Published 02/16/2023, 5:50 AM EST
Soccer, cricket, basketball, football, and several other major sports have existed for a long time and are widely popular among sports fans. Such games undoubtedly have a massive fan following across the world. Consequently, Lionel Messi, Michael Jordan, Ronaldo, LeBron James, and Tom Brady became household names for millions of fans. Amid all that, a sport that had been around since the 1960s recently gained huge popularity prompting many star athletes to invest in it. However, the growing response toward the sport did not exactly go as the investors had envisioned.
In the era of social media, it has arguably become easier for things to garner massive attention from people all around the world. However, it has become just as easier to be criticized when certain things don’t live up to expectations. The increasing backlash toward the new addition to the popular sports category had fans protesting against it.
LeBron James and several others might suffer a huge loss
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Statistics showed a 40% increase in Pickleball players between 2019 and 2021. The sport is a blend of tennis and ping pong for millions of people of all ages due to the minimal effort it takes to play the game. As a result, several celebrities such as LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Tom Brady invested in the sport due to its potential future. However, as per recent reports by Benjamin Hart of Intelligencer, while the sport might be a fun way of passing the time with your family and friends, its potential to be a televised game is questionable.
In his article, Hart asked, “There’s a certain pleasurable novelty at work, but can you honestly imagine yourself watching more than five minutes of this on your television or phone?
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Evidently, Twitterati had surprising response to Hart’s question. One user commented, ‘it’s a game, it’s not a sport. yes there’s a difference’. Whereas, another tweeted, ‘It’s badminton without the grace and elegance of the flying shuttlecock. Pass’. Take a look at a few of the tweets.
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Why is Pickleball so popular?
One of the major reasons the sport gained popularity was because of its efficiency. One only needs a paddle and a hollow polymer ball and it is good to go. The outdoor/indoor game can easily be played between two or four players. Additionally, the minimal use of force enabled people of all ages to participate in the sport. However, according to Benjamin Hart of Intelligencer, certain factors deemed it too basic to be enjoyed on television.
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Hart wrote, “Naturally, there are all kinds of advanced strategies that go into becoming a world-class pickleball player. Yet the physical manifestation of those strategies doesn’t translate into exciting viewing because the players aren’t moving all that much. It’s all too slow to be very dynamic.”
What do you think of the sport? Is it interesting enough to be held at the same level as other major sports? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
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