America's Fastest Growing Sport: Pickleball

What is pickleball? It's all about paddles, a plastic ball, and a 34 inch net. You smack the plastic ball back and forth until someone blinks or breaks the rules. It's played both indoors or outdoors. Basically, it's tennis's awesome sidekick!

Let’s get into the stats and numbers of this sidekick that’s currently leaving it’s master in second place:

• In 2022, there were an estimated 36.5 million pickleball players in America, according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals.

• Pickleball participation has experienced an average growth rate of 158.6% over the past 3 years, making it the fastest-growing sport in America.

• Players aged 18-34 constitute the largest demographic of pickleball players, accounting for 28.8% of the player base nationwide.

• There are currently 10,320 pickleball courts across the United States.

• The pickleball paddle market was valued at $152.8 million in 2021 and is projected to grow at a 7.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2028.

• The 2023 APP Pickleball Participation report, conducted by YouGov, revealed that 14% of Americans played pickleball at least once in the past year, with over 8.5 million individuals playing the sport eight times or more.

• Outside of Sarasota, Florida, real estate developers have invested $180 million into a 15-court facility called The Pickleball Club. They expect to have 600 members.

Star athletes like LeBron James, Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, and Patrick Mahomes have invested in professional pickleball teams, turning it into a high-profile sport investment opportunity in the low seven-figure range. Additionally, familiar sponsors like Holland America, Anheuser-Busch, Skechers, and Carvana are entering the pickleball scene.

Hence, the tale reigns once again of the sidekick outshining the master.

If you wanna learn more here’s a short 5 min video.