I'll just say it... I've never watched gymnastics and thought, "Yeah... but it's not football." Never looked at someone pedaling a bike and yelled, "You should've been swimming!" And I've definitely never felt the urge to crash a cricket game shouting, "Pickleball is superior!"
But pickleball? Every time someone posts about it, there's always that one person: "That's not a real sport." "It's for old people." "Play tennis instead."
Can somebody explain this to me? Why does one sport have to lose for another to win?
Here's the crazy part... most pickleball players don't hate tennis. Some of us came from tennis. Some of us still play tennis. Some of us just found the sport that gets us outside, moving, and hanging out with friends. That's it.
Somewhere along the way, people started making their hobby their entire identity. And once your identity gets wrapped up in something... suddenly everything else feels like a threat. Your sport. Your team. Your brand. Your truck. Your phone.
So now it’s not enough to enjoy what you love. Everyone else has to be wrong too. It's exhausting. I posted about this on Instagram — go watch it — and the comments were... well, let's just say, enlightening.
Here's my take. If you don't like pickleball... don't play pickleball. I don't spend my day telling golfers to take up CrossFit. I don't tell runners they should be cycling. I don't lose sleep because somebody enjoys bowling. Look, people enjoying themselves shouldn't offend you.
Right now, millions of people are outside laughing, competing, meeting friends, and getting exercise because of pickleball. That seems like a pretty good thing. Tennis can keep being tennis. Golf can stay golf. Running can run itself.
Nobody has to lose. Nobody has to "win."
The older I get, the less I care what sport someone chooses. I'm just happy they're choosing to move. And if you need some gear, we've got everything in our Amazon shop.
Now if you'll excuse me... I'm going to hit a plastic ball with a paddle. And if that bothers someone... that's probably their workout for the day.
Feeling inspired to play? Dink and Dash will find you a court. Recovery after? Head to our Over 40 page.
Anyway, if this doesn't change how you feel, at least you got a good chuckle.