While they have become leaders in very different industries, Bill Gates, LeBron James, Tom Brady and Gary V all have something in common. They have all contributed to, or bet on, what is one of Pickleball’s future growth the fastest growing sport in the United States. Here’s the latest on the sport that you might be hearing about for the first time.
What is Pickleball?: Pickleball was a sport founded by three fathers in Washington in 1965. according to to the Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
“They found a net, a wiffle ball, some ping pong bats, and on an old badminton court they came up with a game that the whole family could play together,” Gates said.
The name Pickleball is hotly debated, according to Gates, with some saying it was named after a dog and others saying it refers to a pickle boat thrown together from leftover rowers in a race.
Pickleball can be played indoors or outdoors and combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis.
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Bill Gates early on Pickleball: While some people are just now hearing about the sport of pickleball, Bill Gates was one person who got into the game early.
“50 years ago I started playing this little known sport with a funny name. Now it’s all the rage,” Gates said in a blog post. “One of my favorite things to do now is America’s fastest growing sport.”
Gates said his father was friends with the inventors of the sport Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum and Bill Bell.
“I’ve been a ‘pickler,’ as people who are obsessed with the game like me are called, for more than 50 years.”
In his post, Gates called the sport a mixture of tennis, badminton and table tennis.
“If you decide to try Pickleball, I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I have.”
Pickleball Growth: Gates estimates that Pickleball has grown 40% in the past two years and has nearly five million players nationwide. A survey from the sports and fitness industry…
