The growing popularity of pickleball among America’s 65-plus population deepens the image of retirement age as primarily a time for play and leisure.

A cross between tennis, badminton and ping-pong, pickleball elicited limited popularity for its first 55 years until it surfaced during the pandemic as the fastest-growing sport in the country. Its popularity driven mostly by older 55 or older, according to a Sports & Fitness Association report in 2022.

  
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