---
title: Kind of a Big Dill
description: Over two-thirds of Americans have heard of pickleball, but only 18% have played it. What gives?
image: https://i1.createsend1.com/ei/t/0D/778/871/csimport/2023-07_pickelball_combined_newsletter.073639.png
---

![Plot showing familiarity with pickeleball among Americans split by age range.](https://i1.createsend1.com/ei/t/0D/778/871/csimport/2023-07_pickelball_combined_newsletter.073639.png)

[Cory Manento](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/author/cory-manento)2023/07/261 min read

# Kind of a Big Dill

[Previous ](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/concealed-fear-of-carry)

<https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines>

If you’re anything like us, the first time you heard the term “pickleball” you had a few questions: What the heck is a pickleball? How do you hit the ball with a pickle? Why are you talking to me?

 

Luckily, the sport has fermented quickly enough for us to read some rulebooks and get up to speed. However, there are still a few remaining questions beyond the obvious, “Why don’t people just play tennis or badminton instead?”

 

![](https://i1.createsend1.com/ei/t/0D/778/871/csimport/2023-07_pickelball_combined_newsletter.073639.png)

 

We are fortunate enough here at **Gradient** to have just the tools needed to open the jar of questions about pickleball, most importantly: Who is playing this game? Unlike us, the majority of Americans have heard of pickleball, with **over two-thirds of Americans having heard of the court-based sport. However, despite this widespread familiarity with the game, only 18% have played it**.

 

Americans over 45 are the most likely to be soured on pickleball; as they have the highest recognition of the sport (75% have heard of it), but they are far less likely than younger generations to actually play. The discrepancy can likely be explained by the sport’s up-and-cucumber status. Respondents 46+ are exposed to the sport primarily by watching people play it on TV, while those between the ages of 18-30 say they first discovered the sport by playing it in PE class.

 

Either way, we aren’t *gherkin* your chain when we say that the sport is really taking the world by storm.

![avatar](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Landing%20Page/team_photos/gradient-cory.png?width=290&name=gradient-cory.png)

[Cory Manento

](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/author/cory-manento)Cory holds a master’s degree and PhD in Political Science from Brown University, specializing in experimental survey research on voter attitudes, behavior, and electoral preferences. Coming from a background in which success is achieved through rigorous causal inference and sharp research design, Cory thrives on translating client needs into testable questions that yield actionable results.

[mailto:cory@gradientmetrics.com](mailto:cory@gradientmetrics.com)

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<https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/kind-of-a-big-dill#>

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