You don’t have to hear the constant crackle of pickleball courts to know the sport has become a national obsession. And there’s a good chance you’re already part of the Pickleball bandwagon: Nearly 9 million Americans now play the game, reports the Sports & Fitness Industry Association — a staggering 85.7% year-over-year increase. And global sales of pickleball equipment totaled $519 million in 2022 and is expected to exceed $1 billion by 2030, according to a research report.
But to mark National Pickleball Day – yes, that really is a thing – we decided to look at the development of the sport from a different perspective and take note of some unusual Pickleball events. The sort of developments that might suggest the sport has crossed the line of commercial hysteria — or even taken the leap in building its fan base.
What developments? Continue reading…
There is now a pickleball bobble head
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee is, of course, behind the bobbleheads. One features Kitchen, the Pickleball mascot, with a pickleball-shaped head, while the other features just a replica of a pickleball. However, if you’re looking to splurge on a Pickleball bobble head, you’ll need to factor in the price – they’re $25 to $30 each (plus shipping). The museum notes that Kitchen has limited availability, with a production run of just 2,023 bobbleheads.
There is also now a “Hamilton” style pickleball paddle
We’re not quite sure what the hit musical about a founding father of this country has to do with Pickleball. But Nettie, a pickleball gear brand, sees a connection and released the stick (priced at $99.99) adorned with a fitting phrase from the show: “I don’t throw my pick away.” We suspect that this line speaks to the connection between show and sport, though Nettie founder Catherine Baxter says it’s all about how both her design-savvy brand and the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical are “game changers.”
You can play pickleball in heaven
OK, we’re not talking about an airplane pickleball spot (although we’re betting someone will come up with one soon). But we’re talking about the supposedly “world’s tallest pickleball court,” located at Tower Club Dallas on the 48th floor of a skyscraper. This was originally a limited-time offer for the month of July, but a spokeswoman for Invited, which owns and operates the club, said it’s proved so popular it’s being offered again in September.
Pickleball charms for your feet?
We can’t make this up: people are now wearing pickleball charms on their Crocs
CROX
.
Granted, there are many other tags that can be attached to the popular shoes, but the Pickleball tags are an obvious testament to the passionate love some have for the sport. You can find shoe accessories all over Amazon
AMZN
to Etsy
ETSY
,
However, if you want to go straight to the source, there is a set of three pickleball charms available on the Crocs website for $11.24.
A way to cut out all the pickleball noise
As much as pickleballers love to get involved in the sport, they often come into conflict with their local communities because of the noise they make by constantly hitting the ball. That’s where Pickleball Sound Mitigation comes in, a company that has found ways to keep things on the quieter side (think absorbent fiberglass material, according to a report on The Hustle’s website). The company has reportedly worked with more than 100 clients. Still, the issue remains sensitive: Company founder Bob Unetich recently shared the following on the company’s Facebook group
META
: “I want to reset the purpose of it [F]Acebook group. It’s about reducing the impact of pickleball noise, not just claiming it’s annoying. It’s not a place where you think the only solution is to stop Pickleball.”
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