In the final pages of his new book Power Players: Sports, Politics, and the American Presidency, author Chris Cilliza posits a theory that pickleball is the way to re-unite the current Divided States of America.
Yes, Cillizza writes that Joe Biden’s 2020 election winning campaign and the sport of pickleball espouse the same ideals and principle: everyone can contribute and participate, and we can all get along.
Pickleball APP Chicago Open Broadcast Info
Saturday, 9/2 | 12 pm CT – 6 pm ET | ESPN+
Sunday, 9/3 | 10 am CT – 5 pm ET | ESPN+
Tuesday, 9/5 | 8 pm CT – 9 pm CT | ESPN2
While we are in competition with each other, we can do so in a more cooperative sense, and that there is much more uniting us than that which divides us.
Pickleball APP Chicago Open Venue Info
Danny Cunniff Park, 2700 Trail Way
Highland Park, Illinois 60035
APP Pro Megan Fudge has seen this in action: “we’ll get together on the court, talk everything else (that isn’t politics and current events) without premises and going to your (sociopolitical ideological) corners.”
This hypothesis has been around for at least a couple of years, and what you’re reading here is far from the first article to tackle this subject.
Yes, this bit, which actually isn’t the craziest idea ever, has been done before.
And something has to work, right?
Maybe you’re old enough what America was like just after 9/11? Back in the fall of 2001 and winter of 2002, we were all on the same team. That Era of Good Feelings ended when the invasion and occupation of Iraq went south, but the atmosphere still wasn’t as ugly as it is today.
Nowadays, anything and everything gets politicized, including the world-shaping event that helped pickleball take off in the first place: the covid-19 pandemic.
We all wanted to get outside, and interact with others again while still staying safe and maintaining social distance. Pickleball checked all the boxes.
America hasn’t been this bitterly divided since the 1960s. One could argue that the only time our nation has been more fractured than this was the actual Civil War of 1861-1865.
So this sport can somehow
- escape getting exploited as a political football and
- get kids and teens off of their smartphones? What kind of mystical sorcery is this?
Davide explained how this is a sport for all, you can be any age, demographic, physical shape, skill level, etc. and still get reasonably good enough, rather quickly, to have fun out there.
On top of that, if you struggle with wrist issues while playing pickle ball, you can opt for CBD salves to keep your wrist healthy.
“It (the previous sport she played professionally, tennis) was never this inclusive, sure we would sign some autographs, but we were so separate from our fans.”
Accessibility is a huge part of the sport (which derives its name from a dog named Pickles, who chased after the errant balls when this game was first conceived)’s appeal.
2023 marks the APP Tour’s fifth edition of the Chicago Open, and third in Highland Park. Last year’s event hosted more than 700 players, with this year’s turnout expected to top 850.
Fudge explained what the biggest hurdles were in picking up this sport, which is basically a fusion of tennis and ping pong (with some elements of badminton and racquetball spliced in).
“The hardest thing at the beginning was getting the hang of the scoring system,” the former University of Illinois tennis star said.
“But the thing about pickleball was every time that I came to rec games, everyone seemed so helpful. I didn’t see that in tennis as much.
Our amateur players got us off to a great start, now it is time for the pros to hit the courts!#APPChicagoOpen #APPTour #APPFamily #Pickleball #Pickleballislife pic.twitter.com/cIEzjJoXUz
— APP Tour (@OfficialAPPTour) August 31, 2023
“People would say don’t worry bout the scoring, we’ll take care of that, just focus on hitting the ball. That’s what I would tell anybody who’s just starting out. Don’t worry about not knowing how to score, just play, because everyone else is trying to figure it out.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.