Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

What's in a name? After all, Shakespeare famously wrote, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." But it still is quite important. Today, we'll take a look at some alternative names you came up with for our sport, find out where professional pickleball stands in terms of equal pay for men and women, meet one of the best players in the world, and a whole lot more!

Let’s do this! 👇

Do you know what time it is? Oh yeah, it's time to hear from you!

If you follow our Instagram or Facebook accounts, or are members of our Facebook Group (the largest online forum in the world for pickleball), you’ll know that we like to ask our community some fun pickleball-related questions.

And you always give us the best responses! Our most recent question was “If You Could Rename Pickleball, What Would You Call It?" We got some great responses, so let's check them out...

One person wrote "Wiffle Tennis." Interesting suggestion, but maybe too much on the nose?

Another suggestion was "Cool Kids Tennis." Now that one sounds better. 😁 But we're still not sure that we want "tennis" in our name.

Another suggestion was "What's the Score?" While this one is funny, we don't know of too many sport names that end with a question mark.

Then there was "Crack cocaine. Highly Addictive!" Creative, but a little long, too much punctuation, and maybe not great for the kids — or for sponsors. 😄

Other potential names included "Battleball," "PBall," "Dinkball," "Life Size Ping Pong," "Slap Happy," and "Banger Ball." All strong suggestions. 👍

When it's all said and done, "pickleball" may sound a bit silly, but it is a fun name and it’s pretty catchy. Plus, with its rise to fame over the past 5 years, it's probably too late to change the name anyway.

Plus, does a name really matter after all? American "Football" is a pretty bad name for a sport that rarely involves kicking the ball — and it's the most popular sport in our country by far. 😀

Hitting the Famous “ATP”

The Around The Post (ATP) is one of the coolest shots in pickleball, and believe it or not, anyone can hit it. If someone hits you a really wide shot, so wide that you're hitting it from beyond the extension of the net post, you can hit the ball around the net instead of over it. The key is that you wait long enough so that the ball travels as far wide as it can without bouncing twice. This gives you the greatest opportunity to get it wide enough to go around the net post.

Can you say “defense”? The team in red sure can. 💪

It’s Official…

There are many factors that can get in the way of a well-hit shot, especially if you're playing outside this summer. The wind can move the ball around just before you make contact. The sun can get in your eyes making it more difficult to see. And of course your opponents are trying to move you around and keep you off balance.

So the last thing in the world you want to have to worry about is the quality of the ball, itself. That's where the Franklin X-40 ball comes in. Why? Because it's the gold standard for pickleballs. It’s the most balanced, consistent, and durable ball out there, and that's why it’s the Official Ball of The Pickleball Clinic, USA Pickleball and the APP Tour. Get some Franklin X-40s today and use code “clinic15” for 15% off.

If you find yourself in Southern California, we realize that there is a lot to do. You've got beaches, sailing, and a host of outdoor activities. Well, it's time to add pickleball to the list. One place you can check out is The Hub San Diego, a facility with 26 dedicated pickleball courts, a pro shop, cafe, and more!

Just make sure to bring a hat and some sunscreen because rain isn't really much of a thing in San Diego. 😎

Don’t Get Mad, Get Equal

In almost every other professional sport out there, especially the ones that have been around for a while, like soccer or basketball, there has been an uphill battle for women to get paid similar amounts to their male counterparts — let alone equal pay. 

Even tennis, which now does a good job with equal pay (at least at its four biggest grand slam tournaments of the year) required an entire movement led by Billie Jean King, to even get the process started.

But pickleball is different. Because professional pickleball only started 5 or 6 years ago, it didn't have to deal with an outdated pay structure using a male-dominated hierarchy.

Instead, pickleball just decided to start off with equal pay. As the commissioner of MLP, Samin Odhwani, said about the subject, “You can just pay them equally... You don’t have to ask questions about it.”

Another great aspect of pickleball is its focus on mixed doubles at the professional level. It's an event taken just as seriously as same-gender doubles, and it allows men and women to be showcased together.

MLP teams have the same number of spots for men and women, which has set an equal precedent right out of the gates.

Equal pay also promotes a positive cycle where the high wages allows the sport to attract the best athletes from both genders.

That in turn allows the athletes to spend money on their coaching and conditioning, which makes them better players, resulting in a higher-level product for the fans.

The sport of professional pickleball hasn't just become a blueprint for pro sports, but for businesses and corporations everywhere. 💪

Yup, those people need to be thrown out of your lives. 😄

Rather than look at a specific pickleball shot, today we’re bringing you an interview with the #4 player in the world in women’s pickleball. Her name is Rachel Rohrabacher, and she spoke with Aaron about topics ranging from which sports she focused on as a kid to which pro pickleball players influenced her game and what she plans to do after pickleball. Check it out below. 👇

The incidents out there involving beef between pickleball and tennis communities are becoming all to common. Our sports are fairly similar, the surface is the same, and we're often competing for turf. 

But who said we just need to fight with tennis players? 😉 In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a controversy is under way because of a city plan to convert basketball courts into pickleball courts. An outraged group of basketball players called the "Fort Lauderdale Beach Ballers" started an Instagram account that has more than 1,000 followers and shows footage of the basketball courts being used regularly.

The group has also amassed nearly 7,000 signatures on a petition that is pushing to keep the basketball courts. One city district commissioner says he's trying to keep the basketball courts while a commissioner from another district says that his hands are tied. In other words, these basketball courts are in a pickle. 🥒

Thanks for the read. See you out on the courts!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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