Pickleball Championship Coming To Las Vegas
Pickleballers unite! There’s a pickleball championship headed to the Las Vegas strip. Fox5Vegas reported that the 2022 Bubly Team Championships will take place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center Friday, Dec. 16-Sunday, Dec. 18. If you can’t catch it live, you can watch it on the tennis channel Friday or Saturday of that weekend. It will also air on ABC that Sunday. Twenty four professional pickleball players are expected to show. They will compete for a $175,000 in prize money. According to Fox5Vegas, ‘Las Vegas is the ultimate location where sports and entertainment converge,” Connor Pardoe, Commissioner of the 2022 Bubly Team Championships, said. “We are thrilled to have the first women’s and men’s pro team event at Mandalay Bay. We are always looking for ways to elevate the sport of pickleball, and our partnership with MGM Resorts takes us to a new level.’
So what is pickleball, anyway? According to usapickleball.org, Pickleball is a sport that combines elements of tennis, ping-pong and badminton. It’s played on a court the same size as a badminton court. And the net is a modified tennis net. Like tennis, it can be played indoors or outdoors with single or double players. The USA Pickleball website gives a history as to the sports origin as well. “Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, Washington. Three dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum — whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities — are credited for creating game. Pickleball has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the US and Canada. The game is growing internationally as well, with many European and Asian countries adding courts.”
The sport is one of the fastest-growing ones in the nation. Check out the championship to see what all the buzz is about.
Tickets can be purchased at axs.com or at mandalaybay.com. You can also visit mandalaybay.com to register for the event.
–Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ Las Vegas
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