27 Could Pickleball Save America? With David Johnson
What if the fastest-growing sport in America could also be its most democratic?
Pickleball was born on Bainbridge Island – just across the water from Seattle. It started in 1965 with a wiffle ball, a net, and a few bored kids. Sixty years later, it’s a multi-billion dollar industry, the official state sport of Washington, and the most diverse scene you’ll find on a neighborhood court.
In this episode of Pacific Time, Greg sits down with David Johnson — entrepreneur, consultant, and publisher of The Business of Pickleball — to explore the improbable rise of this goofy garage sport into a global cultural force. Johnson, who grew Pickleball Central from his house into the sport’s largest retailer before selling to private equity, now chronicles the business and community boom reshaping cities and suburbs across the country.
This conversation is about more than paddles and nets. It’s about how West Coast invention, garage entrepreneurship, and neighborly spirit can turn into a national phenomenon — and what it means when sports build bridges where politics can’t.
In this episode, we cover:
- How pickleball grew from Bainbridge Island to the fastest-growing sport in America
- Why COVID, portable nets, and volunteer “ambassadors” fueled its explosion
- The business story: from backyard play to billion-dollar facilities boom
- How tournaments and community courts create unlikely social networks
- The balance between commercialization and the sport’s social roots
- What makes pickleball so uniquely diverse and accessible
- How “we could solve the world’s problems over pickleball”
About Our Guest:
David Johnson is a longtime entrepreneur in the pickleball industry who has played many key roles in popularizing the game. He co-founded and scaled Pickleball Central, the sport’s largest online retailer, before selling it to Dundon Capital. He now publishes The Business of Pickleball, a subscription newsletter chronicling the industry’s growth, and co-founded the International Association of Pickleball and Padel Facilities.
Keywords:
Pickleball, Bainbridge Island, West Coast Sport, Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Garage Startup, Sports Business, Community Building, Civic Life, Recreation, Equity, West Coast Innovation, PacificTimePodcast, Social Connection, Washington State Sport, Pickleball Industry, Pickleball Facilities
Resources & References:
- USA Pickleball (USAP) — The national governing body of pickleball, with rules, resources, and ambassador programs.
👉 usapickleball.org - Pickleball Central — Founded by David Johnson and family in Seattle, now the world’s largest pickleball retailer.
👉 pickleballcentral.com - The Business of Pickleball — David Johnson’s subscription newsletter tracking the growth and economics of the sport.
👉 thebusinessofpickleball.com - History of Pickleball (Bainbridge Island) — Local heritage page about the sport’s quirky origin in 1965.
👉 biparks.org/history-of-pickleball - International Pickleball and Padel Facility Association — Johnson’s latest effort to support the booming number of indoor pickleball facilities.
👉 pickleballpadelfacilities.org
Related Episodes:
- Ep 20: Could Duct Tape Save Our Public Lands? With Gwyn Howat
- Ep 21: What If We Could Get Wildfire Under Control? With Hilary Franz
- Ep 15: What If Connection Was a Civic Responsibility? With Aaron Hurst
- Ep 14: Could Bolder Plans Re-Build Our Confidence in West Coast Cities? With Nolan Lienhart
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Thank you to:
- Guest: David Johnson
- Producers: Tim Wohlberg, Valerie McTavish
- Pickleballers at Green Lake Park, Miller Playfield, and Bainbridge Island Founders Courts