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Pickleball slammed for trying to replace ‘real’ sports and causing injuries to the elderly

Severe injuries are common among 'obsessed' seniors who play for many hours each day

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, with 4.8 million players currently indulging in the activity. The sport has expanded 39.3 per cent in the last two years, according to the United States Pickleball Association. This sport is specially loved by older people, but there are many cases of pickleball causing injuries to the elderly.

According to legend, when Joel Pritchard, a congressman from Washington State, and Bill Bell, a businessman, came to Pritchard's home in the summer of 1965, they discovered that their families had nothing to do there. The house had a badminton court, but the Pritchards and the Bells improvised with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball when they couldn't find a full set of badminton rackets. This is how pickleball made its entry into the sports world. Right after this, the rules and regulations were fixed, turning this into one of America’s most loved games.

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Though the sports has helped elderly people kill time, there have been many instances of it killing their health slowly. Speaking of it, 63-year-old former tennis player and ironman triathlete Val Thomopalos, who picked up pickleball in May, 2020, said, “I immediately loved it. We seniors as we get older, feel like we are less visible, and this sport brings us together. Also, I am very competitive, so I love the fact that I can compete against other athletes my age and excel.”

While her statement makes it seem that pickleball is a good sport to help adults, here is what she mentioned next. “I’ve had three pickleball injuries in a year and a half.” She added, “They are all due to my own negligence. As an older person, I never valued stretching when I was younger.” Val strained her calves twice, strained her knee ligament, and also had to take a break for 3-week due to pickleball’s effect. 

Though Pickleball is a more accessible and less intense tennis alternative, experts claim that the sport is causing injuries among the elderly. Severe injuries are common among "obsessed" seniors who play for many hours each day. The elderly are also more likely to have weak bones, which puts them at risk for fractures. 

Dr Samir Mehta, chief of orthopedic trauma and fracture care at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, said, “Five years ago, pickleball wasn’t even something on the radar, but now injuries from it are common in that over-55, over-60 population.”

Injuries such as tendinitis, arthritis, muscle contusions, and sprains have also been observed by Mehta. He has, however, discovered that patella, wrist, and elbow fractures, are quite common and serious among elders who mandatorily need surgery. Many people have been showing their dislike towards this game as it pretends to be a ‘real’ game.

One user wrote a tweet after a pickleball match was shown on a tennis channel, saying, “This is a disgrace that they are broadcasting pickle ball right now. I might as well pop some Ambien it’s that boring.” While another said, “It’s the TENNIS Channel. I pay to watch TENNIS. College, Pro, Singles, Doubles, vintage matches, player profiles…anything TENNIS! Filing my complaint with @TennisChannel now. NO Pickleball!!!” Apart from this another user tweeted, “Pickleball is taking out many tennis courts and growing fast. What can tennis learn from its growth? Can the sports coexist?”