And how cities are coping with the boom.

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Pickleball, a recreational racket sport that combines tennis, ping pong and badminton, became a national obsession at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The popularity of this sport is due to the social nature of the game, the ease with which it is learned to play, and the portability of the game. With nets that can be set up on any hard surface, the game is generally more accessible than other racket sports.

But pickleball's growing popularity created a public space problem when crowds of pickleball players began erecting temporary courts on public tennis courts, basketball courts and parking lots. This, combined with the loud noises produced by stiff paddles and hollow plastic balls, has created a new struggle for space between pickleball players and just about everyone else.

As more pickleball facilities open across the country, the pressure on other public spaces has eased. Today, projects are being developed in cities and towns across the United States and Canada to take advantage of the pickleball boom and develop free spaces dedicated to this sport.

Learn the rules and find pickleball tournaments near you on USA Pickleball:
https://usapickleball.org/

Find places to play in New York:
https://www.nycpickleball.com

New York Times article, /"Why is pickleball so popular?/"
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/03/well/move/pickleball-popular-sport.html

This isn't the first time Vox has reported on pickleball. Check out this prescient 2015 article from our own Phil Edwards, /"Meet Pickleball, America's Next Great Sport./"
https://www.vox.com/2015/6/4/8715623/pickleball

Note: The title of this article has been updated.
Previous title: How pickleball took over

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