JIMMY GOLEN ` sportswriter
1 hour ago
FILE – The Baltimore Orioles play the Boston Red Sox in the eighth inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader May 28, 2022 in Boston. On Tuesday, July 11, 2023, pickleball courts were laid out at Fenway Park in preparation for a weekend where fans of the sport will have the opportunity to watch the pros play or even try it out for themselves in the outfield at the Red Sox’s historic home. (` Photo/Michael Dwyer, file)
BOSTON (`) — The pickleball trend is sweeping the big leagues.
Courts for the tennis/badminton/ping-pong hybrid were laid out at Fenway Park on Tuesday in preparation for a weekend when fans of the sport will have the opportunity to watch the pros play or even try it out for themselves in the outfield at the historic home of the Reds sox
“Not only is it pickleball, which is the fastest growing sport in the United States, but it’s also pickleball within Fenway,” Ben Weinberger, president of Pickle4 America, said in an interview while standing where the Red Sox’s right fielder would normally be plays. “We will welcome hundreds of amateur athletes over the next four days. Giving them the opportunity to step onto the field as we are now is very special to us.”
The Pickle4 Ballpark Series, running Wednesday through Sunday, includes an exhibition featuring senior players from the Professional Pickleball Association Tour; Spectator tickets start at $10. But amateurs of all skill levels can reserve time on one of a dozen courts for $200 per person and also get a racquet in return.
Weinberger said pre-registration for the original four-day slots filled up so quickly that a fifth was added; that was sold out too. When they’re done in Boston, they’ll do the same at the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park.
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“We tried to make it so that anyone can come if they want to play,” Weinberger said, adding that there will be a free children’s clinic with the pros. “We really want to bring this incredible iconic opportunity and all the experiences that come with it to the Pickleball ecosystem.”
Fenway, the oldest ballpark in the major leagues, has been the Red Sox’s primary tenant since the week the Titanic sank in 1912. But he has long been loaned out to other sports, including the NFL and college football, boxing, soccer and hockey.
Since the current owners took over the team in 2002, Fenway has expanded its portfolio to include ski jumping and ice skating, top golf and an obstacle course race, Irish hurling and Shakespeare in the Park, films and a total of more than 100 concerts.
This winter alone, more than 120,000 people flocked to the park for off-season events — even as the Red Sox missed the off-season — and thousands more took part in the tours that make Fenway one of New England’s top tourist attractions.
“We’re always looking to expand our creative spirit and find new things to do for Fenway,” said Mark Lev, President of Fenway Sports Management. “Baseball is at the core of everything we do. But to the extent that we can use it for other events, it’s a great thing.”
Pickleball is played in singles or doubles on a court that looks like a shrunken tennis court. Playing with the hard racquets and brightly colored, perforated plastic balls is fast but requires less running than tennis.
The sport was originally invented in 1965 by a few vacationers to Washington state, including a former US Congressman who — depending on which origin story you believe — either couldn’t find a badminton shuttlecock or just wanted to entertain his bored kids. The rebound came during the pandemic, when cooped-up quarantine residents were able to get outside with minimal gear, and some big names appeared on television shows to spotlight the sport.
Though courts are often laid out on repurposed tennis courts, which can cause conflict with tennis players or neighbors who may be disturbed by the loud crack of the plastic ball, Fenway courts rest on plywood and a layer of plastic designed to protect the ballpark grass.
Lev said the organization’s priority remains the baseball team, which returns on July 21 from the All-Star hiatus and a six-game road trip.
“Our most valuable player is Dave Mellor, our groundsman,” Lev said. “We wouldn’t be doing this unless Dave was confident that the ballpark could be restored to a playable condition.”
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