Want to know how big pickleball is now?
Well, no less than tech giant Apple has taken notice.
Yes, that Apple.
The multibillion tech monolith has dived head-on into the sport with pickleball-related updates to its Fitness+ streaming service, which Apple launched in 2020. To date, it is the company’s newest online service.
Specifically, the popular online fitness platform now includes Strength, Endurance, and Agility for Pickleball on top of the traditional workouts that comprise the app, like yoga and indoor cycling. Oh, and no less than pickleball star Catherine Parenteau is the host of this newly minted online workout. The pickleball community should, of course, be very familiar with Parenteau, as she has reached no. 1 in the world rankings of the sport.
According to Apple, incorporating pickleball workouts was the company’s response to feedback from its users, many of whom are likely picklers or aspiring picklers. In addition, Apple said that adding Strength, Endurance, and Agility for Pickleball is just the company recognizing pickleball as “one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, beloved by casual and competitive players alike.”
And as the pickleball community should know as well, the sport really is in the midst of a meteoric rise, not only in the United States, but also in Asia. In fact, a case can be made that pickleball is growing at an even greater pace in the world’s largest continent, where the sport is fast picking up in countries like India, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and even Vietnam.
Strength, Endurance, and Agility for Pickleball is now available in Apple. Unfortunately, it comes via subscription offering only. Nevertheless, Apple recognizing pickleball is most certainly already a win for the pickleball community.
