So far, 2024 has been a great year for sports. We have seen outstanding ratings for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals and Czechia won the World Championship in hockey. We have seen the Boston Celtics back as NBA Champions. Tennis youngsters Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner each won a Grand Slam and now have their eyes set on the Wimbledon trophy. The Superbowl saw the Kansas City Chiefs solidify themselves as a great dynasty. The world of baseball has people excited about a potential clash of two of the greats of their generation, Aaron Judge and Shohei Othani, in a Dodgers versus Yankees World Series. We were also able to honor the late great Willie Mays at Rickwood Field. American fans have been able to closely follow the soccer genius of Leo Messi on their home soil and Inter Miami at the top of the MLS standings. On a slightly lesser note in the States at least, Euro 2024 and Copa America soccer tournaments are also underway. There has been so much excitement this year and yet still so much more to come. The Olympics are just around the corner and the thrill for the games is starting to build. Many sports fans around the globe, avid or casual, as well non-sports fans love to tune in every 2-4 years for the summer and winter olympics. Whether it is for patriotic reasons or fandom of athletic performance, people care about watching the Olympics, supporting their countries and being entertained by the display of many different wonderful types of sports. The classic examples of running, javelin or even boxing were showcased as far back as the earliest days of the founding of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece in 776 BC. There have been many great sports added since.

The Case of Pickleball

That very first Olympic Games featured nine sports, and with only men competing. This year, “in Paris, 329 gold medals will be awarded in 32 sports, and to a much more diverse pool of athletes.” Sports that are new or returning are: breaking, skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing. The sports that are not returning from 2020 are: karate, baseball and softball. The bottom line is that any sport has to satisfy the specific criteria of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) if it wishes to be included. There is one sport that is surging and has captured the hearts of the US. It is one that virtually everyone either plays or has an opinion on, Pickleball. “There are an estimated 36.5 million pickleball players in the United States, according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) in 2023. Furthermore, over the last 3 years, pickleball participation has grown an average of 223.5%.” So not only do a lot of people play, it seems logical to conclude that more and more people will join. It is time to look closer and examine the candidacy of Pickleball to become an Olympic sport in the near future. Pickleball is indeed the latest hot trend in America and what better way to give it the global attention and visibility that it deserves than by introducing it as an optional sport for the first time at the L.A. Olympics in 2028. Let's see how likely it is. 

Pickleball’s Popularity in America

There are many reasons for Pickleball's soaring popularity across the United States. It offers people a place to be physically active and social. It offers a similar level of fun to tennis, but with a much easier learning curve. Unlike many other racquet sports, it doesn’t take a long period of time to be able to pick it up and enjoy having good rallies at the beginners level. Also, for those who want to commit to the sport on a more serious level, there are many high level tournaments and even sanctioned and sponsored events for people to test their skill sets. For those reasons there has been a steady increase of pickleball facilities and overall participants. Let’s look at the numbers.

By the Numbers

According to PickleballDinks, “as of October 2023, there were 10,724 known places to play pickleball in the US, and on average 130 new locations are created each month. As of April 2024, there are an estimated 50,000 pickleball courts across the country, a 15.6% year-over-year growth.” The leading states with the most courts are Florida, Texas and California. Although known as a senior or older person sport, “the largest percentage of pickleball players (28.8%), are actually 18-34 year olds.” This is very positive because it predicts a bright future for the sport. As far as the number of pickleball players in the United States and how that has developed over the last 7-8 years, the data shows not only a steady increase, but also an increased rate year by year. This signals that there is more growth to come in the future, and also at an accelerated rate. The graph below shows how the popularity of pickleball players has progressed from 2017 to 2023.  

According to Pickleheads, that number is currently at 36.5+ million and the rate of growth over the last 3 years is 223.5%.

The Money Perspective

From a business perspective, there is also healthy financial growth for Pickleball. For example Ben Johns, one of the game's best players on the men's side, made roughly $2.5M last year. Anna Leigh Walters, the highest ranked female player, made around $1M. “The USA Pickleball National Championships last year drew nearly 3,500 registered players and around 50,000 attendees. As far as TV ratings go, over 2.6 million TV viewers tuned in during the tournament.” So there are certainly investments being made to the sport and this will continue to attract talent in the future.

Cultural Phenomenon

Pickleball's popularity has also caught the attention of the celebrity world and their involvement in the sport has had a positive and appealing effect. Celebrities like Drake, Michael B. Jordan, LeBron James, Tom Brady have spoken out in favor of the sport and have mentioned the addictive feeling that the sport has. Even some tennis players are switching to pickleball. For example, Jack Sock and Genie Bouchard ended their tennis careers and began new ones in Pickleball. This may be a key component in favor of Pickleball. Not only is it fun to play and is a way to earn money, but it has also become trendy and culturally promoted. All in all, the rapid growth, celebrity endorsements, lucrative earnings, and increasing recognition have now made this a worthy candidate to be considered in the L.A. Olympics. Now how does Pickleball do in terms of the IOC criteria?

Pickleball and the IOC Criteria

As stated before, as of 2024, pickleball is not an Olympic sport. Despite its popularity, one of the main reasons that it has trouble making the case for itself is because of its lack of global appeal. Also, it falls short in structure. Satisfying all the requirements and criteria of the IOC and becoming a consistent Olympic sport is a very difficult process. Just ask baseball. Baseball was voted out in 2005, in part due to lack of participation from MLB players. It seems hard to believe that baseball, with its history, the MLB and the success of the WBC (World Baseball Classic) is not a core Olympic sport. Due to baseball’s popularity in Japan and the United States, it was added for the 2020 and 2028 Olympics, respectively, but remains an optional sport. The actual

criteria of the IOC were designed to ensure that the included sports have a global appeal and are well organized at the international level. In terms of global participation for example, “any Olympic sport must be widely practiced in at least 75 counties across 4 continents for men and 40 across 3 continents for women.”

Shortcomings

Although pickleball continues to promote itself around the world, it is only played in over 60 countries around the world. So despite its buzz in the United States, the sport needs to reach a higher global audience. There are many countries in Europe who seem to favor Padel over Pickleball. The burden of having to build the required pickleball facilities does not seem like a difficult one, nevertheless it still presents additional costs for the event. Other challenges for the sport include fierce competition from other more established sports that want their spot in the Olympics. Also, pickleball is often perceived as a recreational sport. However, as stated above, that is something that is changing and will continue to change.

The Verdict for 2028 L.A. Olympic Games

The inclusion of pickleball in Los Angeles seems highly unlikely. Pickleball is closing the gap fast, but the majority of the sports have already been largely determined. The sports that have been proposed instead are: flag football, baseball, softball, cricket, lacrosse and squash.

It would make sense to think that pickleball could have a higher chance of getting in since its popularity and the location of the Olympics are both in the United States. Instead, this has arguably more so helped lacrosse, baseball and softball. They are simply more established than pickleball and there are also limited sports on the Olympic list.

Optimism for the Future

In conclusion, it is a sad reality for the pickleball world out there in terms of its chances in 2028. On the other hand, there is so much promise, and a bright future of growth that the sport will definitely be hard to ignore in the upcoming years of Olympic competition. The sport will continue to grow globally and expand into many different countries and continents. Let’s look at the trends in some other countries. Based on the information from IntoPickleball, China could “have 10,000 courts and 100 million players” within five years and Canada estimates that “1.37 million Canadians played pickleball at least once a month in 2023, up from 1 million in 2022.”

Moreover, the Pickleball Australia Association said “that the number of pickleball players could grow to 1 million in the next 3 years.”

Conclusion

The many added sanctioned tournaments and American celebrities raving about their love for the sport will also help push the game forward. So the answer for LA 2028 is a disappointed NO, but the answer for the 2032 Games in Brisbane is a hopeful and optimistic MAYBE.

Works Cited

Akabas, L. (2024, February 27). Pickleball Grows 52% as Americans Increase Activity in 2023: Data Viz. Sportico.com. https://www.sportico.com/business/sports/2024/most-popular-sports-2023-pickleball-players-1234768327/

Bill. (2023, February 22). How much further can pickleball grow? Look at tennis. Building a Pickleball Business. https://picklebizadvisor.com/the-growth-trajectory-of-pickleball/

Facts, S. (2023, August 3). Pickleball Statistics. Statistics. https://www.statisticser.com/pickleball-statistics/

Golden, J. (2023, January 5). Pickleball popularity exploded last year, with more than 36 million playing the sport. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/05/pickleball-popularity-explodes-with-more-than-36-million-playing.html

Lovejoy, B. (2023, October 18). Tennis versus Pickleball: Apple study compares health benefits. 9to5Mac. https://9to5mac.com/2023/10/18/tennis-versus-pickleball-apple/

Swenson, M. (2023, August 2). What pickleball’s popularity means for tennis and other racket sports. Connect Meetings. https://www.connectsports.com/features/what-pickleballs-popularity-means-for-tennis-and-other-racket-sports

Pickleball Statistics - The Numbers Behind America’s Fastest Growing Sport in 2024. (n.d.). Pickleheads. Retrieved July 11, 2024, from https://www.pickleheads.com/blog/pickleball-statistics#interest-in-pickleball

New APP Research Reveals Nearly 50 Million Adult Americans Have Played Pickleball In The Last 12 Months; Average Age Drops To 35. (n.d.). Www.theapp.global. https://www.theapp.global/news/nearly-50-million-adult-americans-have-played-pickleball

Make interactive line, bar, pie and area charts. (n.d.). Flourish. Retrieved July 11, 2024, from https://flourish.studio/visualisations/line-bar-pie-charts/?utm_source=showcase&utm_campaign=visualisation/16938642

How Are Sports Chosen for the Olympics? (2019). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/how-are-sports-chosen-for-the-olympics

Author

This blog post was written by  Samford University student Michael Herman. Michael Herman is a Graduate Student at Samford University. He is an MBA Student with a Sports Business concentration and Assistant Coach for the Samford Men’s Tennis team.