Pickleball is Here to Stay

If you don’t know then catch up already! Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. This isn’t your grandma’s sport! It’s for everyone and it is popular enough to have professional leagues. You have probably seen it on TV here and there, but this sport has momentum and superstars are being made on a professional level. The faces of this sport are young, exciting, talented individuals who deliver competitive passionate play. Soon enough, some of these players will be household names!

Jay Devilliers and Jessie Irvine in mixed doubles

This is a list of the some of the top pickleball players in the US per the Professional Pickleball Association: Anna Leigh Waters, Collin Johns, Anna Bright, Ben Johns, Catherine Parenteau, Riley Newman, Lea Jansen, Matt Wright, Callie Smith, Dylan Frazier, Jessie Irvine, Tyson McGuffin, Irina Tereschenko and many more. They all bring something different to the table with there skills and style. You be the judge and watch some tournaments to find out who your favorite is in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

In the past few years Tom Brady, Drew Brees, LeBron James, Dak Prescott, Naomi Osaka, Patrick Mahomes, Kevin Durant, Michael Phelps, Heidi Klum and others are investing into major league pickleball. The sport is attracting high profile investors from sports and entertainers, and Jay Devilliers and Jessie Irvine in mixed doubles this has increased Major League Pickleball to grow from 12 to 24 teams in 2023. Go out and play and I guarantee you will get why this sport is so fun and growing exponentially.

Anne Leigh Waters, 16 years old, 1st place in doubles, mixed doubles, and singles.

The Origin of Pickleball

It was invented in 1965 just outside of Seattle, Washington on Bainbridge Island by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum. Their children were bored, and they were looking for something fun to play so they decided to play badminton but couldn’t find enough resources. Then they found perforated balls and paddles that are used for table tennis. They found the old badminton court with a net almost 60 inches in height and started playing. They enjoyed hitting the balls with paddles over the net and decided to lower the net’s height to 36 inches to make it a faster paced game. The main objective of the sport’s invention was that the whole family could join and enjoy the space. The sport evolved from there to what we know today.

Why the Name “Pickleball”

There is debate about the name Pickleball. The first theory of the name was that Joel Pritchard had a dog named “Pickle” who participated in the game. Whenever the ball went out of the court in the bushes, Pickle would fetch the ball for his owner. Then they decided to name this sport Pickle. Some people believe that the dog was part of the family after they had already started playing pickleball. The second theory is that Pritchard’s wife started calling the game Pickleball because of the combination of the different sports reminded her of the pickle boat crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats. I personally like the dog theory the best, but it is up for debate.

Pickleball Today

Pickleball has evolved as a popular sport to play and an up-and-coming professional sport to watch. There are several pickleball leagues: Major League Pickleball (MLP), Professional Pickleball Association (PPA), Association of Professional Pickleball (APP) and The National Pickleball League (NPL). Within the leagues you will see a lot of players crossing over to play on multiple stages. The MLP is a team league with professional teams in many cities around the US. Athletes, influencers, and celebrity owners have helped the MLP expand to a younger, global audience. The PPA league is where you find all the top professional players focusing on open pro play where the APP has an open pro division and a senior pro division.. The NPL is a league focusing on senior pros and emulates the MLP team competition format for seniors.

The MLP has 24 team ownership groups and seems to be growing the number of teams each year. Some celebrity names that have invested in the teams are Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Larry Fitzgerald, Lebron James, Jason Tatum, Draymond Green, Darius Garland, Naomi Osaka, Heidi Klum, Michael Phelps, Dierks Bentley and many more. The 24 MLP Teams: Atlanta Bouncers, ATX Pickleballers, AZ Drive, Bay Area Breakers, BLQK Bears, Brooklyn Aces, Chicago Slice, Columbus Pickleball Club, D.C. Pickleball Team, Dallas Pickleball Club, Florida Smash, Frisco Pandas, Las Vegas Night Owls, Los Angeles Mad Drops, Miami Pickleball

Club, Milwaukee Mashers, New Jersey 5S, New York Hustlers, Orlando Squeeze, Seattle Tyson McGuffin Pioneers, Social Hard Eights, St. Louis Shock, Texas Ranchers, and Utah Black Diamonds. Pickleball is growing and people are investing so it is becoming a legit professional sport that people will be talking about more and more over the next few years. The PPA has broadcasting partnerships with FOX, CBS, Tennis Channel, ABC, ESPN, Prime Video, You Tube and FanDuel.

Pickleball is for Everyone

Go buy or borrow a paddle and try Pickleball! Everyone is welcome! Contact your local pickleball clubs, ambassadors, YMCA’s, sports clubs, or just find a court in your neighborhood. They have beginner groups, recreation leagues, open play courts, lessons, competitive leagues, tournaments, basically groups for all ages, including kids! It’s fun, social, and a good way to meet new friends you may never have had the opportunity to meet if you didn’t play pickleball. It’s also a good way to compete if you are a former athlete missing the fun of competition in sports as you age. So, get out and try it, turn on a PPA tournament to watch or even better check out a tournament in person in your city! The PPA tour will be in Denver, Colorado coming up July 12-16 th (Oh Snap! Denver Open Presented by Vizzy), so check it out, there is a reason it is the fastest growing sport in America!