Forbes Contributor Todd Boss March 11th 2023
"As I watch, and participate, in pickleball’s dramatic explosion into sports culture over the past few years, I cannot help but see parallels in pickleball’s growth and acceptance in mainstream culture to another racquet sport, racquetball. Both sports exploded in popularity in a short amount of time, but as we speak racquetball is falling by the wayside in terms of participation nationally. Pickleball on the other hand is seeing its presence balloon in large part because of social media and easier access to courts and equipment. But is that enough to have more “sticking power” than racquetball?"
For many of us more "mature" racquet sports enthusiasts who started their careers with Racquetball/Paddleball, we sometimes wonder if the demise of those sports holds some portend of what might happen to pickleball. Todd concludes "that it does not".
His major reasons for his optimistic view of the future of pickleball can be summarized as follows: participation explosion where some reports say that 10% of the American population played in 2022; massive investments in both public and private facilities and courts as witnessed by our recent story of the new 32 court facility in Richmond BC; Pro tours like the Canadian National Pickleball League (1st Canadian Team purchased by NHL Maple Leaf players) and in the USA, APP and PPA; star power and celebrity tournaments; top ranked younger players and the demographics attracted to this sport including families, seniors and players from many other sports: and finally, the social and technology influences at play with pickleball making it fun for everyone, and it's easy to organize a game by texting your friends and finding a court (near a bar for after-play celebrations)!
"Conclusion: Pickleball is rising fast, will continue to rise, and is here to stay." Read the full article here.
"As I watch, and participate, in pickleball’s dramatic explosion into sports culture over the past few years, I cannot help but see parallels in pickleball’s growth and acceptance in mainstream culture to another racquet sport, racquetball. Both sports exploded in popularity in a short amount of time, but as we speak racquetball is falling by the wayside in terms of participation nationally. Pickleball on the other hand is seeing its presence balloon in large part because of social media and easier access to courts and equipment. But is that enough to have more “sticking power” than racquetball?"
For many of us more "mature" racquet sports enthusiasts who started their careers with Racquetball/Paddleball, we sometimes wonder if the demise of those sports holds some portend of what might happen to pickleball. Todd concludes "that it does not".
His major reasons for his optimistic view of the future of pickleball can be summarized as follows: participation explosion where some reports say that 10% of the American population played in 2022; massive investments in both public and private facilities and courts as witnessed by our recent story of the new 32 court facility in Richmond BC; Pro tours like the Canadian National Pickleball League (1st Canadian Team purchased by NHL Maple Leaf players) and in the USA, APP and PPA; star power and celebrity tournaments; top ranked younger players and the demographics attracted to this sport including families, seniors and players from many other sports: and finally, the social and technology influences at play with pickleball making it fun for everyone, and it's easy to organize a game by texting your friends and finding a court (near a bar for after-play celebrations)!
"Conclusion: Pickleball is rising fast, will continue to rise, and is here to stay." Read the full article here.
Racquetball faces a number of challenges in its future
(Photo of a diving Rodrigo Montoya facing ... [+]GETTY IMAGES
(Photo of a diving Rodrigo Montoya facing ... [+]GETTY IMAGES
