---
title: Kind of a Big Dill
description: Over two-thirds of Americans have heard of pickleball, but only 18% have played it. What gives?
---

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# [Kind of a Big Dill](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/kind-of-a-big-dill)

 Written by [Cory Manento](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/author/cory-manento) | 2023/07/26

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?”

 

 

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.

[View full post](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/kind-of-a-big-dill)

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