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Is Padel The New Pickleball?
Game time
Padel — a mix of tennis and squash that’s been around since 1969 — is blowing up in popularity.
Why It Hits: During COVID, pickleball was all the rage, with a new court seemingly popping up in every park, rec center, and celebrity backyard across the country. Now that the sport is entering a more mature stage of growth, padel could become the next growth story in sports.
Behind The Net: It looks like there’s some racket again about picking up a racket, per THR.
While there were only 30 padel courts in the US in 2020, the number has since surged to over 1,000 and is expected to top 20,000 by 2030. (Comparatively, Spain — the epicenter of the sport — has 17,000.)
In 2018, about eight million people played padel, according to the International Padel Federation. Today, it’s about 35 million.
In fact, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association found that padel participation rates rose 14.5% in the past year — the highest of any sport the organization tracks. Comparatively, pickleball was at just 1.3%.
Final Score: Padel has gotten so popular that it’s become the new go-to celebrity game, with some, like Tom Holland and Eva Longoria, taking things a step further by sponsoring tournaments or investing in professional teams. Speaking of professional leagues, padel got its own in 2023… and it raised $15 million last year in a funding round led by Charlotte Hornets owner Rick Schnall. All that buzz has led blue-chip brands like Lamborghini, Rolex, Prada, and On to get involved.
Prediction: Soon, society may be split by what you’re swinging — golf, tennis, pickleball, or padel. Each industry may have its preference, so be careful which PE elective you pick in college.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.