Pickleball in US sparks a 'gold rush'

NEW YORK • Move over, tennis and golf. Networks and brands are cashing in on pickleball. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Tyson Apostol, a gregarious former contestant on multiple seasons of the hit reality TV show Survivor, made a well-timed career pivot.

He took a step back from reality TV and went all in on pickleball. "I tried it, and I fell in love with it," said the 42-year-old.

First invented in the 1960s, pickleball - a paddle sport, often described as a hybrid of tennis, table tennis and badminton - is soaring in popularity.

Across the United States, new pickleball courts are popping up all over as communities scramble to meet the surging demand.

Last year, roughly 4.2 million people played pickleball, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, up 21 per cent from the year before.

"This sport can be every bit as big or bigger than tennis. We've seen this sport grow so much faster than we anticipated," said Connor Pardoe, commissioner of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA).

This year, the PPA hosted 16 pickleball tournaments around the country, up from eight events in 2019, the first year of its tour. Its rival, the Association of Pickleball Professionals, is also staging similar tour events.

The annual prize money for PPA tournaments has grown from US$500,000 (S$681,800) in 2019 to more than US$2.5 million for next year.

All of this has touched off a kind of pickleball gold rush, as media companies, corporate sponsors, apparel brands, equipment makers and restaurateurs crowd into the growing industry hoping to cash in on the pickleball craze.

Apostol has quickly emerged as a leading pickleball influencer. He has paying partnerships with Fila, Gamma Sports and the PicklePlay app.

TV networks have taken notice and brand endorsements are coming in. Recently, Fox Sports signed a broadcast deal and fans can also now watch pickleball events on CBS Sports, the Tennis Channel and ESPN.

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