New Season of “Meet the American” Focuses on Pickleball’s Origins

Fox Nation’s show “Meet the American” is back for a second season, featuring host Bill Hemmer from “American Newsroom.” The series shares engaging stories about American exceptionalism, highlighting individuals who have impacted the culture through their ideas and innovations.

In an episode, Hemmer teams up with retired sports writer Mike O’Hara from the Detroit News to delve into the origins of the popular game of Pickleball. They recount the life of Joel M. Pritchard, who is recognized as the game’s founder.

Pritchard, a veteran of World War II, was also a Republican executive in Washington and a father of four. One summer day in 1965, while seeking a way to entertain his children at their home on Bainbridge Island, he and the kids, along with a friend named Bill Bell, decided to visit a nearby badminton court. Lacking proper equipment, they improvised a new game using Ping-Pong paddles and plastic balls.

“Currently, it is the fastest growing participating sport in America.”

What began as a casual activity morphed into something more structured after Pritchard introduced it to another friend, Bernie McCallum. Together, they refined the game, establishing sets of rules.

USA Pickleball, the sport’s governing body, describes the game as a blend of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, usually played on courts that are modified from badminton and tennis layouts. Players typically use paddles to hit a plastic ball with holes.

From its humble beginnings as a family pastime, Pickleball has skyrocketed to become the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., as reported by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

In 2021, Major League Pickleball was launched by entrepreneur Steve Coon, now hosting 22 teams divided into premier and challenger divisions.