Pickleball fever is real. The number of pickleball enthusiasts has grown astronomically in the last couple of years—with people of all ages eager to try out the badminton meets tennis meets ping-pong combination.
Over 36 million Americans played the sport at least once in 2022, and this week, UBS estimated pickleball will continue to grow by 150% in 2023. While the sport has served as an important social and physical activity outlet for seniors, it may also be contributing to more injury-related health care costs. In an analysis released this week, UBS estimates that the cost of pickleball-related injuries in 2023 will climb to $377 million, with the majority due to out-patient care.
This comes as shares for health care insurance companies have dropped, according to Bloomberg.
Using injury-related studies about the sport, the company estimates the number of health care visits due to the sport in 2023: an estimated 67,000 ED visits, 366,000 outpatient visits, 8,800 outpatient surgeries, 4,700 hospitalizations, and 20,000 post-acute episodes. The analysis also estimates about one-third of all “core” picklers (those who play at least eight times a year) are seniors, and that pickleball players tend to be richer, with an estimated half making more than six figures.
“While we generally think of exercise as positively impacting health outcomes, the ‘can-do’ attitude of today's seniors can pose greater risk in other areas such as sports injuries, leading to a greater number of orthopedic procedures,” according to researchers a part of the UBS analysis.
But this conclusion may seem like a lose-lose for those looking to stay active. It goes without saying that there are also health consequences from loneliness and lack of physical activity. Moreover, a community’s newfound love for pickleball speaks to a deeper societal longing for connection and in-person activity.
“Pickleball unassumingly fosters a childlike wonder in play and movement, while naturally highlighting the human need for community and fun,” David Dutrieuille, the national pickleball director at Life Time fitness clubs, previously told Fortune. “It’s a sport that you accidentally fall in love with.”
Moreover, the physical and mental health outcomes of being outside, getting exercise, and interacting with others are evidence, from strengthening memory to waning off chronic conditions—especially amid the loneliness epidemic among seniors.
Just at Life Time, participation in the sport has grown by 300% in the last year. By the end of 2024, Dutrieuille says his locations are predicted to implement over 1,000 courts. Even the world’s number-1 ranked pickleball player sees how the sport lures in the masses.
“It’s so addicting and people love it so much that they’ll go and tell all their friends about it and like try to really get them to try and they’re super inviting and helpful,” Anna Leigh Waters previously told Fortune.
