Is pickleball the new pastime for Americans? While the popularity war between tennis and pickleball is still going on, the rising racket ball sport has taken not only the sporting fans but everyone by the flow. However, after gaining popularity in the past few years, it saw a breathtaking rise last year, leaving everyone surprised and shocked at the same time.

Although tennis is still going strong, the rise of pickleball might upset a lot of tennis fans. Let’s take a look at how sports grabbed a lot of attention last year owing to an unexpected rise among the people.

Pickleball’s surprising rise in 2023 

The whole last year, there was a lot of discussion going on regarding how the sport and craze of it have increased with more courts going for the same and, at the same level, entering the professional sports circuit. However, this year, Sportico shared a list of the most popular sports that have been played in 2023, and guess what? Pickleball has seen an amazing rise as Americans have indulged themselves in the new sport.

According to the annual participation report from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, pickleball is ranked first among those who have seen a larger increase in participation from 2022 to 2023. In addition, last year, there were around 13.6 million Americans who tried pickleball and showed interest in this sport.

The new racket sport has put pickleball in the same league as baseball, and soccer is one of the most popular pastimes among Americans. The sport started becoming popular in 2022, then participation saw a rise of 86% year by year, but last year it was a 52% jump in the 12-month duration.

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Not only that but those who have invested in pickleball equipment and courts were also seen taking part in the sport frequently, reflecting on their passion with a 111% increase. However, while the rapid growth is quite evident, it has also faced a drawback just a few months ago as top dogs made an inevitable move.

When bad news struck Pickleball 

After seeing exponential growth, many brands came forward to support the pickleball league, where tennis players such as Andre Agassi and John McEnroe displayed their skills. But before the league, bad news of the same has crowded over the happiness.

The Major League Pickleball has asked all the players employed under it to take a pay cut of 40%. Further, an email was sent out to all the players regarding how the workload will also be reduced in accordance with the pay card in such a way that the players were required to play for 200 days but now only play for 120 days.

What are your thoughts on the rise of pickleball? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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