Most hated sport: Pickleball?

Which athlete is the most hated? Which team is the most hated? These are common topics in sports debate. And since the rise of pickleball, the sports world has added the question: "Which sport is the most hated?"

Pickleball often receives criticism from other sports - Photo: PR

Pickleball surpasses golf and cricket in terms of... hatred

Sports are emotional games, and because of that emotional nature, some sports sometimes get a bad rap from sports people in general. From golf, to cricket, to pickleball.

Hatred comes from many directions. Golf is often stigmatized as a “rich man’s sport.” Football is sometimes simply the loud yelling of neighborhood kids or the long duration of cricket that can frustrate TV viewers.

But since pickleball's rise, criticism has seemingly been directed toward the sport. An article in The Washington Post declared pickleball the most hated sport in the world.

Many people who play other sports have an unfavorable view of pickleball, and the media has repeatedly compiled opinions and stated that pickleball is the most... unlikeable sport.

But the reason why pickleball is "hated" by many people does not actually come from emotional factors, but from many perspectives, including scientific ones.

First of all is the sound factor: the characteristic “pop” when the racket hits the ball has an annoying frequency and quality.

According to the American Acoustical Medical Association (ASA), recent acoustic studies and analyses warn that having to constantly listen to the “pop” of pickleballs can lead to stress, sleep disturbances and psychological effects on residents living near the field.

A large body of literature and analysis in the field of acoustics has documented the nuisance levels and public health symptoms associated with this noise.

Many people use tennis courts to play pickleball - Photo: CP

Second is the conflict over public space: pickleball's rapid growth has caused demand for courts to skyrocket while infrastructure has not kept up.

In many cities, tennis courts, basketball courts, and public spaces are being converted into pickleball courts. Many players even rent tennis courts to practice pickleball.

This created strong opposition from players of other sports, claiming that their space was being encroached upon.

Typically in the US, there have been many... protests against pickleball. A court in Arlington County (Virginia) is handling up to 9 lawsuits on this issue.

Some articles have described it as a “pickleball war” in many urban areas, something that has never happened before in tennis or badminton.

Unprofessional

Next is the perception of professionalism and image. Because of its accessibility, pickleball attracts a large number of newcomers, creating a “anyone can play” feeling and causing some fans of traditional sports to disregard the technicality or depth of the game. This is really an emotional factor.

In addition, when pickleball is heavily commercialized, this sport is also prone to content and images that are not suitable for sports.

In addition, without a unified association, pickleball is prone to controversy and conflict. For example, in Vietnam recently there were heated arguments surrounding the issue of players being favored by referees.

Pickleball is considered a sport of fashion - Photo: TN

Fashion and competition also contribute to the controversy. While some governing associations (e.g., USA Pickleball) have established rules about what is "not offensive," pickleball is, in fact, a veritable sports fashion show.

The "easy to play, easy to understand" factor leads to many young girls participating, and the sexy factor in the costumes increases even more. From an outsider's perspective, this causes more or less controversy.

There are also other consequences: safety and injuries, management scandals or commercial disputes when pickleball entered the equipment business market, making the pickleball playing field full of controversy.

Many noisy controversies in the pickleball village - Photo archive

On social networks, "dramas" between pickleball groups, athletes, brands, and tournaments appear more and more, creating a feeling of a chaotic, unprofessional, and unsportsmanlike playground.

Pickleball websites like pickler have also had many articles analyzing these issues, admitting that the sport that has exploded in the past 5 years really has too many issues that have not been put into a framework.

“Most hated” may be a somewhat subjective term. But it also points to the fact that pickleball is riddled with problems, and is growing at a rate that exceeds society’s ability to adapt.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mon-the-thao-bi-ghet-nhat-pickleball-20251005180629878.htm