Pickleball craze slows, but still strong in Atlanta
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
The pickleball craze — so hot in the pandemic and immediately afterwards — may be cooling off. Don't tell that to Atlanta players, however.
Why it matters: America's one-time fastest-growing sport is also possibly one of the most polarizing.
The big picture: The number of pickleball courts across the 100 most populous U.S. cities increased just 4% from 2025 to 2026, according to research by the Trust for Public Land.
- That's compared to 13% growth in 2025 and 14% in 2024.
- The slowing growth comes after many cities already built out courts, but other amenities — like gardens, disc golf and outdoor fitness zones — are also seeing higher or equal spending growth for the first time in years.
Yes, but: There are pickleball options aplenty at Atlanta parks.
🏓 Zoom in: Atlanta's pickleball boom seemed to start in 2023, per TPL's count — the same year the city's parks department opened its first dedicated courts in Southside Park.
- The city went from 9 pickleball courts in 2023 to 49 in 2024, per TPL.
- The court count dropped to 41 last year, but rocketed to 73 for this year, or 1.4 courts for every 10,000 residents — the 12th-highest percentage among large U.S. cites.
Reality check: Parks in the country's biggest cities now have 3,765 pickleball courts, TPL says — up nearly 900% from 2017.
- That includes those striped for both tennis and pickleball.
What they're saying: "Cities are still adding courts, but not at the breakneck pace we saw over the last two years and since 2017," Will Klein, TPL's director of parks research, told Axios.
- "That slowdown mirrors what we're seeing more broadly in parks systems nationwide, where local leaders are balancing tighter budgets, aging infrastructure, and growing demand for many different kinds of recreational amenities."
Zoom out: Pickleball has become integrated into Atlanta culture with hospitality spots like The Painted Pickle in Armour Yards, the 36,0000-square-foot Dill Dinkers in West End, and our own Major League Pickleball team, the Bouncers.