Pickleball is thriving on college campuses across the United States, but there's been a bit of a hiccup at the University of Southern California (USC).

The tennis and pickleball courts were permanently closed earlier this week because new USC Athletics facilities are being developed in that space.

Just how significant is America's fastest-growing sport at the home of the Trojans?

According to the article "A pickleball pandemonium hits USC" by Emily Phally, which was published on Sept. 19 in The Daily Trojan, "an unofficial group of USC students who organize pickleball events on campus, was able to expand to 500 GroupMe members within a year."

That group is called Trojan Pickleball.

"People think it’s like a niche thing that they go occasionally and play, but there are so many people that love the sport and play often,” shared Alex Han, the sponsorships board secretary of Trojan Pickleball and a junior majoring in economics.

The fact that courts were eliminated as pickleball continues to skyrocket in popularity is genuinely unfortunate.

"What students are losing is beyond a space for outdoor physical activities — they’re also losing a low-pressure social environment," writes Phally.

"Removing outdoor, on-campus courts impacts the special social quality of pickleball. Without a shared space for open play, the social and recreational opportunities pickleball uniquely offers are lost," she added.

As expected, Trojan Pickleball is planning to help by coordinating rideshares to courts in surrounding areas and hosting open plays. 

Phally notes, however, that more needs to be done to effectively remedy the situation.

"It is an understatement to say that it will take more coordination and time, especially with the nearest advertised courts being primarily on the west side of Los Angeles, which often require a membership or charge a fee," she explained.

"It’s very heartbreaking to see that we’re going to have to break apart this very wholesome community that we’ve built, and also that a lot of people are not going to get to experience it," shared Alexa Medellin, a member of Trojan Pickleball and a senior majoring in industrial and systems engineering.

Under the circumstances, Phally is hoping school administrators will get involved as well.

"What we’re asking for is a newly allocated open outdoor space for play, relaxation and destressing for health and well-being," she writes.

"USC needs to offer a solution to students, allocating a new space for outdoor courts, because pickleball is not going to die down. Pickleball will continue persevering, with or without the University’s help," she concluded.