Abstract
Pickleball has recently emerged as the fastest growing sport in the U.S . Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, and played on a badminton-sized court with a perforated plastic ball. Despite the increasing popularity among older adults, no previous research has examined the behavior of older adults in pickleball settings. This study explored the characteristics of pickleball participants, including lifestyles and psychosocial benefits. The study participants were 153 older adults who competed in pickleball tournaments in a Southern and a Southeastern state in the U.S. Hotelling’s T
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test and MANOVA were employed to determine differences in age (50–59, 60–69, and 70+ years), gender, occupational and marital status in outcome variables (i.e., life satisfaction, optimism, social integration). The results showed a significant difference among the age groups, gender, and occupational status on the outcome variables. To be specific, participants in the oldest group (70+) reported significantly higher life satisfaction than the 50–59 years age group. In addition, female participants scored significantly higher on social integration. With regard to employment status, retired participants scored significantly higher on life satisfaction than the employed participants. Our findings suggest that playing pickleball is: (1) suitable for older women who feel lonely or in need of extended friendships through exercise, and (2) recommended for older adults who are searching for a productive and fruitful retirement. Taken together, this initial empirical study showed that playing pickleball can be a key leisure pursuit that contributes to well-being of older adults.