How pickleball got here

Move like partners, not strangers.

February 27, 2025

We set out on a lofty mission recently: To tell the story of how pickleball got to where it is today.

How did we end up with tens of millions of players across the country & year-over-year growth rates that continually exceed expectations?

What had to happen for the pro game to become a bona fide spectator sport, with ticket sales registering in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single event?

It’s an important story that we felt needed to be told for the purposes of documenting history. In order to tell it, we spoke to several influential personalities — including Timothy Nelson, AKA “The Puppet Master” — who have been around the pickleball community for decades.

They saw first-hand as the sport spread from America’s retirement hotspots to the rest of the country & eventually the world.

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in, because this is not your ordinary story.

Also in this issue:

  • Pickleball is the most dopamine-inducing sport 🤯 

  • Move like you’re tied to your partner 🪢

  • Pickleball on the sea (literally) 🌊 

  • First look at the new Engage Pro1 releases 👀

  • PPA Tour Mesa Cup delivers epic matches 🏆

  • MLP tryouts at The Kitchen HQ ☄️

Let’s cook. 🧑‍🍳

FEATURED STORY

How we got here: The modern history of pickleball

How did pickleball go from a niche retirement pastime to a sport played by tens of millions of Americans, with pro matches airing on national TV and a booming billion dollar industry?

The past 25 years can be broken into three key eras:

🧱 2000-2010: The Foundation – Pickleball took root in retirement communities in Arizona & Florida thanks to snowbirds bringing the game with them from the Pacific Northwest. The invention of portable nets and grassroots clubs helped spread the sport from there, leading to the first Nationals in 2009.

📈 2010-2020: The Growth Phase – This decade saw the real expansion. Local advocates pushed for courts and more tournaments emerged. The number of courts in the U.S. jumped from 1,500 in 2008 to more than 12,000 by 2015. Without this infrastructure, the sport wouldn’t have been prepared for the COVID-19 boom.

💥 2020-2025: The Explosion – The pandemic fueled an unprecedented surge in participation that few sports ever experience. Meanwhile, pro pickleball entered a chaotic, big-money era, with leagues competing for dominance, seven-figure player contracts and major investments shaping the sport’s future.

Today, pickleball is mainstream in every sense of the word, rivaling traditional sports in popularity. With global expansion, collegiate programs and even Olympic aspirations on the horizon, the question now isn’t how did we get here? It’s: where do we go next?

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Pure dopamine

If you want to know why millions of people around the world are completely addicted to pickleball, this is it. There isn’t another sport where you get these firefights that provided an instant dopamine hit.

Btw … if I lost a point like this to the net, I’d punch the ground, too.

POLL

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INSTRUCTION

Move like partners, not strangers

Ever feel like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be on the pickleball court…but still getting burned by your opponents?

In doubles, positioning is everything. But the secret isn’t just “get to the kitchen.” It’s how you get there — and more importantly, how you move with your partner:

🔥 Think like you’re tied together – Imagine a rope connecting you and your partner. If one moves, the other moves. This keeps you from getting stretched out and leaving open spaces.

🔥 Step forward with caution – Don’t sprint to the kitchen blindly. Instead, move in sync with your partner’s shot. If they hit a strong drop, you both advance. If it’s weak, stay back to defend.

🔥 Back up smart – If an opponent attacks, resist the urge to backpedal in a panic. Instead, shuffle or hop-step backward, staying balanced and ready to reset the point.

These small adjustments will instantly make you a tougher team to beat. But there’s more to mastering doubles movement.

There’s been a lot of conversation lately in our Facebook group about the various paddle shapes and which one is best. The answer almost always depends on the type of player.

For players who aren't coming from a tennis background, the widebody or hybrid shapes offer the benefit of faster hand speed and more control. Most former tennis players, however, prefer an elongated shape because it's closer to the feel of a tennis racquet, and they're able to generate more power on groundstrokes.

In an effort to make sure every type of player can find something that suits their game, Engage Pickleball released two new shapes of their popular Pro1 paddle this week. The new widebody and hybrid shapes have a similar feel to the original Pro1 elongated, but each shape offers different strengths. We break it all down in our in-depth review of the new paddles.

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

The easiest paddle upgrade you’ll ever make

Tired of constantly bending down to pick up pickleballs?

Pickle Putty turns your paddle into a hands-free ball pick-up device in moments. Simply apply a strip of Pickle Putty to the edge of your paddle, and you're ready to Bend Less and Play More.

Whether you're drilling, playing rec games, or competing, Pickle Putty keeps the game moving and your energy focused where it belongs.

One strip lasts an entire day of play. Grab a pack of 6 for six days of seamless gameplay. Save more with bundles or subscriptions, plus enjoy free shipping on orders over $30 and 10% off your first purchase.

THE PROS

PPA Tour Mesa Cup delivers record attendance, thrilling matches

The Arizona crowds were electric last weekend at the PPA Tour Mesa Cup, packing championship court every day Thursday through Sunday.

Nearly 19,000 fans packed the Arizona Athletic Grounds during the six-day event, and revenue from ticket sales soared past $300,000, making it the most financially successful PPA Tour event ever outside of the World Championships. Tickets were completely sold out the last four days of the tournament, from general admission to courtside VIPs.

And those fans were treated to some of the best pro pickleball matches we’ve ever seen.

Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters were upset in the semifinals by Anna Bright and Dekel Bar in a tight three-game match. And all three doubles matches on Championship Sunday went to a deciding fifth game, delivering exciting comebacks and close calls for the favorites.

The excitement will shift off the court this weekend, with the Major League Pickleball free-agency drafts for the Premier Level and Challenger Level scheduled for noon on Sunday and Monday.

League rules mandated that each team drop at least one player from their 2024 season-ending roster, and those decisions were submitted to MLP last week. Some teams only dropped one player, while others chose to drop their entire roster and start from scratch.

With Premier Level rosters expanding to six players, there will be a lot of new-look teams when the dust settles Sunday night.

We’ve ranked the top available men and women ahead of the draft and broken down what each team will be looking for with their picks.

THE KITCHEN HQ

We held MLP tryouts at our HQ …

… and you’d better believe we got some great clips out of it. This one was especially heinous.

If you hadn’t heard, we’ve relocated and started managing the Challenger Team formerly known as the Frisco Pandas. Now, they’re the Nashville Chefs, and we can’t wait for them to make their debut this season.

And this week we’re hanging out on Necker Island with some of the biggest names in pickleball. We just landed, so look for tons of island pickleball content in the coming days. 🌴

SET SAIL

Pickleball on the Adriatic

Our jaws dropped at this vacation itinerary: how about a 12-day pickleball adventure along Croatia’s breathtaking coastline with pickleball open play & instruction literally on the water? 🌊 

These cruises may be your speed:

📅 May 16-27, 2025 – Featuring pro Leroy Weighall & influencer Danae Zeigle

📅 October 16-28, 2025 – Led by instructor Brett Noel

What’s Included?

  • Play pickleball on a floating court surrounded by stunning scenery

  • Explore Dubrovnik, Split, Mostar and hidden island gems

  • Sail aboard the luxurious M/V Aretha

  • Visit UNESCO sites, Roman ruins and the mesmerizing Blue Cave

QUICK HITS

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