A Brief Over of the History of Pickleball

When not serving as an orthopedic surgeon in Gig Harbor, Washington, Dr. Ian B Lawson enjoys many outdoor hobbies. In addition to his PADI diving certification, Ian B Lawson, MD, golfs, waveboards, and plays pickleball.

Created in 1965, Representative Joel Pritchard and businessman Bill Bell attempted to develop an accessible sport for their families that emulated badminton. Played initially with ping-pong paddles, a perforated plastic ball, and a badminton net set to 36 inches high, pickleball gained rapid popularity locally. The first tournament occurred in Tukwila, Washington, at the South Center Athletic Club, and other events began throughout the state in the early 1980s. To promote the sport’s growth, the United States Amateur Pickleball Association (USAPA) started in 1984. It published the first rulebook, and in the succeeding decades, it spawned more competitions nationwide.

Pickleball’s popularity exploded after the creation of the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) in 2005, which oversaw the consolidation of preexisting online resources into one, places2play.org, where players could find the nearest pickleball court. USAPA published a revised rulebook in 2008 and hired more paid staff in the following years. 2016’s US Open Pickleball Championships, held in Naples, Florida, was the first televised pickleball event, aired on CBS Sports Network. The sport’s first professional tournaments, hosted by the Professional Pickleball Association in 2018, and the Association of Pickleball Professionals in 2019, exposed pickleball to wider audiences and expert commentary.

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