Over the past few years, pickleball has skyrocketed in popularity, more than tripling in player count since 2021; however, the game has received an equivalent amount of backlash, especially coming from tennis players. It might seem like pickleball is just another sport, so what makes it so controversial?
The striking resemblance to tennis is obvious, but with a smaller court, funny paddles, and an almost childlike feel to the game, athletes often scoff at the idea of even calling pickleball a sport. As junior Zeke Bisharat—MVP of South’s Boys Tennis team—puts it, “it’s basically for people that want to play tennis but can’t.” This is exemplified by Jack Sock, who after a long decline in his professional tennis career, retired in 2023 and switched to pickleball, turning pro in his new sport in the blink of an eye.
We can’t be demeaning to Sock’s skill, however; it took long years of training in tennis for him to develop the skills that just happen to transfer well to pickleball, meaning the game must still require a decent amount of practice and skill. So the question remains: does this prove that pickleball is just a playground for retired athletes, or does it deserve its spot in the realm of highly respected sports?
Required skill aside, the explosion of pickleball has led to some societal inconveniences as well. First off, it’s a loud sport. This might not be that big of an issue at all, but it might be something considered by people living right next to the courts. Speaking of new courts, junior Rohan Bansal, also of the Boys Tennis Team, expresses that he “hate[s] it when [pickleball] take[s] up space from other sports.” This is true, as the many tennis and basketball courts throughout the United States are being replaced or repurposed for pickleball.
The rage towards pickleball is understandable, as it’s undeniably annoying for tennis players to see something new explode that seems to mock their sport while simultaneously taking up all of their courts. However, it looks like this new fad might be here to stay whether we like it or not, and at the end of the day, there isn’t anything that can be done.
