Despite its critics, pickleball's disruption of the sports landscape should be celebrated

As a longtime sports journalist and keen athlete, there's nothing I love more than unpacking drama and diving deeply into social and political discussion about the sports landscape.

There is a sport that has taken off in Canada. Neighborhood parks are full of enthusiastic athletes, but the sport's popularity has become polarizing on many courts: the centre of said drama is pickleball.

There are noise complaints, annoyances to local residents and also a movement to reduce it because it is pushing children away from playgrounds. Is pickleball really threatening the suburban happiness of Canadians? Is it a sport or a leisure activity? Why are people so mad about it?

Other sports like disc golf and spikeball also claim to be on the rise but are not upsetting Canadians at the same rate. The reality is that even sports like cricket that are not traditionally played in Canada are burgeoning. Why the fuss about pickleball?

First of all there is some disagreement as to where Pickleball was invented. Leland, North Carolina claims to be the birthplace of pickleball, where in 1965 three dads are said to have created a fun summer activity for their kids. But the state of Washington would like a word. It has been reported that it was, in fact, created there by a Republican congressman named Joel Pritchard, and what pickleball experts believe to be the accurate history.

We do know that pickleball came to Canada in the 1970s from snowbirds who found it in the United States. The Canadian home of pickleball is Vancouver, where the first courts were built by 1984. According to a survey done this January, there are an estimated 1.37 million players — also known as picklers — in Canada.

Since 2022, the number of women's picklers has increased by 50 per cent. Pickleball Canada has experienced a rise in membership and I don't foresee this craze slowing down anytime soon. Famous athletes like Kevin Durant, Tom Brady, LeBron James and even celebrities like Eva Longoria and Drake have invested in Major League Pickleball. And then there was the exciting news that Canadian Tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed onto the Professional Pickleball circuit.

But what of the complaints?

The first problem with pickleball is that it is accused of being noisy. The ball is plastic and makes a popping sound when it connects with the paddle. For people whose residences are surrounded by pickleball courts, it's understandable why the incessant popping might seem frustrating.

But the dislike of the sport has gotten so intense that there are now legal actions, petitions and motions against pickleball communities to limit hours, and demands for noise mitigation. Apparently, the enthusiastic picklers have now taken over parks and the vibe has changed so children don't enjoy the monkey bars and swings like they used to. Well, that's what's being alleged. I also remember the same critiques of rollerblading when the sport became popular — people got over it.

WATCH | Pickleball is for all ages:

There is a little bit of condescension about pickleball from people who think it is not a rigorous activity and reports that pickleball only clocks in the same amount of steps as a leisurely walk. And there are the opinions that it's just a  glorified version of an activity for old people.

I read a few prickly op-eds from critics of the sport and have been thinking about why this is the case. And I also decided to try it out. As someone who has played soccer her whole life and certainly dabbled in squash, badminton and had a brief but intense fling with table tennis during the intense days of COVID-19, I felt I should give it a fair shot. Pun intended.

I went to try out pickleball at an event this week and played against Zane Navratil, a former tennis player who is now the fourth ranked men's singles pickleball player in the world.