New year means new resolutions. As I ponder on what my possible resolutions are, trying pickleball seems inching its way up my list. I mean, it is after all the most popular and fastest growing sport right now.
Pickleball has been such a big “dill” these recent years even celebrities like Emma Watson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Will Farrell and more have joined in the fun.
So what’s the lowdown on this new sport that’s gaining so much traction? Pickleball contrary to popular belief is not really a new sport. It was actually invented as a boredom buster by Representative Joel Pritchard and businessman, Bill Bell in Bainbridge Island, Washington. It all started one summer in 1965 with an old badminton court, ping pong paddles, an old badminton net, an old wiffle ball and a couple of bored families who had nothing else to do. But you may ask, such an odd name for a sport, right? Legend says the name was inspired by Pritchard’s dog, “Pickles” who kept running away with the ball. But in spite of how cute this story is, pickleball was actually named after the “pickles boat” in crew (rowing), which is the least competitive boat in the race. Quite a fitting name, since the sport was born out of leftover equipment from other sports.
Bainbridge Island, the birthplace of the highly addictive sport, called Pickleball.
But despite humble beginnings, this sport in recent years has taken the world by storm. Why? As you may have guessed, the answer is in economics. Pickleball caters to a wider demographic than other sports similar to it like tennis and badminton. About one third of the pickleballers are aged 55 or better and about 50 percent are ages 18-55. Pickleball’s widespread appeal comes from the ease of playing the sport: the rules are fairly simple and equipment is easier to come by. The investment and the costs to join are fairly low since lessons are often unnecessary.
The appeal also comes from the small real estate necessary to play the sport. For instance, four pickleball courts can fit in one tennis court. Pickleball is usually played as doubles which means that at any given time one large tennis court can have 16 players instead of just two. For recreational managers in urban locations this becomes a huge plus! In economics, we call these economies of scale, where one resource (in this case, a tennis court), can yield more output (players) just by shifting to a different type of sport played (from tennis to pickleball). In other words, the limited real estate (tennis court) become more efficient and serves a bigger and wider audience.
4-in-1. Four pickleball courts can be housed in one tennis court, thereby serving a larger amount of players.
Pickleball has also increased in popularity as a professional sport and the monetary incentives are quite promising. The best players can take home more than $1 million a year from endorsements, prize money and event appearance fees. While this holds true for top players, most players play pickleball on a part-time basis and play less. Nevertheless, the lure of a seven-figure earnings potential can be quite alluring, especially considering that the sport is just growing in popularity and the potential for more fans, endorsements, and events will increase.
There is one snag with pickleball though…and that is the NOISE! The loud and constant whacking noise when the plastic pickleball hits the paddle can be a neighborhood nuisance. A man from British Columbia threatens to go on a hunger strike against the city to take action on the pickleball courts that are just 10 meters from home. “It’s like a constant attack on your senses, like living next to a gun range constantly, and listening to firepower going on and on and on for 11 hours a day every day, “ Dhawan (homeowner) said.
Mr. Dhawan from Chilliwack, British Columbia on hunger strike. The constant noise from the pickleball courts can be severe enough to cause mental and physical distress.
In economics this is called an externality, a good or bad byproduct of another event occurring. In this case pickleball causes a major negative externality, which is noise so bad enough for Mr. Dhawan to go on a hunger strike.
But there are positive externalities too, so much so that people decide to have a pickleball themed wedding. After all, pickleball was the reason this couple met and the only way to best celebrate their “lob” for each other is to exchange their vows on a pickleball court.
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