By: Grace Liu

This past year, with the growing popularity of pickleball in America, the sport has been a cause for noise complaints. Some residents next to pickleball courts can hear the unmistakable sound of pickleball almost 12 hours a day.

The pop pop pop from pickleball courts all across America is disrupting many neighborhoods. Bob Unetich, founder of Pickleball Sound Mitigation, a consulting firm, said that pickleball whacks from 100 feet away could reach 70 dBA, similar to a vacuum cleaner. Everyday noises in the background usually only reach up to 55.

The sounds were even studied at Noise-Con 2023, during the opening night session of the annual conference of North American noise control professionals.

“I thought maybe I could live with it, maybe it would fade into the background,” said Mary McKee, who lives less than 100 feet from a pickleball court. “But it never did.” Mary is not the only one that is not a fan of the noise. Other residents that live near a pickleball court are also complaining.

“It’s like having a pistol range in your backyard,” said John Mancini, who lives next to many courts.

“Living here is hell,” added Debbie Nagle, whose community installed courts a few years ago.

Some Americans who cannot deal with the noise have joined a Facebook group, also started by Unetich. The group consists of over 1,000 members, and they give each other tips and advice on how to deal with the noise.

While there are no great solutions for dealing with pickleball noises, there have been improvements.

Soundproof barriers were a solution for many neighborhoods at first, but they can be very expensive. New paddles and balls were also created to dampen the noise. But, moving pickleball courts away from communities may be the best solution. Many residents that live next to pickleball courts are also moving away to escape the noise.

Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/30/sports/pickleball-noise-complaints-lawsuits.html