BATTLE OF THE BALLS: Tennis org creates "red ball tennis" to compete with pickleball

Good day, picklers.

Here’s what’s on the docket today:

• Pickle Talk: Home owners blame pickleball for unsold $1.3 million home. Realists call her bluff.

• Hot Topic: Irresponsible obese alcoholic transformed by gym & pickleball

• Bite-sized: Tennis exec hates pickleball. Org responds with “red ball tennis”

• Golden Pickle: T-mobile’s deadly pickleball paddles

PICKLE TALK

Home owners blame pickleball for unsold $1.3 million home. Realists call her bluff.

Judy Comeau and her husband have been grappling with a unique real estate challenge. Their Sagamore Beach home, initially listed at $1.3 million and later reduced to $995,000, still hasn’t sold.

The primary suspect? Noise from nearby pickleball courts. Here are the deets.

These courts belong to the Sagamore Beach Colony Club, operational for four years. Despite repeated requests for quieter play and softer paddles, the club hasn’t addressed the noise concerns. Frustrated, Comeau has enlisted a lawyer to request the cessation of pickleball activities in hopes of making the property more marketable.

John Duggan, the realtor, notes that the pickleball courts have created a "stigma" around the home, impacting its sale. In contrast, other homes in the area have sold quickly, highlighting how this pickleball noise might be a significant factor.

However, a deeper dive into the situation reveals a broader picture, one that does not favor these inflated egotistical home sellers.

Comments from local observers are calling them out, suggesting that the pickleball courts might not be the sole issue:

• One commenter points out that while pickleball courts near their property haven't hurt sales, Cape Cod’s real estate market has softened this year. Many homes are experiencing price reductions, and there’s been a general cooling in the market since the price surge starting around 2018.

• Another also critiques the initial listing price. They argue that the house was overpriced by about $400,000 and that the property's issues extend beyond the pickleball courts. Factors such as interest rates and market conditions play a role. The lack of privacy, small yard, and potential condition of the house could also be turning buyers away.

In essence, while pickleball noise could certainly be a factor, it’s clear that it’s part of a larger set of challenges affecting the sale of Comeau’s home.

The combination of market conditions, pricing strategy, and property specifics are all at play.

SOCIAL HOT TOPIC

Irresponsible, obese, alcoholic transformed by gym & pickleball

Forget fairy tales—here’s a real-life story of transformation that’s as gripping as any blockbuster. Meet our protagonist, let’s call him Joe, who turned his life around from being an obese, whiskey-loving alcoholic to a gym enthusiast and pickleball aficionado. How’d he do it? Grab a seat; this one's a rollercoaster.

Joe was downing nearly a full bottle of whiskey every day. Imagine the stress of hiding that kind of habit from your spouse. The secret-keeping? It was getting untenable. When the truth finally spilled out, it wasn’t just another excuse; it was a full-blown confession.

The result? A stunned spouse who was on the brink of walking out but decided to stick around after hearing a genuine commitment to change.

No rehab, no problem.

Once Joe admitted his problem, sobriety started sticking—days turned into weeks without a hitch. But life post-alcohol brought its own challenges: a reawakened appetite. So, he indulged for a month, letting loose on his cravings before kicking off a diet in December 2021.

Here’s where it gets exciting.

By late summer 2022, he was hitting the weights hard, working towards a new body. And just when you thought the story couldn’t get any better, he discovered pickleball in the spring of 2023. Yes, pickleball—the sport that combines fun with fitness.

It’s now his go-to for cardio, and he’s loving every minute of it.

Here are his results:

BITE-SIZED PICKLE

Tennis exec hates pickleball. Org responds with “red ball tennis”

As the U.S. Open pulls in the crowds, there's a storm brewing in the world of racket sports, and U.S. Tennis Association President Dr. Brian Hainline is not happy, according to Time’s James Martinez. His gripe? The explosive rise of pickleball, which has gone from obscure hobby to national obsession almost overnight, now boasting 13.6 million players in the U.S. alone. It’s no small thing when the new kid on the block starts taking over your playground.

Pickleball’s rapid growth—223% in just three years—has tennis purists like Mr. Hainline more than a little miffed. Why? Because pickleball courts are springing up where tennis courts used to be. Hainline, never one to mince words, calls it “obnoxious,” and it’s clear he sees this as an existential threat to his beloved sport tennis.

But Hainline and the USTA isn’t just sitting back and watching the invasion. They’ve created a solution suspiciously similar to the pickleball setup.

The USTA is rolling out “red ball tennis,” a smaller, easier version of the game designed to lure in new players. And the kicker? They’re targeting pickleball courts as the ideal spot for this initiative. It’s a bold move, flipping the script on pickleball by turning its own turf into a training ground for tennis.

Hainline’s pitch is simple: red ball tennis is more than just a game—it’s a way to experience the elegance and depth of tennis without the steep learning curve. It’s part of the USTA’s grand plan to pump up the numbers, aiming to grow the tennis-playing crowd from 23.8 million to 35 million by 2035.

So, while pickleball might be having its moment in the sun, Hainline is betting on tennis to play the long game.

Whether red ball tennis will steal some of pickleball’s thunder is still up in the air, but one thing’s for sure—this turf war is just getting started.

GOLDEN PICKLE, ANYONE?

T-mobile’s deadly pickleball paddles

In July, T-Mobile’s bid to keep their customer’s happy included none other than a free pickleball set.

The problem?

They break after just a few games. Beware of broken paddles.

Hey T-Mobile, instead of wasting money on marketing gimmicks, how about putting that money towards better cell service???