Much like the ’90s trends of racewalking and Jazzercise, pickleball is a major sporting craze. People of all ages play this popular paddle sport, which admittedly has an unusual name. It’s not like the sport is played in a giant bath of brine, nor is anyone hurling dill pickles across the court, so why is it called “pickleball”?
In the summer of 1965, the Pritchard family was vacationing at their home in Bainbridge Island, Washington. To stave off boredom, U.S. Congressman Joel Pritchard and his friends cobbled together a game using a badminton court, some table tennis paddles, and a perforated plastic ball. Thus, pickleball was created.
The name of the game came from Joel’s wife, Joan. As an avid rowing fan, Joan threw out the name “pickle ball,” a reference to “pickle boat” rowing competitions in which leftover crew members are thrown together on a team. She felt this name was appropriate since the newly created game incorporated “leftover” elements of similar sports, such as badminton and table tennis. In the context of rowing, the term “pickle boat” came from old fishing fleets, as the very last boat to return to port was responsible for pickling that day’s catch. Joan’s recommendation was adopted and eventually shortened to one word.
But confusion over the name’s origins ensued. In 1968, the Pritchards got a new dog and named it Pickles. Years later, Joel was interviewed by a reporter about where the name “pickleball” came from, and he told the true story. Joel also joked about how they named it after the family dog, and the reporter opted to run with that (false) angle instead. This muddled the origin story for pickleball fans, but it was Joan who originally came up with the name.
More from our network
Word Smarts is part of Inbox Studio, which publishes content that uplifts, informs, and inspires.
