A lot of people in the US, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, started playing pickleball, which is a mix of table tennis, badminton, and tennis. Thanks to the help of many sponsors and famous people, this sport has grown into a professional structured sport. Many players now make a career playing it. The Manhattan skyline and East River set the scene for pickleball, the fastest-growing sport, enjoyed by all ages—from athletes to students to seniors.
There are always people on the courts, and the mood is congenial. The pandemic has made pickleball more popular than ever. It was first played on Bainbridge Island south of Seattle in 1965. During the gym lockdown, most of them made due with makeshift courts in their backyards or on the street. Jocelyn Devilliers, a French player, said that it was a sport that quickly became popular in the towns, even though it was easy to learn but hard to master. There are now more than 13.9 million people in the US who play pickleball on a regular basis.
The Development of Professional Pickleball
This is up from 4 million in 2020. About 50 million individuals played at least once in 2022–2023. There are currently 223 percent more players than there were before COVID, making it the fastest-growing sport in the US. At the same time, professional pickleball has become very popular. Noe Khlif (ranked 31st) and Jocelyn Devilliers (ranked 14th in the world in singles) are two players who have made a name for themselves on the international stage. Devilliers, a tennis royal, says he has never thought about making a living playing tennis because he makes so much money playing pickleball.
Tennis stars like Eugenie Bouchard and Jack Sock have also joined the cause, which has taken the game to new heights and opened up new ways for it to thrive. Around 130 professional pickleball players currently make a living from the sport. Some of them make up to $1 million a year from tournament winnings and sponsorships. A big reason why pickleball is growing is that a lot of famous investors are getting involved. Well-known actors and actresses like Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, and Kim Kardashian, as well as investors like LeBron James, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Michael Phelps, have made the media more excited. ESPN also covers pickleball games, which helps the network reach even more people.
The impact of investments and sponsors
The average wage of the top 100 professional athletes is now over $300,000 a year. Some sportsmen have contracts that are so good that they might make over a million dollars a year. The money that players make has also gone up. These investments and media coverage have helped pickleball move swiftly toward becoming a professional sport. Pickleball is one of the most environmentally friendly racquet sports, even more so than badminton, padel, or tennis. The pickleball courts are smaller, and they have a history of employing materials that are good for the environment.
For example, the paddles might be made of recycled plastic or bamboo. Also, the plastic balls used in the game can often be recycled, which makes them less harmful to the environment. The size of the courts and the number of used balls, on the other hand, make tennis worse for the environment. Padel is like tennis, but on a smaller size. The court and equipment are also heavier, which could make it heavier. Pickleball is a very new sport, thus sustainable procedures are just now being put in place to try to decrease its effect on the environment. This will be a big problem as the game spreads around the world in the coming years.
Environmental games and comparison with other sports
So, pickleball has made its way into American culture without any problems, and it is progressively becoming popular in Europe as well. There aren’t many players in France yet, but the sport is expanding swiftly, which is good news for its future. Discovery days, like the one at Roland-Garros, have helped make this sport more popular. It could be an important sector in the future. “We’re not as advanced as the US, but we’re getting there fast.” Florian Lecerf, the head of the FFT’s pickleball division, said that pickleball is now the organization’s new leader.
Pickleball is a basic, easy-to-learn, and now professional sport that is always growing its market share while being careful of its effect on the environment. A good example for other sports to follow? Pickleball, which is a mix of table tennis, badminton, and tennis, has become very popular in the US, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to the help of many sponsors and famous people, this sport is now officially registered, and many players depend on it for their living. People play pickleball in parks, on the street, and in parking lots all across the country, but it’s especially popular at Pier 2 of Brooklyn Bridge Park, where the East River is near by and the Manhattan skyline can be seen in the distance.
Conclusion
People of all ages and types utilize the courts all day long, from septuagenarians to young students in sneakers to seasoned athletes. The courts are always busy, and everyone is friendly. Since the epidemic, the number of people playing pickleball, which was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island near Seattle, has gone up a lot. When the gyms were closed, a lot of individuals made do with improvised courts in their backyards or on the side of the road. French player Jocelyn Devilliers says that this game quickly became popular in cities and is easy and hard to master at the same time.
Only 4 million Americans played pickleball two years ago. Now, almost 14 million do. Around 50 million individuals played at the same time in 2022–2023. Pickleball is the sport in the US that is growing the quickest. Since COVID, the number of players has gone up by 223%. At the same time, professional pickleball has also been growing significantly. People all over the world have been impressed by national players like Noe Khlif (31st) and Jocelyn Devilliers (14th in the world in singles). Devilliers, one of the best players in the sport, says he could never have made a livelihood playing tennis the way he does with pickleball.
