Why Pickleball is taking over the World đ
And here's what you have to know...
Youâre not alone.Â
In fact, nearly 5 million people have felt the exact same joyful feeling youâve felt.Â
And it goes a little something like thisâŚ
You heard about the game, then heard about it again. Or a friend said âcome play pickleball,â and you said, âpicklewhat?âÂ
Either way, you found yourself on a court â something that never entered your consciousness just a few weeks prior.
But then, it happenedâŚ
You had fun and didnât completely suck. And after playing, you walked to the car, got in the driver seat, and thought, âmaybe I could actually be good at this.â
Something youâd never say after playing most other sports for the first time.
A few days laterâŚ
âŚyou found yourself back at the courts. Maybe with someone you knew or maybe, you felt bold enough to go alone. In fact, you canât quite recall how you even got there.Â
As if some kind of addiction gnawed away at you until you got your fix.Â
Two weeks later, you were with a friend and the only thing you could talk about is this pickleball thing.Â
They were annoyed, but you didnât care⌠so you continued on.
And suddenly, your friend used one of two words to describe your newfound love for this game.Â
1. Addicted orÂ2. ObsessedÂ
You brushed it off.Â
Maybe even said, âSo what if I am?â Then you got back to talking about how Linda (age 77) really gave you the business last time you were on the courts.Â
Itâs a beautiful thing â pickleball.Â
And it feels like itâs completely taking over the world.Â
Well, I got news for you. It is.Â
And thereâs three reasons whyâŚ
1. ChildLike Discovery2. Share-ability and
3. Community
Letâs start withâŚ
CHILD LIKE DISCOVERY
What is it about this game that brings back the kid in us?
James Clear said it bestâŚ
Children are joyful and treat each day as a miracle â in part because they are continually surprised. Each day, they hear a new word or listen to a new song or learn about a new animal. Itâs their first time visiting that restaurant or jumping in that pool or riding that rollercoaster.Â
The world is continually unfolding before them.
And as we get older, we lose that.Â
We treat each day as, just another day. We hear each word as, just another word. That childlike wonder and a sense of newness feels hard to find.Â
But then..
Out of nowhere, you get into pickleball. And itâs like youâre a kid again, discovering something new.
It gave you that, ânew thingâ feeling. That, ânew feelingâ excitement. That, ânew excitementâ rush.Â
The ball was high and you smashed it. The serve was yours and you crushed it. The game was close and you won it.Â
And those feelings are why itâs no accident pickleball is on the rise. Itâs those feelings that make you go back to the courts day after day, week after week, and for some of you â year after year.Â
And when you have those feelings, like kids experiencing something new â you share it with others!Â
SHAREABILITYÂ
See, in life â we love to share with those around us.Â
When something excites us, you share.Â
When something makes us laugh, you share.Â
When something brings us unimaginable joy, you share.
At its core, I also believe you share because you want to make others livesâ better.Â
And when a person plays pickleball and catches what some call, âthe picklebugâŚâ
âŚthey canât help but tell everyone they know about âthis new game they just started playing.â
And hereâs the thing, they donât just mention it in passing. They literally wonât shut up about it because theyâre having so much fun going to the courts after work or on the weekends.
Been there? I know I have.
Now multiple this 1000x with pickleball, and suddenlyâŚÂ
You have a sport bringing new people to the game daily and ultimatelyâŚ
âŚtaking the world by storm.
Which inevitably, creates more of the one thing we all need in our lives.
CommunityÂ
This may be the one game where people from all walks of life get competitive with people theyâd never otherwise interact with.Â
Tom Brady and Lebron James donât typically compete against each other.
But they can in pickleball.Â
77 year old women donât typically compete against 23 year old men.
But they can in pickleball.Â
Billionaires donât donât typically compete against high school kids.
But they can in pickleball.
See, your demographic doesnât matter. This game promotes community.Â
In fact, even the size of the court promotes community.Â
44 ft x 20 ft.Â
Youâre so physically close to everyone youâre playing with and against, you canât help but meet new people, form new friendships, and talk a little trash.
Itâs a beautiful thing to watch. And shoot, Iâll go a step furtherâŚ
Itâs a beautiful thing to be a part of.
And Iâll close with thisâŚ
Yes, this game is blowing up like nothing weâve ever seen.Â
Courts are being built. Friendships are being made. Tournaments are being played. Sponsorship deals are being inked. Businesses are being built.Â
But maybe the most important thing of allâŚ
Weâre doing this together. Weâre having fun together. Weâre laughing together. Weâre competing together. Weâre learning together.
Weâre living together!
Itâs as if weâre all riding this wave of being a small part of something bigger than us.Â
Because the truth is, while no one truly owns pickleball â we all feel this sense of ownership over the game, together.
WE love to defend it from the (tennis) haters. WE promote it on our social medias. WE smile when our friends send us âpickleball newsâ as if we didnât already know.
**chuckles.**
Itâs a beautiful game that brings out the kid in all of us. A game thatâs, going to be around for a long long time.
So hereâs my challenge for you!
Letâs all continue to be a light that brings joy to others by inviting them into this game.
KyleÂ
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