WE all know how great pickleball is – easy to learn (but hard to master), great exercise, and a fun social activity. Several recent articles in the news, though, just how mainstream pickleball has gotten. After all, if Leonardo DiCaprio plays it, it must be cool!
Check out these articles:
"Pickleball is growing at an almost unprecedented rate in the history of American sports", The Boston Globe, 9/24/21 It took a while to reach Massachusetts, but the latest paddle and ball craze is here. And like everything with the boomers, the problem is where to put them all, not to mention the younger generations they’re now infecting with pickleball mania.
"How Pickleball Won Over Everyone From Leonardo DiCaprio to Your Grandparents",Vanity Fair, 10/21/21. But DiCaprio is hardly alone in his obsession. Out of nowhere, pickleball is everywhere. This sneaky-fast amalgam of tennis, badminton, and Ping-Pong has been embraced by Larry David, Melinda Gates, Jamie Foxx, the Kardashians, Owen Wilson, Jillian Michaels, Zach Braff, and Giuliana Rancic. Pro athletes from Russell Wilson to Annika Sörenstam have mastered the dink and drive. Games break out in the Chicago Cubs bullpen. Reese Witherspoon mentioned pickleball in a birthday post to husband Jim Toth. George Clooney says his wife, Amal, routinely torches him on their home court in L.A. Joel Silver prefers to just watch. Survivor winner Tyson Apostol has parlayed his reality-TV fame into a career as a pickleball influencer.
(Graphic from USAPickleball.org)