DALLAS, TX – You know things are getting pretty serious in the picklesphere when renowned publications like PEOPLE Magazine start featuring articles about pickleball.

PEOPLE is known for “celebrity news and captivating human stories connecting its readers to the pulse of American culture” - and these days the “pulse of American culture” definitely includes pickleball because it's the country's fastest-growing sport.

From former The Bachelor stars sharing their love of pickleball to Michelle Pfeiffer discussing her pickleball-related eye injury, PEOPLE is sharing some notable content. 

This kind of publicity is perfect for the growth of the sport. 

An overwhelming number of celebrities have expressed their love of pickleball. From former talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres to pop star and American Idol host Katy Perry, there’s no shortage of pickleball enthusiasts in Hollywood. 

With PEOPLE’s incredible reach, stories like George and Amal Clooney playing pickleball together will encourage their fans to hit the courts themselves and give it a try.

Pickleball has also allowed retired pro athletes like Kris Humphries and Jack Sock to extend their respective careers.

And with pickleball’s low barrier of entry, celebrities like Gerry Turner from The Golden Bachelor, can pick up a paddle and play, too.

PEOPLE’s coverage of celebrities catching the pickleball bug is is always intriguing. English actor Stephen Moyer even told the magazine: “Yes, I am part of the ‘dink’ cult. I can’t believe it got me.” That's good press for pickleball. 

It’s great when former athletes start dinking around, but media coverage about Drew Brees playing pickleball is for readers who likely already browse the sports section, so they know at least a little bit about the game.

But when Drake and Michael B. Jordan invest in MLP teams, that’s reaching an audience that might have never checked out a sports section in their life outside of Taylor Swift dating NFL player Travis Kelce.

PEOPLE also started sharing fashion content like the 10 best pickleball shoes and their favorite tennis skort for pickleball players as well. Stories about pickleball fashion and celebrities are reaching a key group - females - and that’s a critical market. 

With an average of 84 million consumers across PEOPLE's platforms in 2022, that’s quite a vast audience seeing their favorite celebrities playing this oddly-named sport. 

Pickleball is making headlines.