According to data from the American Sports and Fitness Industry Association, Pickleball has become the fastest-growing sport in the United States for the third consecutive year, with an astonishing growth of 158.6% over three years.

According to CNBC, the number of Pickleball players in the United States exceeded 36 million in 2022, equivalent to over 1 in 10 Americans playing Pickleball.

With Pickleball's surge in popularity in the United States over the past two years, various investments and professional competitions have emerged. Celebrities from all walks of life in the United States have joined the trend, further proving the sport's popularity and prospects.

The Origin of Pickleball

In 1965, three neighbors were having a family gathering on a rainy day on Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA.

One of them, Joel Pritchard, a congressman, wanted to keep a group of bored children entertained after the rain stopped. He grabbed two paddles and a plastic whiffle ball and called all the kids from the gathering to the backyard badminton court, lowering the net to his waist. They began playing haphazardly.

Both adults and children became enthusiastic about the game. Joel and another visiting neighbor, Bill, immediately invited the gathering host, Mr. Barney McCallum, to collaborate on establishing this new sport's rules and scoring system.

Initially, they used ping-pong paddles to play, but they broke after a while. Barney then personally crafted the prototype paddles for Pickleball in his basement using wooden boards, ensuring durability.

They then referenced the characteristics, techniques, and scoring methods of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong to establish the initial rules of Pickleball. As people continued to play and enjoy it, they invited relatives, friends, and neighbors to join.

Through decades of promotion and media coverage, this novel, easy, and fun sport gradually became popular across the United States.

The Name "Pickleball"

One of the inventors, Mr. Barney McCallum, and his neighbor friend, Dick Brown, each had a pair of adorable twin puppies.

While playing in the backyard, these two puppies often chased and nibbled on the rolling ball. Initially, this new sport didn't have a name, and when they were frequently asked about the name of this new sport, they couldn't answer.

One day, the adults from the three families gathered again to come up with a name. They saw these cute puppies, LuLu and Pickle, chasing the plastic ball in the backyard. Joel was inspired and proposed to name the sport after McCallum's dog, Pickle, which received unanimous approval from everyone present. From then on, this new ball game had a fun, resonant, and memorable name - Pickleball.

Interestingly, in some Pickleball competitions in the United States, the winner's prize is indeed a jar of pickles, which always brings a smile during the award ceremony.

The Charm of Pickleball

Pickleball is often regarded as a combination of ping-pong, badminton, and tennis. It inherits these three sports' strengths while avoiding their shortcomings, achieving an organic combination of participation, fun, and athleticism, making it perfect for ordinary people to play.

The rules of Pickleball are similar to tennis, but tennis balls are too heavy with significant bounce, making it difficult for novices to control the force and direction of hitting. Pickleball uses a hollow plastic ball with low bounce, making it easy for ordinary people to get started.

To further lower the entry barrier, Pickleball has designed many new rules different from tennis. For example, players are not allowed to serve overhead, the ball must bounce once on each side of the court after the serve before volleying at the net, and players must not volley too close to the net during play. These rules are designed to increase the number of rally points, allowing participants to enjoy more fun.