I had to cheat; I used AI.

Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by three friends: Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum. They were looking for a game to entertain their families and improvised with what they had: a badminton net, table tennis paddles, and a wiffle ball.

The origin of the name "Pickleball" has two main theories:

* The "Pickle Boat" Theory (most widely accepted): Joel Pritchard's wife, Joan Pritchard, said she named the game after the "pickle boat" in crew racing. A pickle boat is made up of leftover oarsmen from other boats, often not the fastest but a fun combination. Since pickleball was created from "leftover" equipment from different sports, the analogy fit.

* The Dog Theory: Another popular story claims the game was named after the Pritchards' family dog, Pickles, who would chase the ball. However, the Pritchard family has stated that their dog, Pickles, was actually named after the game, not the other way around, and joined the family a few years after the game was invented.

Missed opportunity 😮‍💨.

Why are geese not called honkers?