Amidst all the tournament action, celebrity appearances, and Guinness World Record attempts, one of the most significant events being held at the U.S. Pickleball Nationals this week was the Pickle Business Forum.
It was indicative of just how far this sport has come that organizers believed a business conference should be an integral part of the event.
“No Discernible Ceiling”
Attendees sat through five different panels: The Business of Pickleball, Pickleball Rules And Equipment, The Pickleball Media Landscape, The World Of Pickleball Sponsorships, and Pickleball Marketing And Social Media.
As Rick Maese of The Washington Post surmised, “They will discuss all the ways to further grow a sport that appears to have no discernible ceiling.”
He also discusses how the sport is still finding it hard to keep up with its skyrocketing participation numbers. However, small businesses and large corporations are coming to terms with the growth, while municipalities and private clubs are starting to realize they need to build (or convert) more courts to meet demand.
A Significant Milestone
This week’s championships mark a significant milestone for the sport, offering valuable insights into its growing popularity and potential. Anticipated attendance includes over 4,000 amateur players, 200 professionals, and a crowd of 50,000 spectators. Equally noteworthy, more than two dozen sponsors have pledged their support.
In the midst of new court constructions and a surge in product manufacturing, broadcasters have secured rights to televise professional tournaments. At the same time, major brands have stepped up to sponsor both athletes and professional tours.
PPA And Major League Pickleball
Tom Dundon, owner of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA), remarked, “What’s happening is everyone’s trying to figure out what their role is going to be.”
The PPA, a key contributor to the Pickle Business Forum event, recently amalgamated with Major League Pickleball, a team-based entity. This consolidation has led to competition for players, sponsors, and fan engagement with the Association of Pickleball Professionals, a second tour comprising elite competitors.
Dundon emphasized the importance of catering to existing demand, stating, “It doesn’t seem fun to try to sell something people don’t want.” He added, “What was fun about this is people already liked it. Now you just had to expose it to them in a cleaner way.”
Courts Are Sprouting Up
According to USA Pickleball officials, approximately 45,000 courts are registered across 11,000 facilities. They anticipate an influx of over $250 million for court construction, and the sport’s national governing body envisions the registration of 1,000 new pickleball facilities annually.
Courts are sprouting up in city parks, gyms, country clubs, and even repurposed spaces like abandoned department stores, shopping malls, and theaters.
Sporting goods and apparel companies are racing to meet demand, with over 40 paddle brands, at least 10 ball manufacturers, and over a dozen net suppliers in the market. Specialized pickleball gear, including apparel, accessories, training aids, and even a sports drink called Dink, are now easily available.
“Still Early Days” For The Sport
Adam Franklin, president of Franklin Sports, a sporting goods company with a 77-year legacy, predicted, “You’re going to see pickleball everywhere next year.” He added, “I still think we’re really in the early days of how this is going to look in the U.S. landscape.”
Data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association indicates an over 80 percent growth in pickleball players since 2021 and a staggering 150 percent increase since 2019. A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll from August revealed that 15 percent of Americans have engaged in pickleball in the past two years.
Of particular note is the sport’s popularity among younger demographics. A quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds have participated in the past two years, compared to just 8 percent of those 65 and older and 10 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds.
This demographic shift presents a promising outlook for sustained growth, especially appealing to advertisers and brands targeting a younger consumer base.
The Washington Post-Maryland Poll
The Washington Post-Maryland poll, conducted in partnership with the University of Maryland’s Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and its Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, took place online from August 17 to 23, 2023.
It involved a random national sample of 1,584 adults drawn from SSRS‘s Opinion Panel – a continuously updated survey panel assembled through a random selection of U.S. households. The results carry an overall margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
