PickleBall Daily - On this day in Pickle Ball History

"Pickle-fying History: The Day Pickleball Became Official"


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On July 11 in pickleball history, one particularly notable milestone occurred in the year 1968. On this date, Joel Pritchard, one of the original inventors of the game, along with several friends, officially filed articles of incorporation for Pickle Ball Inc. This step was critical as it marked the beginning of a formal effort to promote the sport they had created just a few years earlier on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The original game was invented during the summer of 1965 as a family-friendly pastime to entertain Pritchard’s son and friends using a lowered badminton net, homemade paddles, and a perforated plastic ball. The invention was a clever blend of badminton, tennis, and table tennis, resulting in a fun, fast-paced game accessible to players of all ages and skill levels.

The 1968 incorporation represented a turning point that helped pickleball transition from a backyard novelty to a recognized sport. Without this formal organization, the rapid growth and widespread popularity that pickleball enjoys today—boasting millions of players across the United States and internationally—might have taken much longer to achieve. This organizational effort made it possible to develop standardized rules and promote pickleball through organized tournaments and clubs.

An interesting part of the pickleball story related to this era is the origin of the game’s unique name. Contrary to some popular tales about the game being named after a dog called Pickles, research shows the game was named first. Joan Pritchard, Joel’s wife, coined the term “pickle ball” in 1965, inspired by the “pickle boat” term used in crew rowing races, which referred to leftover rowers from other boats. This analogy fit perfectly because pickleball was invented using leftover bits from other racket sports. The dog Pickles came later and was actually named after the game, settling a decades-long confusion around the name’s origin.

July 11, 1968, stands as a date when pickleball’s founders took the crucial legal step to cement their invention’s place in the sporting world. This formalization undeniably paved the way for the sport’s explosive growth, turning what began as a summer experiment on Bainbridge Island into one of the fastest-growing sports in America and beyond.

Thank you for tuning in to this slice of pickleball history. If you enjoyed this journey into the origins of the sport, please remember to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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PickleBall Daily - On this day in Pickle Ball HistoryBy Quiet. Please