Lifestyle & Culture Sports

Pickleball, pickleball and more pickleball

By Christian Sourbrine

On a recent Saturday afternoon, more than five dozen people lined up at Riverside Park in Morningside Heights,waiting for their chance to square off in a game of pickleball.

As the players, who ranged in age from 14 through their mid-70s, waited for up to 30 minutes for an open court, they spent the downtime laughing and chatting like old friends at a high school reunion.

“Just look around, there’s nothing like it,” said Riverside regular Gabriel Falcon.

Among those in the line was Phyllis Platin, a former tennis player who started playing pickleball two years ago–and instantly got hooked. “It changed my life,” said the Manhattan special education teacher. 

An unexpected bonus of playing pickleball is that she’s made new friends. “It’s very social, it’s very kind, and it keeps you in the athletic game.”

While pickleball was invented in 1965, many people across New York and the world have discovered it in the last couple of years. The Sports and Fitness Industry Association’s annual Topline Participation Report counted 13.6 million American pickleball players in 2023. Over the last years, an estimated 36.5 million people played pickleball at least once every year. 

“The pickleball takeover began in 2022,” according to the report,  when participation grew by 86% year-over-year, but the fad carried over into 2023, with a 52% jump over the prior 12 months.”

Pickleball is a cross between badminton, ping-pong, and tennis, played on a modified tennis court. What sets pickleball apart is that it is played with a paddle ball racket and a .78-ounce wiffle ball. Players say pickleball is attractive because it’s easier on the body than tennis and other similar sports. 

“I’ve played tennis for many years, got a shoulder injury, and I decided to take up pickleball,” said Stern, another former tennis player. “I think there’s a community spirit to it that I don’t know any other sport has.”