Pickleball's 2023 Rollercoaster: Growth, Grit, and the Game Ahead

2023 was a pivotal one for pickleball, marking a period of both growth and challenges. Despite retaining its status as America's fastest-growing sport, with 8.9 million players in 2022, pickleball encountered turbulence at the professional level. The sport grappled with debates over competition formats and lingering skepticism about spectator interest in professional games. The uncertainty surrounding the merger of the Pickleball Professional Association (PPA) and Major League Pickleball (MLP), alongside the contentious issue of player compensation, underscored the complexities of the sport's rapid expansion.

The unresolved merger between PPA and MLP, spearheaded by prominent investors, has been a significant storyline, with delays and leadership changes adding to the uncertainty. Meanwhile, debates about player pay have intensified, with proposed pay cuts and disagreements about financial sustainability dominating discussions. These developments reflect the growing pains of a sport transitioning from a grassroots phenomenon to a professional spectacle, with top players like Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters at the forefront of these changes.

Broadcasting deals with major networks like ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, and others underscored the sport's rising profile, though viewer interest remains a question. At the grassroots level, pickleball continued to thrive, with an increasing number of venues and the introduction of quieter equipment to address noise complaints. The emergence of padel, a similar racket sport, also highlights the dynamic landscape of racquet sports, posing potential competition to pickleball's ascendancy.