Pickleball Buzz Beyond the Kitchen 2/26

===> Forbes

Pickleball Olympic Dreams Given Boost With Merger Plans Of Dueling International Federations

===> Sports Business Journal

Investment Firm Ares Becomes First Title Sponsor Of Pickleball Slam

===> The Fort

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• Live updates on upcoming events and programs at The Fort

• Alerts on limited-time offers and merch drops

• Real-time Serves and Thirds Bar and Florida Room dining specials

• Court availability notices and new pickleball launches 

===> Business Insider

Selkirk: Two brothers skipped college to start a pickleball company before the game was cool. They cashed in on the pandemic boom and expect 9 figures in revenue in 2026.

===> City of Boise

City of Boise Settles Lawsuit, Pickleball Courts at Two City Parks Transitioning Back to Tennis Only

• Autopilot CeCe

CeCe's got the court. You play the game. Cleaner Courts. CeCe runs 24/7, making sure your courts are clean before the first serve and after the last game.
https://www.autopilotpickleball.com/meet-cece

• Kitchenblocker Lensless Pickleball Glasses

Pickleball Blockers — Not some squash hand-me-down. Kitchen Blockers are real gear for real pickleball players. Champions, Dinkers, Weekend Warriors are all wearing Kitchen Blockers. Join the movement. https://kitchenblockers.com/products/kitchen-blockers

• Pricklin Dink Net

Our products are designed for players of all ages who are looking to improve their game. Dink Net helps to improve your dink game by limiting the net width to only 5 feet. Shop Online. Get In Touch. https://startpicklin.com/

• Enance Pickleball The Dinkmaster 3.0 Training Board

The Dink Master 3.0 introduces a detachable top board and two unique hitting surfaces — our classic fast-rebound side for hand-speed training, and a new textured soft surface designed for slower bounce and a more muted sound during indoor drilling sessions. https://enhancepickleball.com/products/dink-master-3-0

• Drillpickle Magnetic Pickleball Training Rebounders

Practice Pickleball at home with DrillPickle Rebounders. Our magnetic DrillPickle rebounders magnetically attach to the garage door, creating an ideal… https://drillpickle.com/

OnCourt OffCourt

Don’t forget to check out an entire line of Pickleball teaching tools and nifty gadgets: https://oncourtoffcourt.com/pickleball/

• 26 Predictions for Pro Pickleball in 2026

• Fix Your Forehand Dink: 3 Pro Tips from Connor Garnett

• Pickleball ‘Court’: Saying ‘No’ to a 3.0

• Tracking All the New Pro Paddle Deals in 2026

• Guilty: Not Bringing Balls to Open Play (Reddit)

• $1.2 Million: New Money Ball Tour, Big Payouts

• The Truth About Pickleball After 50

• Etiquette Check: Open Play, Closed Groups (Reddit)

• Shoutout: The Country’s Best Pickleball Facility

• so much more…..

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• 5 Hidden Mistakes In Every Drive Shot

• Why is Foam Rolling so Important?

• Reading the Ball, Not Just the Player

• Prevent Knee, Hip & Ankle Injuries With These 2 Moves

• Want to Live Long? Start Playing Pickleball: Longevity Researcher Dan Buettner

• Why Winter Pickleball Feels Harder on Your Joints – And What to Do Before Game One 

• 14mm vs 16mm Pickleball Paddles: Performance Data & Analysis

• 80-120 million are pickleball curious. Here's how we know.

• So much more…

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2025 - Pickleball’s Wild Year

I think we’d all agree if pickleball had a personality last year, it would be slightly chaotic but still very, very lovable.

Let’s start with paddles. Again. New tech dropped, faces got hotter, spin got spinnier, and suddenly half of us were checking whether our paddle was legal before open play. USA Pickleball announcements sparked panic, refunds, and more than a few Reddit meltdowns.

Then came the noise wars. Cities debated sound levels. Neighbors debated their sanity. Players just wanted somewhere, anywhere, to play. Which helps explain the next big trend.

Indoor pickleball everywhere.

Warehouses. Old retail units. Tennis clubs flipping courts. If it had four walls, someone’s trying to turn it into a pickleball complex.

Rules had their moment too. Updates, clarifications, and the annual “wait… is that legal now?” conversation. As always, most of us nodded politely and played the same way we always have.

And yes, there were viral blowups. Meltdowns, arguments, and etiquette debatesthat may have dented the sport’s reputation. But hey, turns out every “friendly sport” still has competitive humans in it.

But the biggest story was pickleball’s continued meteoric rise. It’s community. New players. New groups. New venues. New formats. New strategies. And everyone chasing that one final game before home.

Here’s to an even better year for pickleball in 2026! 

Dream court of the week

Chicken N Pickle – Kansas City, MO

This is pickleball with personality. Chicken N Pickle Kansas City blends serious play with serious hang time!

Eight dedicated courts (four indoor, four outdoor), all reservable, all buzzing. Rally for a couple of games, then roll straight into food, drinks, lawn games, and fire pits without ever leaving the complex.

It’s loud, social, and built for groups. Come for the pickleball, stay for everything that happens after that last point.

Meme of the week

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