I suppose pickleball euphoria was inevitable, particularly given the realities of late-stage capitalism.
As this magazine’s resident contrarian, kindly allow me to do something I’ve never, ever done in this space: namely, turn to Deadspin and an appropriately salty writer named Sean Beckwith.
Tom Brady, LeBron James, Drew Brees, and Kevin Durant are all pickleball obsessed, which is why you shouldn’t be
Stephen Colbert is hosting a celebrity pickleball tournament for charity, and a guest list headed by Will Ferrell and Sugar Ray Leonard is even more of an indication that the sport has jumped the shark.
I’m not trying to discourage exercise or charity. There are plenty of ways to add competition to your workout, just like there’s a multitude of ways to do some squats without posting about #legday, or to stand out without social media’s approval.
Reading this article felt almost as good as polishing off a plate of dolmas after our recent cooking class in Athens, when the young Americans at the table decided that stuffed grape leaves didn’t look quite right even though they had helped make them.
Come to papa, I said. Confusion is what happens when your parents raise you on industrial chicken fingers.
A deep breath. So, what is pickleball, anyway?
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- A fun sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.
- Played both indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court and a slightly modified tennis net.
- Played with a paddle and a plastic ball with holes.
- Played as doubles or singles.
- Can be enjoyed by all ages and skill levels
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What’s the back story of pickleball?
Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, Washington. Three dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum — whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities — are credited for creating game. Pickleball has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the US and Canada.
It is a great relief to learn that Abner Doubleday isn’t credited with inventing pickleball. But why is the game named after artfully rendered cucumbers?
In the summer of 1965, pickleball was founded by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Within days, Joan Pritchard had come up with the name “pickle ball”—a reference to the thrown-together leftover non- starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races. Many years later, as the...Read more
