Grandma’s Pickleball: The “Old Person Sport”

Bond – Damien Luciano

Andy Vitello

Grandma’s Pickleball: The “Old Person Sport”

The fastest-growing sport in the United States isn’t hockey, baseball, or even football; it’s pickleball (“SFIA Topline Report”). I’ve played tennis since four years old, so naturally this ping-pong-tennis hybrid intrigued me. My friend and tennis teammate, Jackson Walser, competes in open-play pickleball with me at Method Park. We typically play around six o’clock on Friday evenings as an outlet after an exhausting week of school. Unsurprisingly, the courts are full of elderly people covered in knee braces, slowly inching towards the ball with an exaggerated grunt after hitting it two miles per hour. The retirement facility’s shuttle drops them off and picks them up after they… wait… that’s not true. Are there some old people on the courts? Of course. But the majority of players are over-caffeinated college students fiercely competing against each other. Jackson and I excitedly join them and play our hearts out for hours, losing track of time while drenched in sweat. It’s a social sport that brings the community together by promoting healthy competition. Why should that be limited to old people?

Many individuals associate pickleball as an “old person sport” due to its popularity among retirement communities. When I tell people that I play pickleball, their response is usually along the lines of, “Oh, pickleball? I think my 90-year-old grandma plays that.” There’s no doubt it’s a popular sport among retirees, but that doesn’t make it exclusively for them. In reality, 18- to 34-year-olds make up the majority of pickleball players in the United States (Mackie). This is mainly due to the rise of the sport in colleges; Major League Pickleball (MLP) and Dynamic Universal Pickleball Ranking (DUPR) recently launched collegiate pickleball divisions across the nation (Kuhn). For example, the University of Florida created a club pickleball team in 2022 with 200 members, and in March of 2023, over 400 players were a part of it. In Florida alone, the University of Tampa, Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Miami also created club pickleball teams (Palus). The sport is easy to learn and play because of its small court size and slow-moving ball — no wonder it’s popular! Many people predict pickleball will become a part of the NCAA due to its staggering growth and marketability. However, tennis players aren’t very accepting of this new sport. The previous animosity between skiers and snowboarders is identical to the friction between tennis players and pickleballers; skiers didn’t want snowboarders occupying their slopes, and tennis players don’t want pickleballers invading their courts. Eventually, the skiing community accepted snowboarders, resulting in snowboarding’s rapid popularity; consequently, snowboarding achieved NCAA status. I predict the same thing will happen with pickleball; once the dominating tennis community accepts it, the NCAA will be more apt to add the sport.

Pickleball isn’t exclusively on the rise at colleges — it’s also becoming more popular in high schools across the nation. Take Ravenscroft, for example; we have a racquet sports club that frequently sets up pickleball courts in the gymnasium. Participants range from freshmen to seniors, some with years of pickleball experience, and others who’ve never held a paddle before. Jackson and I regularly compete in this club, and we frequently see students happily burn off their energy, laughing with friends while swinging their orange plastic paddles around like maniacs. Kids who have never talked with each other before compete, and in some cases, become friends — it’s crazy seeing the power of this sport with such a bizarre name. Before playing pickleball, many students believed the sport involved no athleticism, “proving” why it’s for old people. However, pickleball can be played in many different ways — it’s an adaptable lifetime sport. A 14-year-old high school freshman will not play pickleball the same way as an 80-year-old; the freshman will sprint down pickleballs while the elder cannot physically do that. This is no different than the professional senior golf tour, where the tees are placed closer to the hole — it’s an adaptable lifetime sport. A growing number of high school physical education curricula (including Ravenscroft’s) emphasize the importance of lifetime sports; this means the popularity of pickleball in high schools will only grow, further proving the point that pickleball isn’t only for older individuals. 

Pickleball has two professional leagues: the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and Major League Pickleball (MLP). Both of these leagues primarily consist of professionals in the millennial generation (and some Gen-Zers). The top women’s player in the PPA Tour is 16-year-old Anna-Leigh Waters. That’s not a typo — she’s 16. The top men’s player, Ben Johns, is only 24 years old. The point? Professional pickleball players, who act as role models, are extremely young. These young professionals, like Waters and Johns, empower teenagers to play pickleball, citing its benefits for physical and mental health. If the sport is for the elderly, then why are the pros not old? As I stated previously, pickleball is an adaptive sport. Younger people dominate because of their heightened athletic ability. I’m not arguing that older individuals can’t play pickleball; I frequently see college kids compete with the elders. Pickleball is for everyone versus everyone, without regard for age.       

The fastest-growing sport in America is for all; it’s not exclusively reserved for older individuals. Although the sport gained popularity throughout retirement communities in recent years, pickleball’s rapid growth in colleges and high schools, combined with the presence of young professionals, clearly proves it transcends age boundaries. The beauty of pickleball is its adaptability, as it accommodates players of all skill levels and ages. As the sport continues to gain popularity and attract young athletes, it’s only a matter of time before pickleball becomes more widely accepted (especially by tennis players), potentially achieving NCAA status and becoming an Olympic sport. So, the next time someone sarcastically tells you that pickleball is an “old person sport,” remind them of the diverse community that’s debunking this stereotype. Invite them to visit the courts; they’ll be shocked to see a cluster of college students having a blast.   

Works Cited

Kuhn, Steve. “MLP / DUPR Announce Official Launch of Collegiate and Junior Pickleball Verticals.” DUPR Blog, 3 May 2023, https://www.blog.mydupr.com/post/mlp-dupr-announce-official-launch-of-collegiate-and-junior-pickleball-verticals. Accessed 5 October 2023.

Mackie, Brandon. “Pickleball Statistics – The Numbers Behind America’s Fastest Growing Sport in 2023.” Pickleheads, 24 February 2023, https://www.pickleheads.com/blog/pickleball-statistics. Accessed 5 October 2023.

Palus, Joseph. “Pickleball is growing on Florida’s college campuses.” WUSF, 4 March 2023, https://www.wusf.org/sports/2023-03-04/pickleball-growing-florida-college-campuses. Accessed 5 October 2023.“SFIA Topline Report Tabs Pickleball as America’s Fastest-Growing Sport for Third Consecutive Year.” USA Pickleball, 22 February 2023, https://usapickleball.org/news/sfia-topline-report-tabs-pickleball-as-americas-fastest-growing-sport/. Accessed 5 October 2023.