The Pickleball Edition | WITI Recommends

Colin here. As a kid, I remember a spirited game of Pickleball with some neighbors. They had installed a court at their house, and it was a party favorite. The appeal was obvious: less stress and strain than tennis, but it was also highly social and user-friendly. Whereas tennis takes a long time to even get to a basic level of proficiency, if you can play ping-pong, you can likely Pickleball and learn it in an afternoon.

The game’s origin was fairly simple. According to the BBC, “The game was invented in 1965 by US Congressman Joel Pritchard and his friend Bill Bell during a summer vacation on Bainbridge Island, Washington. It was an attempt to entertain bored children using whatever equipment came to hand. A decade later the first official pickleball tournament was held.” Their dog, aptly named Pickle, would reportedly disrupt the game by stealing the ball.

And while it has been popular in the US for some time, there’s been a surge in pandemic interest. In the great sporting equipment rush of 2020, where nary a kettlebell or a dumbbell could be found, a Pickleball set, consisting of two paddles and a ball, was a highly in-demand item.

According to the Economist, it is now the fastest-growing sport in America:

“In the five years to the end of 2019, pickleball participation grew by more than 7%, while Americans’ overall activity level stayed flat, according to the Sport & Fitness Industry Association. Although data from 2020 have not yet been released, the sport has picked up more swing thanks to covid-19. Last March, when quarantines went into effect and gyms closed, portable pickleball nets temporarily sold out. Players set up courts, which are half the size of tennis courts, in driveways. “It’s the new thing,” says Derek Heil, an employee at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Dallas, who has seen a sales spike for pickleball equipment over the last year, including for higher-end paddles which sell for around $100.”

This is a good thing: the more Americans are doing to be social and get some cardio that doesn’t feel like cardio, the better. Especially after a prolonged lockdown.

Why is this interesting?

Pickleball’s European cousin, Padel, is also gaining steam. It is a variation on the same theme: you play with a paddle object and a tennis ball with a tad more density and less pressure. You can also use the walls as your allies to keep the ball in play, similar to how you would in squash or racquetball. In Spain, it is the second-fastest-growing sport. Lionel Messi is evidently such a fan that he has a court at his home in Barcelona.

It is also turning into good business: a Padel court is relatively inexpensive to make and lasts a long time. And in the space where two people would be playing a singles match in Tennis, 12 people could be playing on different Padel courts. The economics are favorable, “The average cost per game is 12 € per player, excluding balls and game rackets, for a total of 48 euros per game (90 minutes). Calculating that the smaller clubs organize 2 games every 24h on weekdays and 5 games every 24h on holidays, we arrive at an estimated € 3840 per month, which per year makes more than € 45,000 for each Padel court installed.”

Throw in a bar or a little shop, and you’ve got a nice little side business going on. At least, until the next sporting trend comes along. But the growth rates of both Padel and Pickleball don’t show signs of softening, especially as there are so many new COVID converts. (CJN)

Lion of the day:

Taken in the Grumeti Concession in Tanzania. (Photo: CJN)

Quick Links:

Why New York can’t have nice things (CJN)
The best shirt we’ve found in a while, from pals at Stoffa (CJN)
The largest domino knocked over (CJN)

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Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN)

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