The buzz about whether pro pickleball needs an anti-taunting rule has only grown this month. My original column was posted on October 14, and since then everyone has weighed in, with many articles on other pickleball sites, discussions on podcasts, fans commenting on social media, and now Zane Navratil with a video of his own.

 

Most of the fans appear supportive of the idea of some limits on player antics. Indeed, it would be hard to reasonably argue there should be no limits. The real debate, thus, is not whether to have limits, but what should those limits be?

Let’s go over each objection raised by Zane and others and show why their objections only serve to reinforce the need for pro pickleball to adopt an anti-taunting rule.

1. It is entertaining

The #1 objection raised to an anti-taunting rule is that screaming and yelling is somehow entertaining, and that pickleball needs that entertainment factor. While this is the first point people raise, it is the most obviously non-sensical argument. First, pickleball is a pro sport, and sports are governed by rules. Things that might be “entertaining” to a minority of fans do not control the decisions in a sport. Some fans like baseball fights, some like a sack dance in football, some like when tennis players throw their racquets, some like tantrums from soccer players; yet ALL such conduct is banned by those sports. Witnessing a fight between players on the court might be of interest to fans, but is that what we want from pro pickleball? 

Second, since when is pro pickleball without screaming, taunting and other bad conduct not entertaining? Imagine a gold medal match between Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio and CJ Klinger/JW Johnson. Obviously, with those four players, there will be no screaming, no profanity, no taunting of any kind. Is that match somehow not entertaining? The number of players who never scream, taunt or otherwise act unprofessionally makes for a very long list. In addition to the four people named, that list also includes Anna Leigh Waters, Chris Haworth, Catherine Parenteau, Andrei Daescu, Sofia Sewing, and many, many others. Are they not entertaining to watch? If you need taunting in order to be entertained, you simply are not a fan of pickleball. The vast majority of pro pickleball matches—upwards of 95%—do not have any screaming, yelling, or taunting, yet we are all somehow entertained. If you are only entertained by taunting, you need to go watch pro wrestling.

 

2. The NFL tried it and stopped trying

Navratil wrote that the NFL tried an anti-taunting rule and that “the fans hated it” and that “it failed in the NFL.” This is one of the biggest misrepresentations made by people objecting to an anti-taunting rule. They agree that the NFL is the best role model of a successful sport, but they misrepresent the NFL’s position on taunting. The NFL first implemented an anti-taunting rule in 1984. One big impetus was the “sack dance” of Mark Gastineau. It was made an official NFL rule in 1993. While it is true that a small, vocal minority of fans objected, claiming such antics were “entertaining”, the NFL has continued through today to outlaw taunting. 

Contrary to Zane’s claim that a taunting rule “failed” in the NFL, the NFL has actually strengthened its anti-taunting stance. In 2021, the NFL cracked down on taunting, making it a point of emphasis all season with officials, and included a new rule to eject players for taunting. In the 2025 and 2026 seasons, the NFL again required officials to strictly enforce anti-taunting rules.

I agree with Zane that the NFL is the model sports league and what the NFL does should be looked at by pro pickleball for guidance. But his conclusion was 100% contrary to the facts. The NFL has for 40 years outlawed taunting and has consistently and repeatedly cracked down on unprofessional conduct by players. The NFL’s anti-taunting stance has never been harsher than it is right now, and the sport has never been more popular. Pro pickleball should do the same.

 

3. UFC is built on trash talk

The UFC is, no doubt, popular and Zane cites it as a sport to follow. Seriously? You want pro pickleball to be more like Ultimate Cage Fighting? That is the sport you want to emulate? I do not think anything more needs to be said about that silly argument.

 

4. Athletes are not role models

Zane asserts that athletes are not role models but entertainers. There is some truth to that statement. We all watch pro pickleball because it is entertaining and we enjoy it. But that does not mean every pro athlete is indistinguishable from a singer or juggler or comedian. We watch pro pickleball to see pickleball played at the highest level. No one watches pro pickleball to see a fight or an argument or a player cursing. 

The idea of athletes not being “role models” was all about the fact that some athletes have controversial private lives that should not be emulated by kids. Some athletes have drug problems, some hit their spouses, some commit crimes; thus, we have learned that just because an athlete is good at a sport does not mean they are a good person.

But athletes’ actions on the court are copied by amateurs, whether we like it or not. We see that in sports all the time. If pro golfers take a long time to line up their putts, sure enough every 18 handicap is now taking forever to line up putts in a weekend game. If pros start driving the ball more and dropping it less, then that is what you will see at your local park.

The same is true for behavior, both good and bad. If pros start screaming or taunting or fighting, then at least some amateurs will copy that behavior, especially impressionable young players. We want and need pros, in every sport, to act professionally, so that positive behaviors are passed down to new and young players.

 

5. It is too hard to officiate

The claim that an anti-taunting rule is hard for referees to call is a claim used against every rule in every rule book. In the NFL, the claim is made as to offensive holding and pass interference. Does that mean we should have no penalties for such infractions?

The NFL has made the taunting rule a point of emphasis several times, most recently in 2026. This means that NFL officials are given specific instructions on what does and does not constitute taunting. Film study is part of the training, using examples of acceptable and unacceptable behavior. The same can easily be done in pro pickleball.

 

6. Keep in mind the bottom line

The arguments against an anti-taunting rule in pro pickleball are mostly red herrings. The real issue, the only issue, is what kind of sport do we want pro pickleball to be? Zane Navratil unwittingly hit the nail on the head when he brought up UFC and cited that sport as entertaining. Would some people be entertained if there were physical confrontations on the pickleball court? No doubt. But that in no way justifies allowing fighting on the court. Every reasonable person will see the need to draw a line between acceptable and unacceptable conduct. If you want fights, profanities, screams, and other childish and unprofessional behaviors, you are basically claiming that watching players like Ben Johns or Anna Leigh Waters is not good enough for you. Well, not me. Pro pickleball is great entertainment when played well and when played professionally. Give me Ben and Anna Leigh every day of the week.

 

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