Everything you need to know (and more!) about pickleball
The sport of pickleball, which was invented in France, has exploded in popularity over the last decade.
Pickleball’s popularity has grown around the world, but most of the picks from the sport’s earliest days have been collected and put on display in museums across the U.S., including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the Missouri Historical Society, and the Minnesota Historical Society.
This site contains an in-depth look at the history of pickleball, information about the sport and its rules, and video highlights from the sport’s top players.
History of Pickleball
Pickleball has existed in the U.S. since 1969, and the first Pickleball World Series was held in Denver, Colorado, in 1976.
It wasn’t until 1985 that pickleball was officially incorporated in the U.S., and since then more than 15,000 matches have been played. It is a sport that has been popular in Australia, Canada, and Europe.
In the U.S., pickleball has enjoyed explosive growth in popularity. According to a 2014 survey conducted by the University of Utah, pickleball ranked 2nd in popularity, behind golf, and 11th in the overall sports ranking, behind golf, ice water polo, soccer, and volleyball. That same survey concluded that pickleball had become a “sport in the making,” in what the authors felt was due to the availability of inexpensive recreational equipment, low cost of entry for new players as well as for people who are interested but have only played recreationally.
The earliest pickleball machines were created in the 1970s and were powered by a gasoline engine. Later, pickleball machines were powered by electricity, and many sport shops that focus on pickleball now are powered by batteries or solar panels. In addition, since the 1980s, many sport shops have begun incorporating their own games and equipment into their operation.
Players are called “players” and the sport is played between three or more pickleball teams on a court and is conducted with the help of a set of rules called the Pickleball Rules of
