Pickleball: The Health Benefits of a Sport That’s Boomed in the Pandemic

While Americans have long loved football, basketball and baseball, a sport that’s only a half-century old has captured the hearts of boomers and millennials alike and skyrocketed in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ease and simplicity of the sport are, in part, why U.S. pickleball participation among those 6 years and older steadily rose by an annual average of 11.5% from 2016 to 2021, growing from close to 3 million players to nearly 5 million over that span, according to data provided by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The sport gained additional momentum as COVID-19 lockdowns encouraged recreational opportunities closer to home, with participation surging by nearly 40% between 2019 and 2021.

In January of last year, The Economist dubbed pickleball “the fastest-growing sport in America,” with Vanity Fair reporting in October that Leonardo DiCaprio, Larry David, Melinda Gates, Jamie Foxx, Giuliana Rancic, and Amal and George Clooney all engage in the sport. The same article references Los Angeles-based pickleball pro Matt Manasse’s reputation as the “pickleball coach to the stars,” but Manasse insists the sport is appealing far beyond the glitz and glamor of Hollywood.