Case in point: Baxter's in-laws shoved their couch to the side to erect a makeshift, mini-pickleball court inside their New York City apartment during the pandemic.Īfter seeing how much the sport was catching on, both in her own family and across the country, Baxter started working on Nettie in February 2021 - by November, she was ready for a soft launch of her colorful, '60s-inspired paddles, which can be bought in a $150 set with two balls and two sweatbands straight out of "The Royal Tenenbaums." She sold out about two weeks after launch, she told Insider. According to SFIA data, the average age of people playing pickleball continues to drop: it was 41 in 2020, and 38.1 in 2021.īut while pickleball may be becoming a luxurious amenity, it remains a pretty democratic and affordable pastime, according to Catherine Baxter, the founder and CEO of Cincinnati-based pickleball company Nettie.īaxter told Insider that what drew her to pickleball is the fact that you don't have to spend a ton of money to get started, and you can play pretty much anytime, anywhere. All told, there were 4.8 million pickleball players in the US as of 2021, the bulk of them between the ages of 18 and 34. Those who want their own gear have typically turned to major sports-equipment brands like Franklin and Head, or companies that serve the pro space, like Selkirk.īut over the past five years, pickleball has had a double-digit growth rate annually, according to data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, a trade group that represents the sporting goods industry. Pickleball was invented in 1965 by a group of dads outside Seattle, and in the decades since, has become a pastime akin to badminton or bocce ball: easy to learn and low-impact. Like ping pong, the game is played with hard paddles and a hollow ball, although the ball is perforated, much like a Wiffle ball. Like tennis, pickleball can be played as a singles or doubles game on a court with a net, albeit with a much smaller footprint than a tennis court. It often indicates a user profile.ĭisco Country Club's pickleball paddles have a retro vibe.įor those who haven't yet been bitten by the pickleball bug, it's best described as a cross between tennis and ping pong.
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