The game, a combination of badminton, tennis and ping pong, gained popularity during the early days of the pandemic. Pickleball not only offers many benefits for coordination and heart health, but for many, the fun and competitive activity is also a way to socialize.
A recent report by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association found that pickleball, the “fastest-growing sport in America,” has attracted 4.8 million players across the country (an increase of 40% from 2020). The game, a combination of badminton, tennis and ping pong , gained popularity during the early days of the pandemic. Pickleball not only offers many benefits for coordination and heart health, but for many, the fun and competitive activity is also a way to build a professional network.
The structure of a pickleball game naturally leaves room for socialization. For the uninitiated, pickleball is played on a badminton-sized court, approximately 20 feet by 44 feet, and the rules are simple.
Just like in tennis, a volley begins when the ball is served diagonally across the court, and your two-person team can only score points when serving. Pickleball is complicated by the fact that there is a seven-foot no-volley zone called “the kitchen” to prevent players from hitting. The server continues to serve, alternating service cuts, until a foul is committed. The first team to score eleven points and earn at least two points wins, says David Dutrieuille, Life Time’s National Pickleball Director.
Recreation centers, schools, parks, YMCAs, and private clubs now host pickleball, and because only four players are on the court at a time, many people have plenty of time on the sidelines to connect and talk business.
David Hampshere, CEO of Purple Egg Real Estate located in the Florida Panhandle and Lower Alabama, plays pickleball every morning, as well as some weekends and nights. Whenever I get the chance, I bring up my real estate business and say I’m always looking for properties, he tells Fortune. I’m casual about it, never pushy, so that helps. I’ve been introduced to quite a few people interested in selling, including one I buy.
Brandon Mackie, co-founder of Pickleheads a website that helps locate pickleball courts near you, echoes how natural it feels to make business connections while playing. “Naturally you meet new players you’re paired with, and the time between games has been great for socializing and networking. I’ve met players from all walks of life, including many successful people who have helped me professionally, Mackie says. Recently, he adds, an on-court marketing professional helped him think through his distribution strategy for Pickleheads.
Some local clubs and organizations are making business connections between players even more seamless. For example, NOW CFO, a consulting firm with locations across the United States, has plans for a networking pickleball party in Westminster, Colorado, in early November. We will have an amazing time playing pickleball and meeting and networking with some of the best people and companies in Colorado for the best networking of your life! the invitation says. A similar event is planned for Boston later this year.
While pickleball is sometimes thought of as a game for older people, the data tells a different story. Currently, six out of 10 pickleball players are men, and they are around 38 years old on average. What used to be considered a sport for ‘seniors’ has transcended to become a sport for all: the average age to play has dropped and we see everyone from grandparents to grandchildren playing. In other words: there are chances to connect with people at your professional level, regardless of their age.
It’s also worth noting that choosing to network over a few games of pickleball has more health benefits than, say, meeting people at a business meeting. Sport enhances cardiovascular health, improves stability, balance and agility. And of course, like most exercises, pickleball can help improve depressive symptoms and help players cope with stress. According to Detreuille, the social and networking benefits of sport are really just icing on the cake. Pickleball focuses on both exercise and social engagement with those you play with and against. Establishing those strong social connections improves the quality of our lives and can extend our life expectancy, says Dutrieuille.
Power Pickleball: You are not imagining it. Pickleball, a combination of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, is all the rage. NBA star Kevin Durant is the latest celebrity to buy a professional pickleball team. But the real sign that America’s fastest-growing sport is here to stay: Comedian Stephen Colbert has teamed up with Funny or Die to host a celebrity tournament airing on CBS on November 17. The goal is to raise funds for Comic Relief US’ efforts to support homeless and displaced children and youth. Carrie Byalick, Colbert’s longtime publicist and now president of Colbert’s Spartina Enterprises, tells me that actress Emma Watson (aka Hermione) is the one to beat.
NBA star Kevin Durant has purchased an expansion team in Major League Pickleball, the league announced Thursday, joining the rapidly expanding team with a star-studded ownership cast that includes multiple billionaires and some of the best-known athletes in the game. world.
Durant’s 35V firm, a joint venture with his former agent Rich Kleiman, now controls one of the league’s 16 teams and launched a video of the lanky 6-foot-10 Durant playing pickleball on the 20-foot-wide court.
Incredibly, three of the four highest paid american athletes they now own Major League Baseball Pickleball, as NBA star LeBron James, a billionaire, and legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady were announced as owners of other expansion teams earlier this month.
Other league owners include billionaire Marc Lasry, former tennis player Kim Clijsters, businessman and influencer Gary Vaynerchuk, podcaster and academic Brene Brown.
Long popular with retirees, pickleball has gained popularity among all ages in recent years, becoming America’s fastest-growing sport and now reaching elite athletes. The rules of the sport are similar to tennis, but it is played with solid paddles and a plastic ball on a court about one-third the size of tennis courts.
Pickleball is the longtime favorite sport from billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who called it a “sophisticated” sport “despite its silly terms and funny name” in a July blog post, predicting it could one day be an Olympic sport.
I never thought I’d get into pickleball until Rich convinced me to go on the court one day and play a few games and say, ‘Now I get it,’ Durant said Thursday.
- With information from Forbes US and Fortune
