The recent article on Pickleball is extremely biased and unnecessarily snarky towards the players. Calling pickleball players “geriatrics” is highly insulting.
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The recent article on Pickleball is extremely biased and unnecessarily snarky towards the players. Calling pickleball players “geriatrics” is highly insulting. Is this an article about the noise of the sport or an article making fun of the sport and its players? A quick dictionary search of the word geriatrics - “a person who is very old and incapable or outdated”. Is this really what you want to say about the players? Is the subtext of this article some sort of ageism?
So just to correct a few things. First, Pickleball was created as a sport for the entire family of all ages to play together. And it is played by people at the Water Tower of all ages. It is even a college sport. Second, it may be easy to pick up the basics but it is not an easy sport to play well. It takes a lot of speed and strategy and even endurance. If I just read your article and knew nothing else, I would conclude it was a sport for old farts that don’t move and just bang their paddles and scream obscenities. This is not the case. Third, cutting morning hours is not an option as a kids camp takes over the courts at 9 a.m. in the summer and this would entirely shut out a large group of people who really need this play.
Perhaps most important of all, this sport has given people hope during the pandemic. It has provided connection and camaraderie and an outlet for exercise and fun. At a time when we couldn’t do anything else, we could play pickleball outside and make new friends. I’m not sure I would have gotten through this period without it and I know many others feel the same. It is still a pandemic and we still really need pickleball. I know another youngish player in the morning who plays to stay away from his drug habit. Others talk about going crazy if they can’t get out and play.
I realize there is a different noise from pickleball that is perhaps annoying to some. A sound barrier seems like a way to make the courts palatable for the neighbors. Belittling people that play, while certainly not without precedent in this political time, is not necessary or helpful.
Nancy Neill
Lafayette Hill, PA
