BONUS: Picking Up Pickleball: Take A Whack At It

Hi, I’m Rick Barron, your host, and welcome to That’s Life, I Swear

On a lazy summer day in 1965, Bainbridge Island, located in Washington state, was about to become the birthplace of a new pastime. It all started with two dads, and a teen-age kid who was bored out of his mind. Both dads did a lot of thinking and then improvised on an idea to deal with the kid’s boredom. They took a plastic ball, some wood, and a badminton court, and walla, "Pickleball" was born.

Bainbridge Island. Courtesy of: Conde Nast Traveler

Let’s jump into this 

Have you ever found yourself with an open weekend, planning how to spend it with friends doing something that all can enjoy? You could play a game of football, but quickly remember the bruises you got in the last game. Perhaps baseball, but you have to gather lots of equipment and then hope you can find an open field to play. 

And then the porch light turns on. What’s all this fuss you’ve been hearing about this game called Pickleball? Forget football and baseball, let’s give this new sport a try.

As I looked into this unique sport, I was surprised that it’s been around for around for 57 years.  It’s also, as of late, becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S. and the world.

So, who was behind the creation of this oddly named game. 

Inventors of Pickleball were Bill Bell and Joel Pritchard. After playing a round of golf, Joel, a congressman from Washington, and Bill, a successful businessman, returned to Pritchard’s home on Bainbridge Island, not far from Seattle, Washington.

Upon arriving home Joel Pritchard found his son, Frank Pritchard, 13, looking bored. He told his dad that there was very little if anything, to do that was fun, on the island. Joel replied telling his son when he was a kid you made up games. Frank replied, with his teen-age bravado, "Oh, really? Then why don't you go make up a game?".

Joel was not one to run away from a challenge. No sooner than his son threw down the gauntlet, he and Bill, went to work.

It turns out that in the backyard of Joel's’ house was a badminton court where Prichard’s parents had paved a 44 x 20-foot regulation court. He looked at the court and the wheels in his mind started turning.

Pickleball original court. Courtesy of: ESPN

Ok, they had the playing field; now what? An old plastic perforated ball and a pair of ping-pong paddles were on the grass. Good thing they weren’t baseball bats. With the badminton net already up, Joel and Bill, grabbed their paddles, and started hitting the plastic ball back and forth, improvising as they went. 

As they played this new unnamed game, they discovered that the paddles didn’t feel right. Enter Barney McCallum. Barney was your neighborhood handy man. After learning what Bill and Joel were up to, he was in on lending a helping hand. He grafted new paddles that were more fitting for the new game. It was later that Barney would have a role in further developing the game’s equipment and rules.

Pickleball paddle crafted by Barney McCallum. Courtesy of: Pickleball History

So, the game needed a name. Why Pickleball? 

When you hear the name “Pickleball” is does cause the face to go into a puzzled look. There are two versions of how the name came about. The first version is according to Joan Pritchard, Joel’s wife.

She called the game pickleball because the combination of different sports, such as tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, reminded her of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of the other boats. 

The second version stem from Barney McCallum. He says pickleball was named after Pritchard’s dog Pickles, who would chase the ball and run with it. Some believe Pickles was named after the game was created. It turns out the dog didn’t join the family until a couple of years after the game was created.

Pickles the dog. Courtesy of: Bainbridge Island Historical Museum

You can decide for yourselves which version rings right with you.

Fast forward 57 years and where are we today with Pickleball? Let’s start with why the sport has become so popular.

The sport and equipment are really very simplistic, and perhaps that’s part of the appeal.

Pickleball is a hybrid of badminton, ping pong and tennis. The ball has circular holes in it, while the paddle, about the size of a table tennis paddle, is rectangular.

It was the fastest-growing sport in the country from 2019 to 2021 with an adoption rate of 39%, according to an industry group that tracks sport participation.

Ironically, there is a flipside to this popularity. Some people hate the noise the game produces.

With almost 5 million people now playing — almost double the number from just five years ago, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association — some of the sport's devotees are capitalizing on pickleball's spike in popularity.

Part of the excitement about Pickleball stems from the fact that it’s so easy to learn. Unlike golf or tennis, one doesn’t need months of training and long hours at the court or golf course. For Pickleball, all you need is good hand coordination, in fairly good physical condition, and brother you’re there. Think of this sport as a social sport, much like bowling. 

Young Frank Pritchard playing Pickleball with his dad. Courtesy of: YouTube

I have neighbors who have taken up the sport, who were at first somewhat hesitant if they were wasting their time on a sport with a silly name. When they tried it and kept playing more games, it didn’t take long for them to say they now addicted to it.

One of my neighbors, whose taken up the sport in her retirement, told me she is so good with her swing that she’s known on the court as the ‘Queen of Deception’.

Apparently, she has a wicked serve, not to mention a great Poker face.

Stu Upson, the CEO of USA Pickleball shared that in part, the COVID Pandemic helped speed up the growth of the sport. I’ve shared a link on an interview on SportsTravel Podcast, where Stu shares his thoughts on the popularity of Pickleball and where he sees it headed.

What’s the direction of Pickleball? The sport is going from amateur to pro. 

Pickleball is proving to be very appealing to a wide range of corporate sponsors as the sport seeks new sources of revenue. USA Pickleball has two dozen brand partners, including gear makers, and the online health care market.

Of course, social media has helped spread the popularity of the sport. For example, a Facebook group for players in Chicago has 4,400 members, while one in Seattle has more than 3,000 members.

"The ability for a sport to find an audience quickly via social media is unprecedented," said Ben Shields, who lectures at MIT's Sloan School of Management and studies the sports industry.

Shields said, and I quote: "I think if pickleball, in its own humble way, can continue to grow its participation and find ways to make the sport a compelling fan product, who knows, 10, 20 years, it could be a very viable competitor in the global sports industry." End quote.

There’s talk now about getting the sport into the Olympics. For this to succeed, pickleball needs competitive players in at least 75 countries. So far, the International Federation of Pickleball has at least 70 member nations and most of them joined in the past three years.

Organizers are aiming for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, as a demonstration sport.

Now you’re probably asking yourself what’s the cost of equipment? Drum roll here, not too much, actually. Unlike other sports like baseball, golf, hockey, all you need to play the game is a paddle, a ball, and a court with a net. Check out my website, that you can find on Apple or Google podcasts, and you’ll find a link in my script, calling out Pickleball equipment needed to play the sport.

Some of my friends are so taken with the sport, not having a net doesn’t stop them. Like Bill Bell and Joel Pritchard, they improvised. No location to play? My friend and his wife used an elementary school parking lot, and brought their portable net and chalk to mark the lines.

Trust me, age is no limit either. My friends who I mentioned just now, say the wife’s mother is out there whacking the ball over the net, and she’s 82!

So, 57 years ago, Pickleball was born.

So where are the three creators of Pickleball today? Sadly, all three are gone. Barney McCallum passed away on November 19, 2019. He was 93. Bill Bell passed away at the age of 83 along with Joel Pritchard who passed away at 72. 

Each of these three individuals had a part in creating a sport that has grown into high popularity over the years.

Barney McCallum. Courtesy of: Wall Street Journal

Barney was the driver of equipment development. He figured out how to cut paddles, what wood to use, where to buy everything. He experimented with all kinds of materials for paddles. He played a pivotal role in creating the rules and contributed to the double bounce and 
 non-volley zone rules.

Joel Pritchard. Courtesy of: USA Pickleball 

Bill and Joel were just coming home one day to find that Joel’s son was bored out of his mind. To address his son’s problem, Joel and Bill soon went to work with improvising a solution. After trying out various plastic balls, playing with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball, Pickleball was born. 

Bill Bell. Courtesy of: Pickleball Hall of Fame

For sure, coming up with a game to help Joel’s son from being bored, was not on their mind that day.

The legacy of the three founders remains. People from around the world make pilgrimages to the house on Bainbridge Island, to see where Pickleball was born. At the house lays a plague in their honor to what is known as ‘court number one’. 

Plague in memory of where Pickleball was born. Courtesy of USA Pickleball

What can we learn from this story? What’s the take away

There are those moments in life where one has an epiphany. A moment you didn’t see coming and where life placed you in the right place at the right time. 

What’s the lesson learned here to take away?

The next time your kid says they’re bored and don’t know what to do, check your backyard for inspiration and perhaps you’ll come up with a game not yet known. 

Oh, and may I say a high five to Frank Pritchard, for being so bored that summer afternoon. In part, thanks to him, we now have Pickleball.

Well, there you go. That's life, I swear.

For further information regarding the material covered in this episode, I invite you to visit my website, that you can find on either Apple Podcasts/iTunes or Google Podcasts, for show notes calling out key pieces of content mentioned and the episode transcript.

As always, I thank you for listening. 

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