If you are anything like me– following every Texas athletics page on Instagram and a little too uncoordinated to juggle a soccer ball– you might have found yourself asking, “What in the world is pickleball and how did it become so popular?”
It seems like everyone I know is familiar with pickleball and has played it at least one time or another. To my surprise, I also discovered that UT recreational sports offers pickleball lessons to students and hosts an intramural pickleball tournament for both single and doubles teams.
So, what makes the game that went from 100k global searches in 2016 to nearly two million in 2023 so special?
Pickleball has been able to reach a variety of demographics, which has boosted the sport, said accounting sophomore Niel Thakker. During his visits back home in Dallas, he said he sees players of all ages at his local recreational center.
“I see kids as little as four or five years old to seniors, so I really think (there has) been a conglomerate uprise in the sport,” Thakker said. “A lot of (people) play doubles with their spouse or a friend and it builds up the fun and competitive nature.”
The skills needed to play make it easy for people who participate in similar sports to join, Thakker said. Since he started playing last year in January and joined an intramural team, he has played with previous tennis and Ping-Pong players who’ve made the transition to pickleball.
“I do think it really translates well,” Thakker said. “Some people just found [tennis] daunting, and they wanted a way to get outside without something super athletic and pickleball can definitely be that way.”
While it still requires mobility and hand-to-eye coordination, psychology sophomore Stephen Moreno said the competitiveness of pickleball did not compare to other sports he’s played, including soccer, handball and basketball, making it more accessible to start a game.
“The entry level is a little bit different,” Moreno said. “It’s not nearly as competitive as soccer or basketball where the culture is more passionate.”
After being invited by a few friends to go out and play while in San Antonio, Moreno said his crew had no trouble playing the game, showing that pickleball is a fun, beginner friendly option for those looking to join a new sport.
The technicality and physicality needed to play the game are aspects Moreno said make pickleball less challenging than others.
“It’s just simple,” Moreno said. “The ball is pretty big, and the court is smaller. You don’t have to move too far and really need to just hit it over the net. It’s just naturally not going to be as difficult as other sports.”
Despite originally disliking pickleball and its popularity, education junior Paige Clark quickly changed her mind after picking up the paddle.
“I did not like the idea of it, and I never played it,” Clark said. “Then one time I did and realized it was actually pretty easy, and I could still move around and work out. You don’t even realize you’re doing it.”
Clark said despite not being too involved in sports and doing a lot of physical activity, being exposed to the athletic scene in Austin and watching TikToks about ways to make working out fun has helped her discover pickleball as a great low intensity alternative way to stay active.
“I think people are just more inclined to be fit because they’re surrounded by people that are fit as well,” Clark said. “It’s a fun sport if you have the opportunity to try it, especially if you’re not athletic and looking to get your body moving.”
For astronomy and physics sophomore Ahany Vargas, pickleball has led her to build closer relationships with her friends.
“I didn’t want to (say), ‘Let’s go grab coffee,’ or ‘Let’s just go get lunch,’ because that’s so standard,” Vargas said. “I told them ‘Let’s go play pickleball,’ and most of my friends are guys, so they yearn for something active to do, and they immediately went ‘Yeah, why not?’
After playing throughout the summer with her friends, Vargas eventually decided to teach her little sister and help her learn the rules of the game. Although she said her sister was discouraged at first, with a little encouragement, she got better and better over time.
“Pickleball has been a way for us to really connect and be able to really foster our sisterhood,” Vargas said. “Pickleball was easy to get a good grasp on (and) we were both able to learn as we went. I’m really proud of my sister for being able to catch on so quickly and if she, an 11-year-old, can pick it up, I think anyone can.”
