Why Pickleball Is the Fastest Growing Sport in America and Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
Pickleball has quietly become the most social game in America, and the numbers are no longer quiet about it. For the fifth consecutive year, it ranks as the fastest-growing sport in the United States, drawing nearly 20 million players from retirees to Gen Z teammates who barely knew the sport existed five years ago.
Once dismissed as a retirement-community pastime, pickleball has become a cultural and commercial force. Nike has signed a teenage prodigy, private equity is circling the pro tour and players are eyeing a path to the 2032 Olympics.
How pickleball works and why anyone can play
Pickleball blends tennis, badminton and table tennis into a game that takes minutes to learn and years to master. Players use a short, lightweight paddle to hit a perforated plastic ball over a low net on a court roughly the size of a badminton court.
The forgiving design is a big reason for its growth. Existing tennis courts can be converted into multiple pickleball courts at low cost, which has made the sport easy to spin up at parks, gyms and community centers across the country.
Ernie Medina Jr., an assistant professor of public health at Loma Linda University and a pickleball coach, told The New York Times in 2022 that the gear itself flattens the learning curve. “In tennis, the balls are all over the place. In pickleball, you’re hitting a plastic wiffle-like ball, so it’s less bouncy and doesn’t fly as fast through the air. And the paddle is much easier to handle because it’s shorter and lighter than a tennis racket.”
Why pickleball exploded in popularity
The sport has grown more than 300% over the past four years, according to the 2026 Sports & Fitness Industry Association Topline Participation Report. An APP study in 2023 found more than 48 million American adults had played at least once in the previous 12 months.
Part of the appeal is social. Mixed-ability doubles is the default, which means a beginner can share a court with a seasoned player without ruining the game for either. Few sports knit together different generations as easily.
“Pickleball is for everyone. It’s easy to start, but incredibly hard to master. That combination is powerful,” Jorge Barragan, co-founder and CEO of The Picklr, told Forbes.
What pickleball does for your health
The workout is more serious than it looks. A study published in ScienceDirect found that doubles pickleball players had 14% higher heart rates and burned 36% more calories than walking at a self-selected pace for 30 minutes. Other research published in Springer suggests the sport may be safer than tennis for people with heart issues.
Heather Milton, a clinical exercise physiologist at NYU Langone Health’s Sports Performance Center, told The New York Times that pickleball trains the body in ways everyday cardio does not. “Because the paddle’s so small, pickleball is great for hand-eye coordination as well as neuromuscular coordination. You’re moving in different planes, not just forward like you do when you’re walking or cycling, which is good for your agility. And because there’s rotation involved, you’re working your core along with your upper and lower extremities.”
Where pickleball goes from here
Professional pickleball is anchored by the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball, which uses a team-based draft format. Ben Johns leads the men’s game and Anna Leigh Waters has become its breakout women’s star. When Nike signed Waters, the sport crossed a commercial threshold it had been chasing for years.
“When Nike signed Anna Leigh Waters, that was a huge moment. It legitimized pickleball as a real sport. Not just a hobby,” Barragan told Forbes.
Major events are now drawing hundreds of thousands of TV viewers, with coverage pushing into prime-time windows. Celebrity investors and crossover athletes including Drew Brees have piled in, and the World Cup of Pickleball grew from 32 participating countries to 78 in a single year. Barragan has even floated the prospect of pickleball appearing at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
“There’s real capital coming into the sport now. Private equity has been sitting on the sidelines, waiting to see who emerges. I think 2026 is going to be a very interesting year for M&A in pickleball,” Barragan told Forbes.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
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