Pickleball is Blimpworthy: Goodyear

The Goodyear Blimp will appear in the skies at a Professional Pickleball Association (PPA Tour) tournament on Sunday, 3 December after the manufacturer deemed the booming paddle sport “Blimpworthy”. The Blimp has been a mainstay at some of the world’s iconic sporting events for more than 65 years, offering exceptional aerial views.

The Goodyear Blimp will enter the airspace above the Life Time Rancho athletic resort in San Clemente, California, where the best Professional Pickleball Association (PPA Tour) players will compete in the CIBC PPA Tour Finals. Commemorating the moment for the sport, PPA Tour athletes Anna Leigh Waters, Catherine Parenteau and Jay Devilliers joined Goodyear Blimp pilots on Wednesday for a flight on the blimp to play the world’s smallest Pickleball match in the sky, as well as a pop-up Pickleball match at Goodyear’s airship base in Carson, California with the blimp looking on.

With an average growth rate of 158.6% over the last three years, Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America with more than 36.5 million players. “The Goodyear Blimp’s appearance at the CIBC PPA Tour Finals, the culmination of a thrilling season, is a symbol that Pickleball is officially entering the ranks of other professional sports – that we have arrived,” said Connor Pardoe, founder and CEO of the PPA Tour.

“We have a saying: if it’s a big event, the Goodyear Blimp is there,” said Chris Kostiuk, director, Goodyear airship operations. “The Goodyear Blimp’s appearance at the final PPA tournament of the year is a fitting tribute to the sport’s growing popularity.”