Nice overview article on Padel.
Pickleball vs Every Racket Sport
PB vs. Padel (vs. Everything Else)
Padel, as we've said before, has a lot of ground to cover if it wants to catch up with pickleball...no, literally: it takes up much more space and requires a lot more money to build its glass-enclosed court.
But The Washington Post believes it could be the new pickleball (or, more accurately, the new golf) -- for C-Suite execs.
"It’s a networking superconductor for athletic, like-minded, like-moneyed masters of the universe," their story says.
This idea of exclusivity -- as opposed to pickleball's inclusivity -- is mirrored in the fact that only about 300 padel courts exist in the US currently. Even before the pickleboom, there were already well over 300 courts established throughout the US; probably more in Florida alone.
But, WaPo writes, "if you move in the right circles, in the right places, or at least follow the right accounts, padel is everywhere."
"
Padel needs a specialized court that costs roughly $50,000 to install. But it’s precisely those barriers to entry that appeal to those with cash and calories to burn."
The WaPo piece further describes how padel "is more athletic" than pickleball and how the uber-wealthy have started to latch on to the sport.
The athleticism needed for Padel could actually be more off-putting for CEOs. Golf only requires you to walk. Surely this is a point in pickleball’s favor?
But perhaps the best part of the article is this admittedly-funny chart comparing each of the most popular racket sports. We've highlighted our favorite parts.