There is a lot of buzz around Pickleball, and after watching it for a bit on ESPN during a flight last Sunday I still don’t think “Pro Pickleball” as a media property is anything that is going to draw numbers needed to sustain or challenge other leagues or sports, but that doesn’t mean that its success as a property, especially for the largest growing demo in the country, 50 and older, can’t be landmark for the industry overall.
I was reminded of this by my friend Anthony Caponiti, founder of Hashtag Sports, when we were talking on a recent morning. Hashtag has always been about the new, the disruptive and what’s on the horizon. However, he pointed out that the young demo is more work challenged, finance challenged and may be living at home for longer after graduation than ever before, so why ignore the older, engaged demo? And Pickleball may be showing brands a gateway to that path.
Here’s what I mean. While watching on ESPN2 against NFL games on a Sunday, I really wasn’t intrigued by even the most elite athletes playing in Texas. What intrigued me were not just the brands around a court…who knows what is an in-kind sponsorship, or a low-level partnership or a real spend of substance…it was the brands that cut custom spots; Franklin, Bi freeze and others…that were carefully designed to engage and support whatever audience was watching. This was not an infomercial with ads for The General Insurance, this was a two-hour commercial and activation for anyone remotely interested in the sport.
That demo, despite what some may claim…is the 50 and older group and it is more active, has more time and disposable income, and it shows up and supports. Also, according to this weekend’s New York Times, it is not slowing down at any point. By 2050, the population of Americans 65 and older will increase by more than 86 million, a growth of over 50 percent, and they are living and many thriving, well into their 80’s.
Also worth noting is the storylines tied to the new Jodie Foster and Annette Benning biopic Nyad, which tells the grit and perseverance of Olympian Diana Nyad, who finally at age 63 became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida while not in a designed shark tank. The Netflix project goes out of its way to scream…literally…about the values of engagement over age…and while the actors strike probably limited the pop the film got in publicity, it was another “AHA: moment to show the engagement and activism of a slightly older, but not less engaged, audience.
We have said this several times before…why don’t pro teams’ market to this demo even though it is expansive? Afraid of having too gray an audience? A hesitancy by younger execs to look in the mirror? A fear of being first? All of the above?
It’s silly. And while many may brush the success of pickleball aside as a fad that will come and go, don’t brush off the brands and the activations and the engagement that the sport is having. Those brands transcend a sport on a small court with a plastic ball. They have millions to spend, and if they are activating against Pickleball and seeing an ROI, there is a test case for other sports to take notice beyond cutesy dance teams.
If you are looking for engagement and new revenue, maybe start looking a bit north in the demo. Pickleball has opened the door for you.
