Laura Vossberg Gainor joined Jake Hirshman on “Life in the Front Office” Podcast to about marketing the sport with USA Pickleball, the opportunities for brands with the game and the growth she’s witnessed over the last 2.5 years while being a consultant for USA Pickleball.
If you’re seeking a game that’ll get you moving and is easy to pick up, you should head to (or create) a pickleball court, as reported by Zara Hanawalt for Shape Magazine in their featured article: “Why Pickleball Should Be Your Next Hobby.”
To learn more about the sport and it’s health benefits, Shape Magazine interviewed Laura Gainor of USA Pickleball and the only mother-daughter pro duo, Leigh and Anna Leigh Waters, who appreciate the multi-generational appeal of the game.
“It’s probably the only sport where you can have a teenager, an 80-year-old, a novice player, and an advanced player on the same court, and you can still play a game and have fun,” says Leigh. “There’s something special about a sport that allows anyone to go play. I think that’s [driving] the huge growth and success of the sport.”
Given that pickleball is a social activity and an approachable form of exercise, the sport’s recent spike in popularity is no mystery. “You can play for one or two hours and get some great exercise, but not really feel like you’re exercising,” says Gainor.
To read the full article, visit Shape.com.
Ciara and Russell Wilson talk to Jimmy Kimmel about how they get competitive on the pickleball court with their late night games! Two more celebrities that enjoy America’s fastest growing sport.
Watch the full Jimmy Kimmel Live segment below with the pickleball talk starting around the 3:20 mark:
Photo by Steve Taylor
Des Moines’ Cityview Magazine has featured pickleball as their most recent cover story stating, “the sport of pickleball has caught fire in Des Moines and across the nation.”
With Callie Jo Smith featured on the cover and a pro player interview with the #1 ranked player in the world, Ben Johns, writer Darren Tromblay introduces the sport and provides details on how it originated.
Visit dmcityview.com to view the full magazine and read the pickleball feature story!
As pickleball is the fastest growing sport for two years in a row, having more than 4.8 million players nationwide, the demand for courts and playtime continues to increase.
Many pickleball enthusiasts and investors are working to help solve that problem by purchasing real estate that would provide indoor court space, including unused space at shopping malls to increase shopping traffici to these entertainment areas.
We spoke to CNN about this topic as reported by Parija Kavilanz. Read the full article on CNN.com.
There are multiple pickleball entertainment complexes in the works and we are excited to continue to watch this sport skyrocket and players to get more court time.
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Malls are an ideal setting for the game, said Laura Gainor of USA Pickleball, the national governing body of hte sport. “It is a Pickleball player’s dream, because it’s a big indoor space and you can play the sport year-round,” she said.
A Pickleball court is one-fourth the size of a tennis court. “You can fit six or even 12 courts in an empty department store space,” she said. “And these courts can be permanent or temporary. It only takes a couple of minutes to set up a court and to dismantle it.”
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Follow @PickleballintheSun as we continue to spotlight many of these venues as they are announced! See you on the courts.
Todd Plummer reports for The New York Times how companies are looking to cash in as the sport continues to gain popularity.
“While pickleball has largely been enjoyed in the privacy of retirement communities, country clubs and the homes of the Hollywood elite in recent years, the sport is transitioning to the mainstream with the emergence of its own media ecosystem.”
Read the full story on NYTimes.com.
