During MLK Week, it’s worth remembering that Martin Luther King Jr. consistently pointed to sport as more than recreation. He described the athletic field as a place where dignity, opportunity, and belonging could be practiced in real time—not just talked about.

Pickleball likes to describe itself as for everyone. In some places, that’s becoming true. In others, it’s still aspirational.

The sport is undeniably expanding beyond its suburban footprint. Courts are popping up in cities, school gyms, community centers, and parks that never hosted pickleball five years ago. But access isn’t evenly distributed, and growth alone doesn’t guarantee inclusion. Who gets to play still depends heavily on where you live, what you can afford, and whether you feel welcome once you show up.

This is where optimism and honesty have to coexist.

Pickleball Cares invests towards court conversion and revitalization by getting kids moving again and bringing courts to underserved communities.

Access Is the Gatekeeper: Courts, Gear, and Programs

Pickleball’s biggest advantage is also its biggest test. Compared to many sports, it’s relatively affordable and flexible. But “relatively” matters.

Courts

Public agencies across the U.S. are converting tennis courts, striping multi-use spaces, and experimenting with pop-up courts. That progress is real. So are the gaps.

Low-income neighborhoods, rural towns, and urban areas with limited park funding often have fewer courts—and fewer that are ADA-compliant. Stairs, uneven surfaces, and narrow walkways quietly exclude older players and people with disabilities. Transportation is another invisible barrier. A free court doesn’t help if it’s impossible to reach.

Programs like USA Pickleball Serves and Pickleball Cares focus specifically on court renovation and conversion in underserved areas, which is exactly where effort matters most. When access improves locally, participation follows.

Equipment

Pickleball’s reputation as a “cheap” sport is half true. Entry-level paddles are far less expensive than tennis racquets, and balls are inexpensive. But $50-$100 paddles, indoor court fees, league dues, and shoes add up—especially for families, seniors on fixed incomes, or new players unsure if they’ll stick with it.

That’s why paddle donation programs, gear libraries, and free clinics matter. Organizations like The Pickle Orchard focus on the hardest part of getting started: access to space, equipment, and a low-pressure first experience.

Youth & Beginners

Youth programming is one of the clearest indicators of whether pickleball is actually expanding its base. Schools, YMCAs, and recreation centers that introduce pickleball early normalize it as a sport for everyone, not something you “discover later.”

Pickleball Positive Communities has been delivering school-based, after-school, camp, and special events programming since 2024, serving low-income communities across New York City.

Nonprofits like Pickleball Positive Communities are intentionally working in urban school systems, using pickleball as a confidence-builder and social outlet. That matters. When kids see the sport as theirs from the start, representation stops being an afterthought.

Grassroots Efforts Are Doing the Real Work

If you’re looking for where inclusion actually happens, it’s rarely at the top.

Grassroots organizations and local leaders are carrying the weight of pickleball’s inclusive expansion—often without much attention.

The Pickle Orchard treats pickleball as public health infrastructure, activating underused parks, running free leagues, and training local leaders to keep programs sustainable.
Pickleball Cares focuses on court access and youth programming in low-income communities.
Pickleball Positive Communities center its mission explicitly on underserved urban youth.
Black Pickleballers United founded by Des Brown and Antonio Pullen, works to bring pickleball into predominantly Black neighborhoods—while also reshaping what pickleball culture looks like.
Women-led and LGBTQ+ groups across the country are creating intentional spaces that feel safe, social, and competitive without being exclusionary.

These efforts work because they start with the community, not the sport.

What’s Actually Working (and Why)

Cities That Are Intentional

Atlanta is often cited for a reason. Public-private partnerships, court placement in historically Black neighborhoods, and visible community leaders created momentum that didn’t rely on chance. When cities treat pickleball like public infrastructure, participation follows.

Visibility and Investment

High-profile investment from athletes and entertainers has brought money and media attention into the sport. When those investments come with community commitments—not just franchise branding—they help fund courts, clinics, and youth programs that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

Black Pickleballers United promotes health, wellness, and empowerment within the African American community through pickleba..

Inclusive Formats

Inclusive formats like adaptive pickleball, beginner clinics, and women’s and senior divisions play a meaningful role in long-term participation. When formats meet players where they are, people stay longer. Programs like adaptive pickleball networks prove that rule flexibility and coaching support make a measurable difference.

Where Pickleball Still Falls Short

Progress doesn’t erase reality.

Representation Gaps

Despite massive participation numbers, African American, Latino, Native American, and lower-income communities remain underrepresented nationally. Media coverage and marketing still skew young, athletic, and affluent. When players don’t see themselves reflected, many assume the sport isn’t meant for them.

Physical and Financial Barriers

Court deserts still exist. Accessibility is inconsistent. Tournament costs and travel remain out of reach for many. Even casual league play can feel expensive when stacked against everyday expenses.

Culture Matters

Pickleball can be welcoming—or deeply intimidating. Cliquish open play, hyper-competitive environments, and unspoken social rules quietly push people out. Courts matter, but culture matters just as much. If new players feel awkward, rushed, or out of place, they don’t come back.

The Work Ahead

Pickleball can be a tool for connection and opportunity. In many communities, it already is. Courts are being built where none existed before. Gear is being shared instead of sold. Programs are meeting players where they are, not where the sport assumes they should be.

But growth doesn’t automatically equal equity.

Representation still lags behind participation numbers. Access remains uneven across income levels, geography, and ability. And culture—who feels welcome, who feels out of place, who gets invited back—still determines whether someone sticks with the sport or quietly walks away.

Pickleball is young enough to be treated differently. Where courts are placed, who gets visibility, how beginners are treated, and which communities are prioritized will determine what the sport becomes next.

As Martin Luither King Jr. once said, “The time is always right to do what is right.” If pickleball wants to live up to its inclusive promise, that work can’t be occasional or symbolic—it has to be built into how the sport grows, every single day.

Diversity in Pickleball: How the Sport Is Changing—and Where It Still Falls Short