Like chess, pickleball is relatively easy to learn but hard to master. I have won gold medals at national and regional Pickleball tournaments, but am still a student of the game. I was also a competitive tennis player for decades, including on my college's team, and still play the game. Like tennis, perhaps true of most of sports, Pickleball can be played and enjoyed at many different skill levels. My late father played an intense slice only form of tennis in which he moved his feet as little as possible, and amused himself with this for forty years, several times a week. Advanced Pickleball is a strenuous, highly aerobic game. The reason tennis courts are being converted to Pickleball courts is simply supply and demand. There are just more people who want to play Pickleball today than tennis. The biggest problem with PB is the noise the balls make; it's a high pitch, high frequency ping that neighbors find irritating. There are new sound-deadening paddles now available, which help quite a lot to lower the pitch, but the best long term solution is to build new PIckleball courts in areas that are far enough away from homes.
I think the biggest difference between the 2 games is that pickleball, like squash, can be played and enjoyed at a basic level. Very few can walk onto a tennis court for the first time and play the game at even a rudimentary level.
I doubt that most of the 'athletes' I've seen playing pickleball could survive even a single point of a beginner's game of squash. A ball that doesn't bounce (even if playing hardball) being hit by a racket clearly designed for anything but the task at hand. The most fun, most frustration and best workouts I've ever had...
Perhaps you meant racketball rather than squash? Racketballs bounce. Squash balls die. Squash is very difficult to play, even at a “rudimentary” level.
Congrats and agree! I've been playing almost 5 years and our local tennis club, in the last two years, went from 0 PB players to almost 300. I've played with and against a person with Parkinson's, a person with an arm amputated above the elbow, very overweight people, a 95 yo (watch out for her serve), and a person in a wheelchair, a person who lobs every return, one who spins every return, some terrible at the kitchen line and others who are supurb. It's a game for all and some will perfect their game quicker because of superior hand/eye coordination or athleticism while others will take a long time to catch on....but all can play. That's why it's popular. Thank God for Pickleball. And I'll just add, most of my friends who were playing tennis are mostly exclusively Pickleball now.
Zane Navratil is the first pro I took a lesson from...was a pro at our club at the time.
I use it as a brain game. I play with SO many people who can never remember the score (sometimes that's me) but it's an opportunity to keep the memory sharp/er! It would be a lot harder if there was rally scoring, so I'm good with this for now.
I have played every racquet sport known to man. Tennis, paddle, padel, ping pong, even court tennis and racquets (the last two being particularly obscure). I played squash in college. Quite to my own surprise, I find pickle more compelling than all of them. It requires more presence of mind and constant strategic thinking. It keeps moving (one serve, and you're never chasing balls three courts away). It lends itself to mixed games as men can't overpower women. Also, you can play with a wide range of people and still have fun. The others require that you play with people who are within a range between slightly better to slightly worse than you. Not so with pickle. Lastly, it's incredibly social, with group mixing and matching after every game. So yes, I thought pickle looked stupid at first like everyone else. It's not.
You say "incredibly social, with group mixing"- that reminds me of a tennis friend who recently said she and her husband went to a pickleball night at their local club and were so annoyed they couldn't stay together as partners as they had to keep switching. So I have to wonder if that is a pretty common thing. Maybe they should have just made it more clear beforehand. Tennis is very social, too, of course. Don't know why pickleball would be more so unless it's because it has more people who don't take it as seriously? (ETA- I'm a tennis player who has played pickleball three times).
Yes, switching partners is a very common thing. One of the many delights of pickleball is that one person can show up at the courts and can play with those who are already there. Tennis is so stiltifying in this regard... first you have to find a partner, then you must find a 3rd person, and then they must find a partner. When all that is squared away you will probably need to reserve a court. UGH!
Maybe this is more likely with pickleball because there isn't as much of a variety of skill levels compared to tennis? And we do have nights where we play and there's switching of partners, of course, just not as much I suppose and if you ask to stay with someone, people would not care. I belong to tennis clubs (indoor and outdoor) and play all the time in both leagues and "for fun" matches, and getting people together to play is not an issue, nor does it happen the way you describe it, but maybe you were not a frequent player. Actually now that I reflect on tennis, my outdoor club sounds more like pickleball- a lot more mixing of players- like there will be 16 people that show up for four courts, and you mix it up after each set, and everyone socializes afterward.
Pickleball also has a variety of skill levels (same as tennis). Clubs will schedule 'open' play (all levels), single level play (one level), round robins, King/Queen of the Court, Leagues, etc. When I played tennis in NYC, you had to arrange it all in advance because courts are few and in high demand and typically not 'shared', but you're right, I wasn't a frequent player. Your outdoor club sounds very much like a pickleball vibe. After our nighttime round robins we all grab snacks and drinks at the local watering hole. 🙂
Is this satire? Could you even be any more elitist, dripping with disdain for the “hoi polloi”?? The only redeeming feature is you quoted David Foster Wallace, who I love and miss.
Oh, it's satire alright.. keep in mind, the best satire is based in truth, and observation of the absurd or predictable. I'm a life long AVERAGE SKILLED tennis player. Pickle ball is the long await dumbing down of the game of tennis. Any dope can pick up a paddle and "play". Not so in tennis. It's the soccer (any moron can kick the ball forward) for the new generation of soft athletes, "A Trophy for Everyone"
I shared this article with a group of friends from FL (the pickleball capital of the world is Naples🙄) and got roasted by one with no sense of humour. Our club in FL had 2 pb courts in 2020, 4 in 2021 and by 2024 will have 8, along with a dedicated pavilion equipped with a permanent bar ( the roll-in one isn’t good enough), bathroom ( they can’t walk 100 yards to the golf clubhouse) and lots of shade under which to rest between gruelling matches. Go for it, I say. It’s much easier to book a tennis court and it has certainly, at least amongst tennis players, separated the wheat from the chaff. 😊
“Sports are, after all, one of the few remaining realms in which we generally accept the legitimacy of hierarchy and order. Anyone can play, of course, but some people are simply better than others, and this fact is out in public for everyone to see. You cannot cry or bully your way into victory. You cannot call HR or summon a Twitter mob to wangle your way out of defeat. “
____________________________
Is this a joke? How have you missed trans women, in all of their wingspan and muscle mass pushing their way into women’s sports exactly by calling HR and “identifying” as women. 🤦🏻♀️
It's maddening. Every public court in our neighborhood has been converted to pickleball. I get that we live in a retirement community, but there were/are a dedicated group of tennis players who regularly met three times each week (sometimes more) for rounds of doubles. Pickleball players began to show up several years ago and were graciously offered a court (one out of four) to serve their needs. That seemed satisfactory until, under the cover of court renovation, there suddenly were no more tennis courts and only those foreshortened mini courts which, as time has now shown, are underused by the supposed surge of pickleball pall enthusiasts. For our tennis crowd, the remaining option is to join the local country club to use the private courts. So much for equal access and taxation without representation! In the coming rebellion, I'll take tennis racquets over pickleball bug swatters any day.
The article and comments miss one of the main reasons pickleball is so popular: the social benefits (to individuals and the community) of the voluntary mixing of a group of strangers. Where I play outside Washington, DC, dozens of people of different races, religions, ages, gender, and income get together every day on four pickleball courts. Anyone can drop in at any time; all are welcomed. All games are doubles - 4 players – and everyone plays with a different group every game. When waiting to play, people have the opportunity to hang out next to the courts and socialize.
So, the social benefit to the crowd is supposed to run out the sport for individuals? Socialist agenda in sport? Even in Soviet Union we did not here that
No, not Socialism. Communities and companies are simply addressing the huge demand. Companies have responded by building indoor (paid) courts (even innovative solutions such as using closed big-box stores). The government is adding pickleball lines to some tennis courts while allowing online court reservations, and creating dedicated pickleball facilities, especially in less-dense, less used areas.
Mark, I referred as socialism not to the building new courts for pickleball but to the eliminating tennis courts. Companies will build or modify existing structures for paying demand, but public courts are responsibility of civil administration and must be adjusted for all demands. Ignoring interest of tennis players for the sake of higher number of pickleballers is element of socialism. after all "people has to sacrifice for the majority"-socialism or wokism. Whatever you prefer
In my area there are many more tennis players and many more courts dedicated solely for tennis. So tennis players/courts ARE the majority. But importantly, tennis courts are much less used, so the government and companies are simply addressing the huge demand by the minority. Sometimes this means adding lines to tennis courts and pickleball players "take over" the courts. Yes, this is an inconvenience for tennis players since they have to travel longer to find a dedicated tennis court.
The government and companies are also increasing the supply by adding new pickleball capacity, which reduces the demand for pickleball play on dual-use courts.
FWIW, A market perspective: imagine a struggling tennis club with 8 courts. If those courts were underutilized, it seems reasonable to create duel-use courts by lining some for pickleball.
Suburbia is littered with purpose-built tennis courts that couldn't sustain their business model. Many of them have been turned to other uses. Many have also been leveled to make way for other construction.
I love that the first two comments below are from pickleball lovers. I have been playing tennis for over 50 years, but the body is starting, well continuing, to wear down, but I can see how pickleball, I’ve played once, can be fun, but let’s be real, for the vast majority of players it is their last best alternative. I don’t see any real athletes out there playing at my JCC, but hey it provides some exercise and people do seem to have fun and I haven’t heard any line call disputes (for most the game is too slow for that). I say long live pickleball, I’ll probably be one of those slow moving players looking to capture a little more “athletic” glory before all is said and done.
You must have a nicer set of players because I've heard quite a few line disputes. My favorites are the ones when the person on the far side says their ball landed inside the baseline and was in, when the 2 people next to the ball say it's clearly out....good times, good times 🙂
Avid tennis player here. Not an elitist: I grew up blue collar and took up the sport in my mid-thirties as a reward for quitting smoking. Almost 20 years later I'm still playing and regularly participate in USTA leagues.
Here in Chicago, "good" public courts are hard to come by because there just isn't enough money to upkeep them all properly. My local park has a nice surface that is literally overrun with picklleball all weekend and most week nights. I haven't a chance at getting on that court. I'm left with the dusty pockmarked courts that are trip hazards.
I recently had to practically beg to get permits for my summer league after getting rejected at other parks, due to pickleball activity. The outdoor summer team I've played on for 20 years almost had to cease this summer for lack of playable courts. It was truly sad for me.
People see crappy tennis courts empty and think "well, I guess no one plays tennis anymore" but what is happening is that we all flock to the few good courts and compete for play time. Now we've added pickleball to that competition.
I think we need a treaty of sorts to present to our park administrators that allows for a more equitable way to share the courts AND we need the parks to increase budgets so we have better upkeep of our sports surfaces. I think this is where both communities could come together to make an appeal for better maintenance and funding.
Down with people who unreasonably interfere with others enjoyment of life. The position of the officious pickle ball intermeddler as to what might happen to imperfect tennis shots was full of holes. The game itself is okay.
I live about 45 miles from Bainbridge Island, where pickleball was invented nearly 60 years ago. Its creators were a group of friends gathered for a lawn party, who happened to be Washington’s Attorney General (later a U.S. Senator), its Secy. of State, and a U.S. Representative (the host). All were Republicans - a political breed now nearly extinct in Western Washington.
They had some ping pong paddles and a paved surface, rigged up a net, and started batting around a whiffle (or is it wiffle?) ball. The lore, somewhat disputed, is that the family dog was named Pickle.
For decades this was, as the writer said, an obscure, regional, backyard sport that grew slowly by word of mouth. Often the courts had been designed for basketball or badminton and were repurposed. My friends hosted a New Years Eve pickleball party roughly 25 years ago. They were the only people I knew who had a court, and public courts were still given over to tennis.
A couple things: Recreational Pickleball, especially doubles, is popular because it’s much easier to play than tennis. Men and women can occupy a small space, move a few feet, and whack a plastic ball for exercise. Not as demanding as tennis, but exercise nonetheless. Plus, the socialization component is much greater in a smaller space. It’s a satisfying couples activity.
That said, I suppose it was inevitable that as pickleball grew in popularity and spread geographically, people of a certain frame of mind wanted to form organizations, make rules, and organize tournaments. Now you have to reserve courts. Tennis has been supplanted, pushed into the background, to this writer’s lament.
It’s a good thing for people to be getting more exercise. But I miss the older, less structured manifestations of pickleball. It’s lost some of its charm.
I was a hard-core handball player in the late 1970s. It was a true American game, tough, gritty, an egalitarian pastime that any person with a hand--even those without big $$ incomes--could play.
We had a plethora of great public handball courts until Billie Jean King and Bjorn Borg (with that name, we should have seen the impending catastrophe) became celebrities (vs real athletes like Dick Butkus and Chuck Norris) and tennis became a "thing" for rich people and cities tore down handball courts to make space for the rich, effete tennis players.
Now we have a diminishing population of tennis players--undoubtedly backed by the orthopedic surgery lobby who make millions reconstructing knees and elbows--whining that the courts they made possible only by tearing down (literally and metaphorically) the urban handball courts (and dreams) of the lower socio-economic classes--are being replaced by pickle ball courts.
Is tennis diminishing though? I read the other day there has been an increase in players (the pandemic helped both tennis and pickleball, I assume). Of course pickleball has room to increase by more as it's newer and until a decade ago, seemed like almost no one played (I hadn't heard of it until maybe seven years ago). My tennis clubs have seen no shortage of tennis players.
I'm torn. Pickleball guy sounds like a massive Karen. On the other hand, Karens are right sometimes but usually have a terrible presentation. My name is Fifi and I'm a closet Karen. Hi Fifi.
Like chess, pickleball is relatively easy to learn but hard to master. I have won gold medals at national and regional Pickleball tournaments, but am still a student of the game. I was also a competitive tennis player for decades, including on my college's team, and still play the game. Like tennis, perhaps true of most of sports, Pickleball can be played and enjoyed at many different skill levels. My late father played an intense slice only form of tennis in which he moved his feet as little as possible, and amused himself with this for forty years, several times a week. Advanced Pickleball is a strenuous, highly aerobic game. The reason tennis courts are being converted to Pickleball courts is simply supply and demand. There are just more people who want to play Pickleball today than tennis. The biggest problem with PB is the noise the balls make; it's a high pitch, high frequency ping that neighbors find irritating. There are new sound-deadening paddles now available, which help quite a lot to lower the pitch, but the best long term solution is to build new PIckleball courts in areas that are far enough away from homes.
I think the biggest difference between the 2 games is that pickleball, like squash, can be played and enjoyed at a basic level. Very few can walk onto a tennis court for the first time and play the game at even a rudimentary level.
I doubt that most of the 'athletes' I've seen playing pickleball could survive even a single point of a beginner's game of squash. A ball that doesn't bounce (even if playing hardball) being hit by a racket clearly designed for anything but the task at hand. The most fun, most frustration and best workouts I've ever had...
This particular thread reads like The Four Yorkshiremen (Monty Python).
Ah, I have squash to thank for my first knee "dissection". I then turned to the slightly slower, equally challenging four-wall handball.
In no other sports have I felt so thoroughly exercised, and no tennis courts had to surrender their lives to accommodate.
Perhaps you meant racketball rather than squash? Racketballs bounce. Squash balls die. Squash is very difficult to play, even at a “rudimentary” level.
Congrats and agree! I've been playing almost 5 years and our local tennis club, in the last two years, went from 0 PB players to almost 300. I've played with and against a person with Parkinson's, a person with an arm amputated above the elbow, very overweight people, a 95 yo (watch out for her serve), and a person in a wheelchair, a person who lobs every return, one who spins every return, some terrible at the kitchen line and others who are supurb. It's a game for all and some will perfect their game quicker because of superior hand/eye coordination or athleticism while others will take a long time to catch on....but all can play. That's why it's popular. Thank God for Pickleball. And I'll just add, most of my friends who were playing tennis are mostly exclusively Pickleball now.
Zane Navratil is the first pro I took a lesson from...was a pro at our club at the time.
The barrier for me is the unintelligible scoring and that some of the rules are the opposite of tennis🤪
I use it as a brain game. I play with SO many people who can never remember the score (sometimes that's me) but it's an opportunity to keep the memory sharp/er! It would be a lot harder if there was rally scoring, so I'm good with this for now.
Agree with you on the scoring. Weird.
It seems like wetlands would be a good place for PB courts, as long as they are far enough away from homes.
The snail darter might choose to disagree with you.
Ethan, that explains why we haven’t see you down at the tennis club. Larry Segan
I have played every racquet sport known to man. Tennis, paddle, padel, ping pong, even court tennis and racquets (the last two being particularly obscure). I played squash in college. Quite to my own surprise, I find pickle more compelling than all of them. It requires more presence of mind and constant strategic thinking. It keeps moving (one serve, and you're never chasing balls three courts away). It lends itself to mixed games as men can't overpower women. Also, you can play with a wide range of people and still have fun. The others require that you play with people who are within a range between slightly better to slightly worse than you. Not so with pickle. Lastly, it's incredibly social, with group mixing and matching after every game. So yes, I thought pickle looked stupid at first like everyone else. It's not.
Good point about no having to chase down tennis balls three courts over the most annoying part of tennis.....along with a dicey second serve.
Have you played 4-wall paddleball?
You say "incredibly social, with group mixing"- that reminds me of a tennis friend who recently said she and her husband went to a pickleball night at their local club and were so annoyed they couldn't stay together as partners as they had to keep switching. So I have to wonder if that is a pretty common thing. Maybe they should have just made it more clear beforehand. Tennis is very social, too, of course. Don't know why pickleball would be more so unless it's because it has more people who don't take it as seriously? (ETA- I'm a tennis player who has played pickleball three times).
Yes, switching partners is a very common thing. One of the many delights of pickleball is that one person can show up at the courts and can play with those who are already there. Tennis is so stiltifying in this regard... first you have to find a partner, then you must find a 3rd person, and then they must find a partner. When all that is squared away you will probably need to reserve a court. UGH!
Maybe this is more likely with pickleball because there isn't as much of a variety of skill levels compared to tennis? And we do have nights where we play and there's switching of partners, of course, just not as much I suppose and if you ask to stay with someone, people would not care. I belong to tennis clubs (indoor and outdoor) and play all the time in both leagues and "for fun" matches, and getting people together to play is not an issue, nor does it happen the way you describe it, but maybe you were not a frequent player. Actually now that I reflect on tennis, my outdoor club sounds more like pickleball- a lot more mixing of players- like there will be 16 people that show up for four courts, and you mix it up after each set, and everyone socializes afterward.
Pickleball also has a variety of skill levels (same as tennis). Clubs will schedule 'open' play (all levels), single level play (one level), round robins, King/Queen of the Court, Leagues, etc. When I played tennis in NYC, you had to arrange it all in advance because courts are few and in high demand and typically not 'shared', but you're right, I wasn't a frequent player. Your outdoor club sounds very much like a pickleball vibe. After our nighttime round robins we all grab snacks and drinks at the local watering hole. 🙂
I resisted it for a while but finally started playing. It’s great cardio. Long live Pickle ball!!!
Is this satire? Could you even be any more elitist, dripping with disdain for the “hoi polloi”?? The only redeeming feature is you quoted David Foster Wallace, who I love and miss.
I’m pretty sure the author the disdain isn’t as serious and “elitist” as some might find it. I don’t read as a serious takedown as it sounds.
It’s a joke with a grain of truth that some take literally
Oh, it's satire alright.. keep in mind, the best satire is based in truth, and observation of the absurd or predictable. I'm a life long AVERAGE SKILLED tennis player. Pickle ball is the long await dumbing down of the game of tennis. Any dope can pick up a paddle and "play". Not so in tennis. It's the soccer (any moron can kick the ball forward) for the new generation of soft athletes, "A Trophy for Everyone"
Written like a true elitist.
Pickleball is a sport. Tennis is a sport. Both can co-exist.
That tennis courts are turned over to pickleball is a function of popularity. It's typical competition for limited resources.
I shared this article with a group of friends from FL (the pickleball capital of the world is Naples🙄) and got roasted by one with no sense of humour. Our club in FL had 2 pb courts in 2020, 4 in 2021 and by 2024 will have 8, along with a dedicated pavilion equipped with a permanent bar ( the roll-in one isn’t good enough), bathroom ( they can’t walk 100 yards to the golf clubhouse) and lots of shade under which to rest between gruelling matches. Go for it, I say. It’s much easier to book a tennis court and it has certainly, at least amongst tennis players, separated the wheat from the chaff. 😊
I’m just here to say I’m thrilled to find someone else who uses the term “separating the wheat from the chaff!”
“Sports are, after all, one of the few remaining realms in which we generally accept the legitimacy of hierarchy and order. Anyone can play, of course, but some people are simply better than others, and this fact is out in public for everyone to see. You cannot cry or bully your way into victory. You cannot call HR or summon a Twitter mob to wangle your way out of defeat. “
____________________________
Is this a joke? How have you missed trans women, in all of their wingspan and muscle mass pushing their way into women’s sports exactly by calling HR and “identifying” as women. 🤦🏻♀️
Now you know how women feel having biological men invade their sports space.
It's maddening. Every public court in our neighborhood has been converted to pickleball. I get that we live in a retirement community, but there were/are a dedicated group of tennis players who regularly met three times each week (sometimes more) for rounds of doubles. Pickleball players began to show up several years ago and were graciously offered a court (one out of four) to serve their needs. That seemed satisfactory until, under the cover of court renovation, there suddenly were no more tennis courts and only those foreshortened mini courts which, as time has now shown, are underused by the supposed surge of pickleball pall enthusiasts. For our tennis crowd, the remaining option is to join the local country club to use the private courts. So much for equal access and taxation without representation! In the coming rebellion, I'll take tennis racquets over pickleball bug swatters any day.
The article and comments miss one of the main reasons pickleball is so popular: the social benefits (to individuals and the community) of the voluntary mixing of a group of strangers. Where I play outside Washington, DC, dozens of people of different races, religions, ages, gender, and income get together every day on four pickleball courts. Anyone can drop in at any time; all are welcomed. All games are doubles - 4 players – and everyone plays with a different group every game. When waiting to play, people have the opportunity to hang out next to the courts and socialize.
So, the social benefit to the crowd is supposed to run out the sport for individuals? Socialist agenda in sport? Even in Soviet Union we did not here that
No, not Socialism. Communities and companies are simply addressing the huge demand. Companies have responded by building indoor (paid) courts (even innovative solutions such as using closed big-box stores). The government is adding pickleball lines to some tennis courts while allowing online court reservations, and creating dedicated pickleball facilities, especially in less-dense, less used areas.
Mark, I referred as socialism not to the building new courts for pickleball but to the eliminating tennis courts. Companies will build or modify existing structures for paying demand, but public courts are responsibility of civil administration and must be adjusted for all demands. Ignoring interest of tennis players for the sake of higher number of pickleballers is element of socialism. after all "people has to sacrifice for the majority"-socialism or wokism. Whatever you prefer
In my area there are many more tennis players and many more courts dedicated solely for tennis. So tennis players/courts ARE the majority. But importantly, tennis courts are much less used, so the government and companies are simply addressing the huge demand by the minority. Sometimes this means adding lines to tennis courts and pickleball players "take over" the courts. Yes, this is an inconvenience for tennis players since they have to travel longer to find a dedicated tennis court.
The government and companies are also increasing the supply by adding new pickleball capacity, which reduces the demand for pickleball play on dual-use courts.
FWIW, A market perspective: imagine a struggling tennis club with 8 courts. If those courts were underutilized, it seems reasonable to create duel-use courts by lining some for pickleball.
Suburbia is littered with purpose-built tennis courts that couldn't sustain their business model. Many of them have been turned to other uses. Many have also been leveled to make way for other construction.
I love that the first two comments below are from pickleball lovers. I have been playing tennis for over 50 years, but the body is starting, well continuing, to wear down, but I can see how pickleball, I’ve played once, can be fun, but let’s be real, for the vast majority of players it is their last best alternative. I don’t see any real athletes out there playing at my JCC, but hey it provides some exercise and people do seem to have fun and I haven’t heard any line call disputes (for most the game is too slow for that). I say long live pickleball, I’ll probably be one of those slow moving players looking to capture a little more “athletic” glory before all is said and done.
You must have a nicer set of players because I've heard quite a few line disputes. My favorites are the ones when the person on the far side says their ball landed inside the baseline and was in, when the 2 people next to the ball say it's clearly out....good times, good times 🙂
Avid tennis player here. Not an elitist: I grew up blue collar and took up the sport in my mid-thirties as a reward for quitting smoking. Almost 20 years later I'm still playing and regularly participate in USTA leagues.
Here in Chicago, "good" public courts are hard to come by because there just isn't enough money to upkeep them all properly. My local park has a nice surface that is literally overrun with picklleball all weekend and most week nights. I haven't a chance at getting on that court. I'm left with the dusty pockmarked courts that are trip hazards.
I recently had to practically beg to get permits for my summer league after getting rejected at other parks, due to pickleball activity. The outdoor summer team I've played on for 20 years almost had to cease this summer for lack of playable courts. It was truly sad for me.
People see crappy tennis courts empty and think "well, I guess no one plays tennis anymore" but what is happening is that we all flock to the few good courts and compete for play time. Now we've added pickleball to that competition.
I think we need a treaty of sorts to present to our park administrators that allows for a more equitable way to share the courts AND we need the parks to increase budgets so we have better upkeep of our sports surfaces. I think this is where both communities could come together to make an appeal for better maintenance and funding.
Be happy you have those pockmarked courts for now, eventually your sanctuary city will put tents on them to house all the illegals.
A friend, who is an ER doctor, says that “pickleballers” are “regulars” in the ER dept. So much for an easy game. Or maybe it’s the six gin tonics!
Both!
Down with people who unreasonably interfere with others enjoyment of life. The position of the officious pickle ball intermeddler as to what might happen to imperfect tennis shots was full of holes. The game itself is okay.
I live about 45 miles from Bainbridge Island, where pickleball was invented nearly 60 years ago. Its creators were a group of friends gathered for a lawn party, who happened to be Washington’s Attorney General (later a U.S. Senator), its Secy. of State, and a U.S. Representative (the host). All were Republicans - a political breed now nearly extinct in Western Washington.
They had some ping pong paddles and a paved surface, rigged up a net, and started batting around a whiffle (or is it wiffle?) ball. The lore, somewhat disputed, is that the family dog was named Pickle.
For decades this was, as the writer said, an obscure, regional, backyard sport that grew slowly by word of mouth. Often the courts had been designed for basketball or badminton and were repurposed. My friends hosted a New Years Eve pickleball party roughly 25 years ago. They were the only people I knew who had a court, and public courts were still given over to tennis.
A couple things: Recreational Pickleball, especially doubles, is popular because it’s much easier to play than tennis. Men and women can occupy a small space, move a few feet, and whack a plastic ball for exercise. Not as demanding as tennis, but exercise nonetheless. Plus, the socialization component is much greater in a smaller space. It’s a satisfying couples activity.
That said, I suppose it was inevitable that as pickleball grew in popularity and spread geographically, people of a certain frame of mind wanted to form organizations, make rules, and organize tournaments. Now you have to reserve courts. Tennis has been supplanted, pushed into the background, to this writer’s lament.
It’s a good thing for people to be getting more exercise. But I miss the older, less structured manifestations of pickleball. It’s lost some of its charm.
I was a hard-core handball player in the late 1970s. It was a true American game, tough, gritty, an egalitarian pastime that any person with a hand--even those without big $$ incomes--could play.
We had a plethora of great public handball courts until Billie Jean King and Bjorn Borg (with that name, we should have seen the impending catastrophe) became celebrities (vs real athletes like Dick Butkus and Chuck Norris) and tennis became a "thing" for rich people and cities tore down handball courts to make space for the rich, effete tennis players.
Now we have a diminishing population of tennis players--undoubtedly backed by the orthopedic surgery lobby who make millions reconstructing knees and elbows--whining that the courts they made possible only by tearing down (literally and metaphorically) the urban handball courts (and dreams) of the lower socio-economic classes--are being replaced by pickle ball courts.
That's not a tragedy. That's Justice!
To the tennis players, I say 'wine on'! (ha!)
Is tennis diminishing though? I read the other day there has been an increase in players (the pandemic helped both tennis and pickleball, I assume). Of course pickleball has room to increase by more as it's newer and until a decade ago, seemed like almost no one played (I hadn't heard of it until maybe seven years ago). My tennis clubs have seen no shortage of tennis players.
I'm torn. Pickleball guy sounds like a massive Karen. On the other hand, Karens are right sometimes but usually have a terrible presentation. My name is Fifi and I'm a closet Karen. Hi Fifi.
Name a time when a Karen was right.
Or not massively annoying.
No, everyone is right sometimes.
Hi, Bruce.
The Washington Post and the NY Times are trying very hard not to admit that they actually did all the things of which they have been accused.
All of the Karens trying to nail their sorry rear ends deserve a great deal of persistence to see things through to the end.
My wife’s name is Karen and she is always right and can be annoying...