For some, it came out of nowhere. America’s fastest-growing sport popped up overnight and reclaimed dilapidated tennis courts at some point. When?

Well, that’s the topic of today’s blog post!

While it may seem like America’s newest racquet sport is a sudden addition to sporting vernacular, it actually has a long history. What began as a fun family diversion slowly grew for decades before exploding in popularity during the pandemic. Now, everyone seems to be talking about something called “pickleball,” and it’s time to see where it started!

The Origins of Pickleball

Let’s rewind the clock. We’re going back to 1965, the year pickleball was invented!

And let’s set the scene.

Two men are enjoying their summer home in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Their names are Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell. Both are hard-working white-collar men — your typical suburban men. However, they have a bit of a problem: Their children are bored! (And, as people with children know, a bored child may just be one of the worst scenarios imaginable.)

Moreover, they have limited resources. Neither the badminton court nor the ping-pong table satisfied the little ones. So, thinking on their feet, the two men devise a plan. They task their children with developing a new sport — something fun, easy to learn, and playable with what they have. Thus, armed with some table tennis paddles and an empty badminton court, pickleball is born!

Few modifications were made to the rules. However, the duo enlisted some craftsman help soon after the sport’s inception. Bill Bell and Barney McCallum paired up to make the world’s first purpose-built pickleball paddles, which were closely modeled after ping-pong paddles.

The Spread of Pickleball

Soon after its invention on an old badminton court, pickleball began spreading. Its growth was — initially — slow and steady. From its hometown in Bainbridge Island, Washington, the sport wormed its way into silver-haired snowbird communities. As those senior citizens fled to the South for the winter, they brought the sport with them.

At first, its spread was isolated to certain areas. For decades, the Midwest and South were the most pickleball-heavy regions.

Nonetheless, Joel Pritchard persevered. He founded Pickle Ball, Inc. in 1968. Working alongside David McCallum—the son of Barney McCallum—Pritchard manufactured ready-to-go pickleball kits. These sets helped the sport spread rapidly in warmer regions. (Pickle Ball, Inc. still exists, although it has been acquired by PickleballCentral.)

The sport’s first mass media exposure came in 1975 when The National Observer published a piece about the fledgling hobby. Shortly afterward, Tennis Magazine published a 1976 think piece about pickleball’s steady growth.

By 1976, with Bill Bell occupied by his position as a Senator, Pritchard spearheaded the world’s first pickleball tournament. The event was hosted in Tukwila, Washington, at the South Center Athletic Club. Unlike modern tournaments, most of its participants were newcomers. These collegiate athletes knew little about the freshly minted sport of pickleball, but they were interested enough to try it!

The Growth of Organized Pickleball

Of course, organizing tournaments is a largely formal matter. After leaving Bell and Pritchard’s old badminton court, pickleball needed a governing body. It needed something akin to football’s NFL and hockey’s NHL. The world had invented pickleball, but it still needed a way to govern its players.

The solution was obvious.

The United States Amateur Pickleball Association (USAPA) was founded in 1984. Its first Executive Director was Sid Williams, who served for over a decade.

During this period, innovative minds also began pioneering new pickleball equipment. Arlen Paranto created the world’s first composite pickleball paddle with Nomex, a honeycomb-shaped aerospace material.

By 1990, people were playing pickleball in every American state!

Fueled by this massive growth, the USAPA rebranded itself. In 2005, the USAPA was relaunched as the United States of America Pickleball Association, although the abbreviation was retained. Soon afterward, in 2010, growth-oriented members of the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) created a new group, the International Pickleball Federation (IPF). (Notably, after some internal squabbles, the IPF was mostly dissolved. It was later revived as the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) in 2023.)

Another governing body would also rise from internal organizational strive. The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) was founded in 2018, the same year as its first tournament. Today, the PPA is primarily known for organizing tournaments under the PPA Tour banner.

This all ultimately culminates in a massive boom for pickleball in 2022. Fueled by a need for socially distant sports during a global pandemic, people turned to pickleball courts. New players embraced the social element and promoted the sport’s gentle nature.

Why Is Pickleball America’s Fastest-Growing Sport?

That still leaves some readers with one final question: How has America’s newest racquet sport become its fastest-growing hobby?

In the nearly half a century since Bell and Pritchard invented pickleball, it’s experienced tremendous growth. Pickleball clubs are experiencing unprecedented growth, and municipalities worldwide are scrambling to construct new pickleball courts.

More recently, pickleball joined the esteemed roster of televised sporting events. CBS broadcasts the PPA Tour, and highlights from the USAPA National Tournament are available online. These televised events have rallied even more players to the official pickleball court, but there are other reasons behind its growth.

Truthfully, we can spend weeks discussing the merits of pickleball. However, for the sake of brevity, we’ve narrowed our options. Instead, we’re presenting the three most important reasons for pickleball’s unexpected popularity.

1. Pickleball Is Accessible

Unlike tennis, pickleball requires a relatively small court. It’s an easily manageable playing field for solo players, but the more common doubles format makes things easier. The iconic perforated plastic ball helps, too; players don’t need a golden shoulder to nail a perfect dink!

That accessibility fueled much of pickleball’s early growth. The earliest adoptees were older snowbirds, who lent the sport its early stylings as an “old folks’ game.” They adored its ability to get everyone — even the most inactive — moving and exercising. That appeal remains today, evident from the ongoing inclusion of pickleball in the Arizona Senior Olympics.

However, as the average age of pickleball players drops, this formerly elderly pastime is getting more attention from younger athletes. Now, you’ll find former athletic stars from all fields — including tennis, soccer, and wrestling — enjoying some laid-back dinking.

2. Pickleball Is Affordable

Bob O’Brian, a friend of Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell, opened his backyard to the world’s first permanent pickleball court in 1967. Since then, thousands of pickleball courts have sprung up worldwide, giving potential players on-the-go access to this beloved sport.

Much of that appeal is thanks to pickleball’s relatively low cost. Municipal leaders adore pickleball. It costs only a few thousand dollars to establish a functional, durable, permanent pickleball court. Comparatively, it costs over ten thousand dollars to construct a public pàdel court. (Although, interestingly, pàdel maintains an inexorable hold over Spanish-speaking locales.)

Pickleball equipment is similarly cost-effective. You can easily play pickleball with a repurposed badminton net and a Wiffle® ball. For sanctioned play, the official rulebook is similarly forgiving. There are few hard limits on paddles and outfits. You can even use your old tennis shoes to conquer your local pickleball courts.

3. Pickleball Is Social

Finally, pickleball is an inherently social game. The history of pickleball is largely civil, and its players are well-known for their friendliness. In fact, some perplexing complaints leveled against the sport revolve around its players’ fanatic inclusivity. Those civil guidelines are further reinforced in the USA Pickleball and PPA rulebooks, which explicitly ban ill-intentioned heckling and prodding.

Today, you’ll find a welcoming pickleball court in all 50 states. You can also find inclusive pickleball communities on every continent (except the Arctics, of course) and in countries such as:

• China
• Ghana
• India
• Mexico
• Rwanda
• The United Kingdom

Join and Learn More About Pickleball

We’ve come a long way since Bainbridge Island!

It may be just a funny story to us now, but the history of pickleball remains a fascinating look at the world of yesterday. It also gives us a glimpse of our roots. Pickleball started as a fun, social diversion for two loving families. Its modern iteration may include plenty of competitive play, but it remains a deeply welcoming playing field.

If you’ve been considering learning more about pickleball, now is your chance! Browse the rest of the Pickle Goddesses blog to learn more about America’s fastest-growing sport. We have tips to help you play pickleball and news stories to keep you updated!