The Big Dill about Pickleball

Pickleball is America’s fastest growing sport. In 2021, there were a reported 4.8 million pickleball players (also known as picklers), which was an almost 40% increase from 2019. Cities across the country are scrambling to meet this surge in demand for court space, and they’re finding it in an unlikely place: Shopping malls.

Many big box and department stores closed their doors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the pickleball craze is breathing new life into hollowed-out shopping malls across the county. The open floor plans, high ceilings, and concrete floors that characterize many retail spaces make for prime pickleball conditions. These adaptive reuse projects not only provide an indoor space for picklers to be active, but they also help to sustain shopping malls that have struggled in recent years. Pickleball is also notoriously noisy, which has led to many disgruntled neighbors and even a few lawsuits. However, these indoor courts enable picklers to thawk away without concerns about noise complaints.

One such pickleball court opened in a previously shuttered At Home store at Arizona Mills mall in Tempe, Arizona. The over 100,000-squarefoot space now houses 24 pickleball courts. When Arizona temperatures climb during the summer months, picklers can still play their game in air-conditioned comfort . . . and then pick up some Auntie Anne’s on their way home.