Hello, everyone! This is Picklewho, the #1 pickleball news blog on the internet. April is almost over, which means that summer is closer than ever, and I cannot be happier. Before winter lovers come to explain why a runny nose and using 6 different sweaters simultaneously is better than the sun… Please know that you are wrong.

Anyways, here’s the news!

• Ben Johns explains the entire paddle drama

• Have you heard about the “pickleball voter” in politics?

• Do we need a shot clock in pickleball?

Ben Johns weights in on the paddle drama

If you’re a fan of this blog, you know we’ve covered a never-ending drama concerning paddles in pickleball. This is the summary: US Pickleball Open implemented new rules to contest illegal paddles and USA Pickleball announced lab tests after some accused players of illegally modifying their paddles to win matches. It’s a pretty nice tea.

So now, the #1 player in the world, finally commented. According to Ben (yes, I call him like he knows of my existence), the whole issue is that people are bypassing rules around the delamination of paddles. But what on Earth does that mean?

Easy, peasy, lemonade-squeezy (did I say it right?).

A paddle might pass a deflection test when it’s brand new, but over time, its surface will have room to deflect, rebound, impart energy, and create a “trampoline” effect. Benny-boy also explains how to make the game fair for everyone by transferring the current test to Exit Speed Ratio test (ratio of impact velocity to exit velocity of the ball when impacted with the paddle) and you can read all about it in this lengthy article.

What’s the “pickleball voter”?

I’m not a fan of politics. In fact, there are only two scenarios in which I enjoy them:

- Trying to win a drunk argument against a friend.

- Playing SimCity.

However, former CNN reporter Chris Cillizza released “Power Players: Sports, Politics, and the American Presidency”, a book where he coined the concept “the pickleball voter”. Safe to say, it grabbed my interest, so here’s a quick sum-up: Cillizza believes that the next US president — after the Trump/Biden race in 2024 — will be a pickleball player.

Therefore, as pickleball becomes a bigger sport, voters will be inclined to vote for the best pickleball player. Will the 2028 President election be decided on a pickleball duel?

Please, God. Please, please, please.

Is a shot clock necessary? 

The average pickleball game consists of at least 40 rallies. Personally, I’m okay with this, but there are two demographics who hate this game length: TV audiences and my knees. Mostly the second one, though focusing on the first begs the question: does pickleball need a shot clock?

Those against it argue that the clock will only rush shots, thereby punishing defensive players. On the other hand, the ones in favor maintain that it is vital to grow the sport via television/streaming views, and a shot clock will help pickleball to have better standards.

So, what do you think? Don’t say neutral, we are not in Switzerland anymore.

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