There are many reasons why Pickleball has rocketed in popularity. People everywhere are talking about and playing the sport.
It was a pre-pandemic world. There was no such thing as a Zoom Party. Elbow bumps were considered strange. And Pickleball was just a funny-sounding word. Enter COVID.
At a time when people were desperate for socially-distant human interaction, much-needed physical activity, and an escape from the scariness of the world, they turned to an off-the-radar sport that complied with the CDC guidelines for social distancing and was accessible. Today, Pickleball is everywhere. From being the main conversation at the neighboring table in restaurants, the buzz at work, and the cause for light-hearted trash-talk at family gatherings. And let us not forget that sound–a consistent “pock!” permeating parks and neighborhoods across the country.
It’s official: we can not escape Pickleball.
There are many reasons why everyone–including Leonardo Dicaprio, Matthew Perry, Jaime Foxx, and most of Hollywood–is fascinated with the sport.
Matthew Perry quoted in the New York Times: I don’t move around as well as I used to, but I saw my friend Amanda Peet talking about Pickleball on a talk show, and I was like, ‘I have to try this.’
Pickleball is fun, fast-paced, competitive, requires great calculation, and encourages teamwork. Think tennis, ping-pong, and badminton paired with the collaboration of football, the strategy of chess, and the thrill of skiing. It’s also a great social activity to play with family and friends; it’s easy to learn; and locations are relatively accessible compared to other sports (particularly racquet sports).
Thanks to those factors, Pickleball has become the fastest-growing sport in America. The 2023 Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s Topline Participation Report states that Pickleball has grown by 158.6% over the past three years, with 8.9 million players recorded nationwide, which is almost double the number stated in the 2022 report.
Photo by Ben Goldstein
The pickleball sensation has now rallied excitement beyond the sports world, permeating various industries across the board, from travel, hospitality, corporate philanthropy, entertainment, sports equipment, and apparel. According to an October 2022 report, the pickleball apparel market share is expected to increase by 680.29 million from 2021 to 2026.
One brand hoping to capture a good share of that growth is Play-PKL, founded by Heidi Block after she was disappointed in the lack of stylish and functional sports apparel. She saw the opportunity to leverage her career-long marketing and brand-building expertise to fill the gap and launched Play-PKL last fall. The brand is about spreading her passion for Pickleball and making it easy for others to start. In addition to great, digestible content, Play-PKL also offers chic pickleball tote bags, ripstop nylon hats with their signature logo, colorful, branded paddles, and balls and has just launched their first collection of custom, US-made men’s and women’s pickleball apparel.
The men’s shirts are designed for comfort with a modern athletic fit, and the women’s tanks are made from an ultra-breathable, lightweight micro athletic mesh. The shorts and skorts are lightweight, with a buttery soft hand feel, and feature pockets on the outside, set a little further back to comfortably hold a pickleball while keeping it out of the way during play.
Photo by Ben Goldstein
The full Play-PKL collection, accessories, and equipment are available on their website at Play-PKL.com.
Heidi was not alone in seeing the business opportunity created by the rapid growth of Pickleball; many others are hopping on the train, not just in terms of getting on the court.
Without question, Pickleball has evolved from being just a sport with a silly name into a massive phenomenon, presenting an extraordinary business opportunity with entrepreneurs battling for the win.
