Why is the PPA so rinky dink?

[PT280 Fan]

Perspective is everything right? 50 year tennis enthusiast here, playing Pickleball a little over a month. Fast track 3.5 maybe, anyway the cool kids at the park seem happy to play with me and I’m holding my own. Currently doing three or four days a week of Pickle and two or three tennis. I like it cause it doesn’t flare up my wrist and shoulder like too much tennis will. Anyway it’s fun even if it is a cheater’s paradise concerning kitchen violations (park level).

PPA though have my doubts concerning the way they’re promoting the sport. Went to my first PPA Event yesterday, grounds pass - ended up watching Riley Newman and Jesse Irvine against Tara Black and her partner. Good match - three games but I couldn’t tell you who won cause I’d had enough and split after the second. Too many damn long breaks (TOs) and that blaring obnoxious music with volunteers hamming it up and dancing. Annoying, reminded me so much of a world team tennis match I attended with the beats and the flashing lights. Give me straight tournament tennis with a five minute bathroom break between sets thank you.

Also, anybody paying attention to their totally rinky dink review system? Get real - so damn cheesy. No computerized review system just camera angles. And, regardless what the evidence indicates, the officials will never, ever overrule a call by their reigning superstars, Ben Johns or Anna Leigh Waters. I’ve watched it a lot on Tennis Channel and Prime last night and the officiating is cringy as fuuuuudge! Particularly next to Tennis which is no doubt the fairest of all professional sports.

PPA would be 100 x better with no time outs (other than injury), no phony mid-match celebrations and honest and more competent officiating.

Tell me what you think.

 

[treo]

Things will get better. Three years ago no cameras or scoreboard at PPA Atlanta. Last year, cameras only at main court. This year cameras at all pro courts.

The timeouts give players a chance to rest and regroup, but they have too many and maybe should be limited to one in the middle of the game. I wish rec play had one changing of sides to rest instead of constant play.

 

[PT280 Fan]

Things will get better. Three years ago no cameras or scoreboard at PPA Atlanta. Last year, cameras only at main court. This year cameras at all pro courts.

The timeouts give players a chance to rest and regroup, but they have too many and maybe should be limited to one in the middle of the game. I wish rec play had one changing of sides to rest instead of constant play.

Rec play here in Vegas, a change of sides option when one team hits six is available on demand. I assumed that was standard. Not that there’s a lot of resting involved though. The games are short compared to to a set in tennis. Anyway, timeouts in the Pro game are just total attempts to strategize and kill momentum. I mean I can see it in a team sport where the game lasts for two hours plus, but a Pickleball game averages what, fifteen minutes maybe? Without the five minute + timeouts anyway.

 

[ByeByePoly]

@PT280 Fan … 3 days pball + 3 days tennis + wrist that can flare up

Edit: you might be careful and avoid stiffer thermoformed paddles due to the wrist … we ain’t in the land of strings here

If PPA has too much music and hamming it up for you … don’t watch MLP and the hype guys (yeah … they are a thing)

fyi … no change of ends in our open play games. I wish the scoring would change to rally scoring with a freeze at 10 like MLP does at 20.

I use ”cool kids” to describe some of our open players also … lol

 

[PT280 Fan]

@PT280 Fan … 3 days pball + 3 days tennis + wrist that can flare up

Edit: you might be careful and avoid stiffer thermoformed paddles due to the wrist … we ain’t in the land of strings here

If PPA has too much music and hamming it up for you … don’t watch MLP and the hype guys (yeah … they are a thing)

fyi … no change of ends in our open play games. I wish the scoring would change to rally scoring with a freeze at 10 like MLP does at 20.

I use ”cool kids” to describe some of our open players also … lol

MlLP? Rally scoring?

 

[ByeByePoly]

MlLP? Rally scoring?

MLP -> Major League Pickleball

PPA vs MLP billionaire game of thrones

Fun silly enjoyable recreational game for the masses … greed fest battle currently at pro level. Does recreational pickleball even need a pro tour? I would think we just need affordable places/facilities to play to match growing number of rec players...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

Rally scoring … like volleyball went to. You can win the point as server or receiver. MLP uses it in games to 21. When a team reaches 20, it reverts to that team having to win last point on their serve (reverts back to side out scoring). My wife was mad first time we played at park court with our Amazon paddles ... “it’s unfair I don’t win the point when I win the point” She also comes from tennis.

 

[PT280 Fan]

Major League Pickleball, Pickleball’s version of World Team Tennis, interesting. Seems like that would be a less confusing way to score a game. Definitely experienced a lot more discussions/arguments concerning the score than I’m used to in tennis.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Major League Pickleball, Pickleball’s version of World Team Tennis, interesting. Seems like that would be a less confusing way to score a game. Definitely experienced a lot more discussions/arguments concerning the score than I’m used to in tennis.

You will still be screwing the score up 10 months from now and on occasion still hit a volley after your serve. You heard it here first.

 

[PT280 Fan]

My biggest gripe by far though is the officiating. Watching the final today between the Johns’ brothers and Johnson and Frazier, score is game point 10-8 for the brothers to notch it at two games apiece. Ben John’s hits a speed-up out of frame, game is called - looks like the other team is being talked out of a challenge. Finally a challenge is called. Refs take a few minutes to review at which time the video is shown (Tennis Channel), ball is at least 2” out and both announcers agree that it was an excellent challenge. Except, once again the Ref comes on camera to declare that the challenge is unsuccessful and the John’s win of game three stands. Announcers even expressed their surprise

Honestly, this is like the third or fourth time watching these reviews involving Johns or Waters that the refs have made bogus calls in favor of the PPA Royalty. Nepotism? It’s bad enough that the brothers play and the sister presents and interviews. Do they not know that the broadcast team is showing us fans the video review, or maybe they just don’t care. Whatever it is, till they clean things up, they can count me out at the gate next time around.

 

[ByeByePoly]

My biggest gripe by far though is the officiating. Watching the final today between the Johns’ brothers and Johnson and Frazier, score is game point 10-8 for the brothers to notch it at two games apiece. Ben John’s hits a speed-up out of frame, game is called - looks like the other team is being talked out of a challenge. Finally a challenge is called. Refs take a few minutes to review at which time the video is shown (Tennis Channel), ball is at least 2” out and both announcers agree that it was an excellent challenge. Except, once again the Ref comes on camera to declare that the challenge is unsuccessful and the John’s win of game three stands. Announcers even expressed their surprise

Honestly, this is like the third or fourth time watching these reviews involving Johns or Waters that the refs have made bogus calls in favor of the PPA Royalty. Nepotism? It’s bad enough that the brothers play and the sister presents and interviews. Do they not know that the broadcast team is showing us fans the video review, or maybe they just don’t care. Whatever it is, till they clean things up, they can count me out at the gate next time around.

Nah … the officials and even the players are just pawns in the pickleball billionaire owners game of thrones.

Besides … that wasn’t the big problem in that match. The big problem was the “watching paint dry“ 5 minute dink points … and that is unfair to drying paint.

In honor of hard working officials everywhere:

 

[PT280 Fan]

Nah … the officials and even the players are just pawns in the pickleball billionaire owners game of thrones.

Besides … that wasn’t the big problem in that match. The big problem was the “watching paint dry“ 5 minute dink points … and that is unfair to drying paint.

In honor of hard working officials everywhere:

LOL

 

[I Dink Too Much]

*Bump*

MLP plays by a lot of strange rules. I pray most of them stay with MLP -- and that rally scoring never becomes the norm. (Stop trying to make pickleball "tennis lite.")

The officiating is ... trying to catch-up. It is too subjective. The infusion of big money is going to force the PPA to adapt to better review mechanisms.

The Tennis Channel commentators I have witnessed have been horrid. They obviously do not know the game of pickleball and keep looking at the sport through "tennis lenses." Their commentary is my biggest gripe.

PT280 Fan, I'm glad to read your body handles pickleball better. Keep playing!

- Dink