Pickleball is the sport that’s sweeping America with Tom Brady, LeBron James and Patrick Mahomes buying in as the Kardashians, Clooneys and Leonardo DiCaprio all take to the court… so, what is all the fuss about?
- Pickleball’s popularity has exploded, turning out to be more than just a craze
- LeBron James and Tom Brady invested with sport a big hit within celebrity circles
- Click here for all your latest international Sports news from DailyMail.com
If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. A phrase that’s bandied about when stress intensifies. Some flourish under the pressure, others crumble.
In America’s A-list sport of pickleball an area called the kitchen is pivotal. The Kardashians, Clooneys and Leonardo DiCaprio have all taken to exchanging shots within it – a zone on court where volleys are forbidden.
They are all pickleball enthusiasts. The burgeoning racket sport has swept across the United States – and the acceleration doesn’t look like burning out.
Pickleball merges elements of tennis, badminton and ping pong. Played on a smaller court than tennis, with players serving and returning a ball with holes in using slightly bigger and heavier bats than table tennis.
Tom Brady, LeBron James and recently-crowned Super Bowl champ Patrick Mahomes are just a few of the star names who have all invested in the ever-growing game.
NFL legend Tom Brady (left) and NBA star LeBron James (right) have both invested in pickleball
The racket sport continues to surge and grow in popularity across the United States
Tennis stars Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka are co-owners of Miami Pickleball Club
The football season is over for another year, the relentless NBA circus keeps on spinning as baseball players get back into the swing of things. All while pickleball’s popularity picks up.
Basketball superstar James, known for his sports portfolio, was one of the first notable figures to spend some bucks on a professional pickleball team. NBA stars Kevin Love and Draymond Green joined his venture.
Weeks later, now retired NFL legend Brady announced he was part of an ownership group of a Major League Pickleball (MLP) expansion club alongside tennis star Kim Clijsters.
Just days after and NBA sensation Kevin Durant was the next to reveal his investment in owning an MLP expansion team. Major League Pickleball is home to the premier division of the sport, involving 24 teams – launched only this year.
The interest within celebrity circles doesn’t stop there. Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx wanted to be a part of it all and created his own paddle to sell, capitalizing on the demand.
Reality royalty the Kardashians, George and Amal Clooney, DiCaprio, Stephen Colbert, and Bill Gates are admirers, too.
Microsoft’s billionaire founder was actually ahead of the trend. The 67-year-old posted a video of himself explaining the rules on social media with the caption: ’50 years ago, I started playing this little-known sport with a funny name. Now it’s all the rage.’
Australia’s polarizing tennis star Nick Kyrgios is also a fan, sticking up for James and Durant in a spat after former Australian doubles champion Rennae Stubbs blasted athletes investing in the sport.
Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx got in on the action by creating and selling his own paddle
Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka have given their backing by becoming co-owners of Miami Pickleball Club.
Tennis professionals Jon Neeter and Julio Rivera splashed out more than $250,000 in a new pickleball facility in Los Angeles, California, in recent weeks.
Britney Spears, Matt Damon, Owen Wilson, Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, Dustin Hoffman and Blake Griffin formed the star-studded guest list.
‘A lot of people have a fear of missing out,’ Neeter told Dailymail.com when asked why he thinks there’s so much interest in pickleball.
The LA Santa Monica Pickleball Center sold around 1,300 tennis rackets over 10 years but has already sold 700 pickleball paddles since November.
As Gates mentioned, the sport is not a new phenomenon.
Devised by three dads on vacation on Bainbridge Island in Washington state as they sought some entertainment for their families. They combined a net, initially at the height of a badminton net, table tennis paddles and a perforated ball to make a game back in 1965.
But it became a craze, and not just a fad, during the COVID-19 pandemic with the sport ‘exploding’, according to USA Pickleball’s Melissa Zhang.
George and Amal Clooney are among the celebrities who have developed interest in the sport
The accessibility makes it appealing with little to no cost while all ages can pick up a paddle and give it a go.
‘It’s a sport for everyone,’ Zhang told Dailymail.com. ‘Grandparents can play with grandchildren and the social aspect really draws a lot of people in.’
Neeter revealed firehouse stations in southern California have set up pickleball courts for workers to be able to play during their down time, pointing out ‘you could put a temporary net up in your driveway’.
The Santa Monica Pickleball Center owner also believes the skill level required has led to the sport gaining traction.
‘You can get to a level of confidence quicker and that gives people an instant sense of accomplishment,’ he added.
The physical demands are also much less as Neeter explains former NFL players ‘whose bodies are beat up’ have resorted to the sport to keep active.
‘A sense of inclusivity just accelerates the growth and demand.’
Obsession with the sport is real with more than 36.5 million Americans taking it up in 2022.
Zhang believes the game’s ‘quirky’ name and nature have also helped. The kitchen certainly has more intrigue than non-volley area.
It’s a seven-foot zone either side of the net where players cannot volley the ball in a bid to prevent balls being smashed right back at the net.
The boundary line of the kitchen is a dominant position to be in, particularly in the doubles format of the game, with players at the front of the court.
Players can enter the kitchen but must let the ball bounce before returning a shot from it.
The temptation of hitting a ball mid-air is there, similar to the urge of wanting to enter a kitchen full of delicious food.
There is some resistance to the rise of pickleball with conflict over using tennis courts and kids’ playgrounds to play it but with the volume of money being pumped into it and high-profile stars publicizing it, it’s gathering momentum.
There’s a chance it could appear at the Olympics one day. A sweet taste for those rallying behind it.
Source: Read Full Article
