There's a ‘Turf War’ between Pickleball and Tennis Players in Seattle

There's a turf war between Pickleball and Tennis players in Seattle. Pickledball is cannibalizing access to tennis courts. New York Times columnist Kurt Streeter is ready to make some room for pickleballs in his life. The game was invented on Bainbridge Island in 1965. It's Washington's official state sport. There are many players who dabble in both sports. They get along well enough. But there's divisiveness between them. In one of the pickled ball hot spots, as many as 100 players might cycle through eight playing areas at one time.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is trying to balance the interests of tennis and pickleball players. The city counts 89 pickledball playing areas, compared to 141 tennis playing ones. Five tennis court sites around Seattle may be converted into pickling-only areas. The council is concerned that the expansion of picklesball courts may come at the expense of public tennis facilities. However, it's not inevitable. It's a balance that needs to be considered. There's currently two picklers courts for every tennis one. In 20 sites, they will be painted with double stripes.