Given the explosive interest in pickleball, combing the internet for current stories usually yields a treasure trove of ideas.
This week alone, one article in online magazine Dink described the biggest indoor pickleball center in the country – a 166,000 square foot facility in Macon, Georgia with 32 climate-controlled courts. Another article was a recap of the 2023 Nationals, held in Indian Wells, California, which was watched by 2.6 million television viewers. Yet another paid homage to seventy-five-year-old John McDaniel. John has cystic fibrosis, yet still won a bronze medal in the 2022 US Open in Naples, Florida. John played while carrying his oxygen tank on his back, proving that neither injury nor illness has to end one’s pickleball career.
Perhaps the most intriguing story was about the Arlington, Virginia Prison, which introduced pickleball to inmates in early November. The Arlington Prison is a minimum-security facility and pickleball privileges are currently reserved for those prisoners in three rehabilitative programs: the Addictions, Corrections and Treatment Program, the Community Readiness Program and the Inmate Work Program.
Bill McConaghy, an acquaintance who lives in Massachusetts, sold his manufacturing business several years ago and now volunteers in the state prison system. He tried to introduce pickleball into the system just as COVID was starting. Earlier this year he restarted his project. Working in medium security facilities, he starts by giving a twenty-minute talk that covers the history and rules of the game, before teaching beginners clinics. According to Bill, his idea for the project came from an article about avid pickler Roger BelAir, which appeared in the New York Times four years ago. BelAir is a retired banker and investor who, after seeing a 60 Minutes spot featuring the sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, noted that prisoners had little to do but “stand around.” He wrote to the sheriff suggesting that pickleball might be just the way to ease boredom and reduce levels of violence. He also pointed out life skills that could be learned through pickleball: the importance of teamwork and patience, sportsmanship, and learning from one’s mistakes.
The sheriff agreed and Roger had found a life mission. He now travels the country introducing pickleball to prison systems. It makes sense. As any serious pickler knows, once one is smitten by the pickle bug, one can’t get enough pickleball. By creating a behavior point system, prisoners with the most points have access to the courts. One prisoner was overheard saying: “I could beat the living $#!% out of you right now if I knew I wouldn’t lose my pickleball privilege.”
It’s still early to know whether pickleball has enough positive effects on prison populations to make introducing the sport worth the investment. The good news is that the investment is actually quite small and the success individuals like Bill McConaghy and Roger BelAir are having in convincing prison facilities to jump on board might just be proof enough that the concept is well worth the money spent.