Sports will always be one of the most important parts of culture and media in America. Hundreds of thousands of children keep themselves healthy and grow stronger connections through athletic activities, all the while adults connect by watching a game with a bowl of chips. There are different kinds of sports for different people. If one may enjoy more physically extreme games, they may like hockey or football. Others may enjoy more calm and methodical games such as golf or chess. (Yes, according to the International Olympic Committee, chess is a sport) The sports that attain the most traction, however, are the ones that can be played with ease. Games that hold an incredulous amount of simplicity so that anyone can ingrain their own playstyle from the moment they start. The game, of course, is pickleball.
If pickleball hasn’t made its way into one’s local vocabulary, then they might be living under a rock. Pickleball is an easy to play tennis-like sport that follows a more softball approach to how the game plays. Underhand plays are more common and the ball of choice–the pickleball–encourages a slower pace that can be enjoyed by larger groups of people. The game, however, is anything but slow. In fact, it currently holds the achievement of fastest growing sport in America. (trumping baseball, its previous holder) Pickleball somehow gained massive amounts of popularity out of nowhere, assisted by the fact the game is incredibly easy to pick up and play. (DOGO) The game is also incredibly cheap, two pickleball rackets and pickleball (or wiffleball if needed) and the game is ready to be played. Also, due to the game being similar to tennis, it can be played on courts not initially made for pickleball. Some may say that the game seems too simple and must be too easy to play. Other than the insanity of that take, they are completely wrong.
Anyone who’s ever used a wiffleball in sport knows that they are quite fast, playing wiffleball like one may play tennis would destroy a wiffleball. The pickleball, however, is made with a more durable plastic, designed to be hit harder. Pickleball as a game is designed to adapt to the player. The ball is naturally slow, but if played with vigor, the game becomes much more intense. One could be imagining a leisurely game or an intense event, both could be correct.
Fun Fact, the name of the aforementioned game came from that of a boat. (SportingNews) The game was created by the Pritchard’s family, who sought to play a new type of game. With an enigmatic combination of table-tennis paddles, a wiffleball, and a badminton court, pickleball was born. Pritchard’s wife decided to name it after the pickle boats–a crew that raced in boating competitions–that usually had a collection of different crew members. She states that the randomness of these boats was similar to the thrown together amalgamation that was pickleball.
Of course, pickleball is not for everyone. The game can be considered slow to much more experienced sports players. But these advocates for intensity are correct, the game’s slowness is its main reason as to why it’s so popular. Anyone can play it at any skill level. Simplicity trumps complexity.
The game is easy to play, easy to pick up, and easy to pay for. Pickleball is a great way to socialize with fellow players while also being a good cardio workout. So, if there is any game that should be attempted, pickleball is the game to play.
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