Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. According to Sports & Fitness Industry Association report, the sport saw a 113% increase in participation between 2020 and 2022.
Now, one Grosse Pointe resident is using the sport's soaring popularity to start his own business. Thomas Shields founded The Dink, which is named after the sound the pickleball makes on a paddle.
"Pickleball kind of became a natural progression as we got older. Pickleball became the family obsession and I was like, 'I want to start a little side hustle. My own business.' I was working full-time and this is something I would be doing part-time," Shields said.
Having some high school journalism experience, he decided to launch a newsletter and then a media company later focused on one topic.
He then picked up a Sprinter van and hit the open road, driving across America to spread the word and his passion for the rapidly growing sport.
"In the back of that van, there was all sorts of equipment like nets, balls, paddles, shirts, shoes, you name it. We drove that tour stop to tour stop on the PPA Tour," he said.
Shields said his website is "ESPN meets Barstool Sports of Pickleball," and that they tell stories happening on the pro tour and have content for the regular recreational pickleball player.
At Court 4 Detroit on the city's east side, manager Don Marcolini said people are playing pickleball nonstop.
"The popularity in the last two years has just exploded. I'm not sure why, but everyone seems to be on the courts now," Marcolini said. "We have pickleball going seven days a week, almost 24 hours a day.
