. Social and Fun

5. Communities

6. Player compatibilities

7. Family sport

8. Cheaper

Lets dive into them deeper

1. Short Learning curve
   

   This game has a short learning curve. The basic rules are very easy to understand and get you up for playing in a few hours. A sports background is not required to play the game. Whereas in other sports like tennis, the barrier to entry is high due to the athleticism and training required. It could take up to 1 year for a complete beginner to get properly train in order to play with continuous rally on a tennis court

    

2. Levels
   

   We always continue to learn new things since we were born. In this particular game there is continuous learning. Levels are challenges which keep you engaged with the sports.
   The levels start with milestones like

      Beginner(1.0-1.5),
     Novice (2.5-3.0),
     Intermediate (3.5-4.0),
     Advanced (4.5-5.0) and
     Top caliber (4.5-5.0)
   Once you start playing as a beginner, you naturally are challenged to learn and improve to reach new high levels.

   To know more about gauging your level please read our article “What is my Pickleball skill rating?“

3. Health Benefits
   

   Playing this game involves physical movements, running, swinging, and other quick movements, i.e., a good aerobic workout which is very good for strengthening our hearts.
   Talking about numbers playing in doubles will help to increase the
   mean heartbeat by 14%,
   Peak heart rate by 19%,
   Calorific expenditure by 36%
   Perceived Exertion by 44%
   Enjoyment levels – 150% ( Source: Scientific Paper)

   
   When compared with Walking, it would require 54% more steps to get the same results as playing pickleball doubles.

   Mental wellbeing
    It also helps with reaction times, Increased flexibility and improved balance.
    There is a lot of laughing on the Pickleball court.
    Enjoying playing Tennis may take some time as it has a long learning curve and training to hone your skills to reach a good level.
   However, with this game you don’t have to get trained or practice as long as tennis to reap the benefits. You feel the same thrill and get rushed as playing Tennis but in a short period

    

4. Social and Fun
   

   After Covid people were looking to socialize back. This game allows you to maintain the minimum social distance required as well as helps you to meet new people.
   As Pickleball met the desire of people its popularity spiked up as soon as the Covid lockdown restrictions were lifted.The size of the court is small so you interact with new people maintaining the minimum social distance required.
   Another benefit is people can show up unannounced and start playing with strangers. People prefer to play in doubles and it’s very fun.
   In tennis, it won’t be that fun if you play with an untrained person. So people prefer to form private groups and tend to play with similar level skills person

5. Communities
   

   It is difficult to find players equivalent to your skill set available to play in sports like tennis. You need to keep track of everyone’s schedule and maintain a private group to play together at overlapping times.
   How nice it is to have someone equivalent to your skill level available to play with whenever you want. This game has the luxury of having a large community of people interested in playing and available at a court nearest to you.
   Entrepreneurs in the food industry are now coming up with pickleball themed restaurants where people can have food, listen to music and play this game, e.g. Corbetts, Pickle bar.
   Another trend which is gaining popularity is Cruises having pickleball courts and allowing you to play in the middle of the sea until weather allows.

6. Player compatibilities:
   

   Simple set of rules, short court play area , light paddle and ball is what makes this sport very easy to catch up within a few hours. So there are fewer worries about skill gaps, making it easier to find people ready to play compared to Tennis
   It is more accessible than tennis, so people of all ages could play this sport. This is the only game where I have seen an 82 year grandma playing with a 5 year old grandchild on a court.

7. Family sport
   

   Pickleball was invented by Vacationers at Bainbridge Island. Three families were looking for ways to keep their children engaged and entertained. So using the existing badminton court they started playing a new game with ping pong paddles and a wiffle ball. This game later came to be known as Pickleball.
   So it’s a family sport where the parents can play with their children and grandparents can play it with their grandchildren.
   Its court size is small so it’s convenient for people to build it in their home backyard, resorts, restaurants etc. where the whole family could enjoy and relish the fun playing Pickleball.

8. Cheaper sports
   

   This sport is much cheaper if we compare the cost of equipment, Renting court space and Coaching with respect to sports like Tennis.

   Below table list down comparison of Total 1 year cost of different sports compared to this game.

Scientific studies

A professor at university of Michigen – Nikolas webstar who is PHD recently did a study on the popularity of Pickleball. In his studay he found:

The Tennis players who were either injured or were getting aged were switching to Pickleball due to lighter weight of equipment and able to copete with the skills they developed in similar sports.

Comparing with other sports like America footbool you would require to buy safety gears like Helmets, pads, ball. In his findings he also learnt that people in the sports of Baseball as they are getting aged they tend to loose to jump high so to remain physically active and competitive they are finding Pickleball as an good alternative. 

Source : https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=tvaARoeiOL4

Conclusion

I believe Pickleball is a very cool sports which gives you benefits of remaining Healthy, Happy, Having laughter, Socializing meeting new people or playing with your own family members and that too at a minimum price compared to other sports. I don’t have any doubts why it won’t be a popular sport. 

So are you Ready to play the exponentially emerging popular sports? Lets Get Set Pickleball