Pickleball’s popularity is expanding at a galloping pace for two main reasons, according to Mackie: the ease of play and the social component. You can learn the game in about 10 minutes, and players rotate partners and share court space.
“For a lot of people, it’s not even really a sport,” Mackie said. “It’s a social outlet.”
According to the report, it’s part of a larger trend in which consumers are prioritizing gathering over shopping. After years of pandemic-related isolation, people are craving experiences—not things.
That has led to growth in spending on travel and its related costs, like accommodation, performing arts and amusement parks.
But a space like Nordstrom—which has pulled out of the ailing Westfield mall—could be tricky to convert. Warehouses, with their open space and lack of columns, are easier to make into courts.
“We already tried,” Jonathan Padilla said of converting retail spaces in San Francisco. The certified pickleball coach is part of the Golden Gate Pickleball Association, the first advocacy group for the sport in San Francisco. “It’s a zoning issue, and the city won’t allow it.”
It’s a shame, according to Padilla, because there are a lot of great spaces that could easily be converted to pickleball courts. The demand for new courts is high—but so is the price per square foot in San Francisco.
“As much as you hear those stories [about pickleball in Westfield mall], it would be very hard to come in,” he said.
There’s also the question of money. While the idea of pickleball in empty retail spaces feels like a perfect solution, it has to pencil out. As it stands now, pickleball is not a huge revenue generator. Most players are looking for courts where they can play for free and even paid courts, like the ones in Golden Gate Park, cost under $20 an hour, split among four people.
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