People Are Obsessed With Pickleball Now, And It All Makes Perfect Sense
Ever heard of pickleball? If not, you’d better get on it. Millions of people are taking part in this sporting phenomenon, which seems as though it sprang up overnight. In truth, the game has been around for a long time and has been steadily becoming more and more popular — but now it’s everywhere. So, what’s it all about? And why are people falling in love with it?
A mish-mash sport
In the simplest terms possible, pickleball is sort of like a cross between ping-pong, badminton, and tennis — all mashed up into a single sport. It takes place on a court about the same size as one you’d play badminton on, and it can be played inside or out. It requires a net, which is similar to one you’d employ in tennis, and paddles and a plastic ball with holes punched in it.
Great, sociable fun
The game is great fun, both in its own right and because of the level of socializing it engenders. Two people can compete against each other in a singles game, or players can partner up and take part in a doubles game. The rules are simple and beginners can pick up the basics fairly easily, before progressing into more intense games.
For all ages
One of the remarkable things about the sport is the range of ages it attracts. During its earlier days, it was mainly older people over the age of 55 who were most drawn to pickleball. But that’s changed in recent years, with more and more young people taking it up. In fact, those below the age of 24 are the most rapidly growing demographic getting involved.
Exploding in popularity
Pickleball has been around for a long time now, but it was really the last couple of years that saw it blow up in popularity. The reasons for that can be debated, but it does seem likely that the pandemic had something to do with it. Families around America needed to find new ways to keep themselves occupied, and pickleball apparently proved ideal.
