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Pickleball: Fashion's latest victim.

Pickleball: Fashion's latest victim.

PLUS: The MLP vs PPA drama & the $36 mil' home that won't sell thanks to dinking noise

Welcome back, Kitcheners.

Read time: 5 min

Trip and fall on the court? Let’s hope you have the right attire to cover up. According to Cosmopolitan and multiple other fashion sources, there IS a right way to dress for a game of pickleball.

Thought a designer paddle was expensive? Wait till you see what these pickleball marketing junkies are charging you ladies for the trendy, new skirt that you “have to have”. Ooop.

TODAY’S MENU

Daily Scoop: Pickleball fashion or pickleball fraud?
News Stash: Tennis pro leaves sport for pickleball. The failed league merger & ongoing drama. 1st college campus courts, announced.
Sizzling Skills: Do this, not that → The grip to level up your game
Kitchen Talk: $36 mil’ mansion owner trying to sell the home creates petition to shut down nearby SF public court.

DAILY SCOOP

No, it’s called “fashion”.

There’s a fashion “thing” for everything and what do you know, pickleball is its latest…victim(?)

That’s right. Baggy shorts and overworn tank tops just aren’t going to cut it anymore if you want to look freaky fresh on the 44-inch courts.

I mean, heck, if Vogue says it’s true, it must be, right?

So what is pickleball fashion?

According to a fashion co-founder, the difference between pickleball fashion and “other racket fashion” is in the style and the function.

Stylistically…

Pickleball has fewer rules about what is considered "appropriate” compared to, say, tennis. For pickleball, think preppy, colorful, “camp”, and without being too offensive, maybe a little funky and weird.

Functionally…

Pickleball fashion has to work with the demanding movements required by the sport. The material needs to be moisture-wicking to wick up the sweat and form-fitting as the sport requires bending and reaching.

i.e. cover up those jewels, hun

i.e. a tennis outfit would definitely “not” be suitable

And according to the rules…

The garments must be “appropriate” and in good taste”.

So far, the only solid rule is that the clothes worn must not match the color of the ball (for obvious reasons).

So…how much for an outfit?

Is it fashion… Or is it fraud? I don’t know, but these numbers made me a bit queezy.

It’s your hard-earned money, so spend it how you will.

But when it comes down to it…maybe don’t buy into the marketing? Hint: TJ Maxx will suffice. 😉

#justiceforourwallets

NEWS STASH

Bye-bye tennis, hello pickleball

Happenings: We’ve converted one, people. Jack Sock, a pro-tennis player with Olympic gold medals and Grand Slam titles, has decided to retire the good ole’ tennis racket and trade it in for the pickleball paddle.

What we know: As of now, he has already signed with the PPA and according to people on the inside, his tennis skills will transition well to pickleball and he is already estimated to earn in the high six-figure range.

PPA vs. MLP: Pickleball merger collapse

Happenings: If you weren’t so lucky to catch the drama between MLP and PPA, here’s the quickie:

The merger fell through.

MLP: Major League Pickleball made big moves this weekend, signing many top players to lucrative 3-year, 6 figure contracts and gutting the Professional Pickleball Association's roster.

PPA: PPA retained stars like Ben Johns & Anna Leigh Waters but lost significant roster depth.

This stinks: This talent split will hurt both tours, diminishing events and titles with weakened player fields, unable to showcase matches between the sport's best talent.

The first courts on US college campus

Happenings: The University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, is constructing the first-ever collegiate pickleball and padel complex, with 8 pickleball and 4 padel courts (a sport HUGE in Europe).

Partnering with a company planning 200 new West Coast padel courts, UOP's facility will uniquely introduce the niche sport alongside booming pickleball.

What is Padel? Watch this.